Following the launch of the Mini Switzerland in the Hope Valley project earlier this year we’ve received several invites and meeting requests from organisations at a local as well as national level.
A few weeks ago the project team was invited to present at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. The event was held at Holyrood Parliament and hosted by MSP Ariane Burgess, organised by the Community Rail Network and Highland Main Line Community Rail Partnership. The session brought together delegates from across the country and transport sector, including the bus and rail industry, Transport Scotland, several MSPs, community railway partnerships, National Parks, travel consultants and community groups. It was interesting to meet some of our Scottish counterparts.
Thomas Abelman, founder of the Mini Switzerland concept set the scene through a presentation explaining how bus and train travel integrate in Switzerland. We were walked through some graphs highlighting the differences between travel in the UK vs travel in Switzerland. It seems our current transport values making fewer changes to reach a destination, even if it means the whole journey takes more time. We also saw some aerial footage of a train station at a small village in Switzerland where we saw for ourselves the way buses connect with the train arrivals and departures. You can watch a recording of the 30-minute presentation here.
There was time for some questions and discussions after the presentation. It was promising to hear in-depth queries on the practical nature of the project in terms of partnerships with bus operators, funding and learning from others. Watch this space for another demonstrator north of the border!
It was great to hear so much enthusiasm and support for the Mini Switzerland project as it was a reminder that it’s such a unique opportunity for the Hope Valley and hopefully it will pave the way for other organisations to replicate and learn from.
To find out more about the Mini Switzerland project, you can:
- Sign up to our monthly newsletter and select ‘travel and transport’ under interests so you can receive our travel bulletin.
- Come along to our Travel Meetup where we’ll also be discussing this project and others, on Tuesday 3rd November, 5:30 – 7 pm at Hathersage.
- Invite us to speak at your meeting or event. Contact info@hopevalleyclimateaction.org.uk
