Neighbourhood Shifting Gears

For For eight years now, a workplace based program to reduce vehicle trips to work has been running in the City of Peterborough in the month of May.  This program, called Shifting Gears, has been a huge success and many people have asked for a program that rewards households for reducing vehicle trips in other ways too.  That is how the Neighbourhood Shifting Gears program came to be.  2011 is the first year for the program and it is being piloted in two neighbourhoods starting in August.  

In the Neighbourhood Shifting Gears program, we are providing incentives and information to entice residents to reduce their vehicle trips.  The benefits of diversifying your transportation options include:

• increased physical activity and associated health benefits (reduced diabetes, etc.)
  
• enhanced potential for independent living for seniors
• reduced family transportation costs
• improved air quality and lower climate change emissions 
• reduced vehicle traffic in your neighbourhood
• it's more fun! 
  

The two neighbourhoods where the Shifting Gears program is being introduced (in August 2011) are areas adjacent to the London Street Footbridge and in the Avenues south of Charlotte Street and north of Bolivar Street. A program Newsletter delivered to all households in the Shifting Gears Neighbourhoods on Friday, August 19th.

For more information about the program, contact Brianna Salmon at Peterborough Green-Up at 705-745-3238 ext. 203 or by email at shiftinggears@greenup.on.ca.