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Sevenoaks Town Council among finalists for transport award
Kent’s Sevenoaks Town Council is in the frame to pick up an award in the inaugural People’s Award – an initiative by the Transport Planning Society.
A pair of Sevenoaks bus travel initiatives has been named as two of the six finalists of the award, the Transport Planning Society has announced.
The Sevenoaks Town Partnership Vintage Bus Service and the Number 8 bus service are in the running to win the award, which recognises the most significant transport planning initiatives of the year. The organiser invited communities to demonstrate how transport planning projects, whatever they might be, had made a positive impact in their local area.
Established in 2011, the Vintage Bus Service has been a hit with Sevenoaks locals as well as tourists. The circular route takes in local landmarks including the National Trust property Knole, The Stag theatre and cinema, The Vine, and Bligh's Meadow shopping centre.
Meanwhile, the Number 8 bus service – available free of charge for 11- to 18-year-olds – now attracts tens of thousands of passengers every year, and supports older people struggling with loneliness.
Stephen Joseph OBE, former chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, led the competitive judging process. The panel looked at community schemes that had made a real difference to people’s access to services, quality of life and wellbeing.
Key members of the group were invited to celebrate reaching the final stages at a special ceremony at the House of Commons on 10 October, hosted by the chair of the Transport Select Committee, Lilian Greenwood MP.
The overall winner will be announced at the Transport Planning Day on 13 November at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London.
Cllr Richard Parry, leader of Sevenoaks Town Council, said: “These bus routes are part of a large range of measures we have put in place to improve connectivity for Sevenoaks residents and attract new people to the town. We have been delighted to see both initiatives prove so popular, and this recognition confirms that our work has been worthwhile.”