Living in a region that’s on the cusp of change is energising. From projects that are encouraging us to be more active, to those that aim to get us travelling more sustainably, it is rewarding to use my skillset to play a small part in making my home, in Teesside, safer, healthier and more sustainable.

There is a sense of hope in the air. The area I grew up in was once a powerhouse of industry and inventors, during the industrial revolution; but the legacy left behind, since deindustrialisation in the 80’s, has proven difficult to overcome. However, by 2025, my region could be the world’s first net zero industrial cluster – an area with linked industrial businesses – the first outpost of HM Treasury outside of London and the UK’s largest freeport.

Unlocking the true economic potential of areas like Teesside relies, in part, on improving its transport infrastructure. Doing so helps families and goods move around more freely, whilst also offering better access to career opportunities, financial growth and the realisation of a lower carbon future.

When everything paused, schools closed, people almost without exception were told to work from home, and when the roads emptied – it made them realise what ‘could’ be.

Combining my specialisms, I’ve worked alongside our clients to help communities re-think how they travel, particularly in relation to the school run. While my job title may suggest it, my expertise is not solely within transport, but also marketing and social media.

As part of the DfT Schools Travel Demand Management programme, I worked with North Yorkshire County Council to develop marketing and communication plans, aimed at better managing travel demand across the county following the easing of lockdown measures, supporting them in engaging with schools as they returned safely to school.

 

When we began work on the project, I couldn’t have imagined the level of response and engagement we would get from the public. Social media allowed us to not only reach the right parents, carers and commuters but opened-up a wider pool of people to engage with compared to traditional survey methods. The responses we heard on re-thinking journeys, fed into:

• Developing a suite of interventions, tailored to the needs of those surveyed;
• Inspiring behavioural change and increased levels of take-up of sustainable and active travel options for the school run;
• The locking-in of the more active and climate conscious travel choices, witnessed throughout the pandemic

We reached 109,000 people in North Yorkshire (23% of the County’s population) via a single social media marketing campaign. Mixing transport expertise with marketing know-how meant that we could effectively drive traffic to our digital surveys, identify issues at schools and empower communities to be heard over a shared issue.

Teesside has been through tough times, following the closure of the steel works and resulting loss of industry; but its passionate, resourceful and resilient people have so much potential and, coupled with countless assets, and exciting redevelopment and growth plans, I genuinely believe that the future is bright for Teesside.