Improving information and awareness

Accurate information on the range of services and travel initiatives accessible at The Trafford Centre will be a critical element of our successful Travel Plan. After all, it is no good providing new and improved services if people are not aware that they are available! Easy access to information and publicity will therefore be a fundamental principle of the Travel Plan, and will reinforce awareness of the opportunities for the use of alternative modes.

The Trafford Centre Travel Coordinator...

As a demonstration of our commitment to the Travel Plan, we have employed a dedicated ‘Travel Coordinator’ at The Trafford Centre to oversee the implementation of travel measures, monitor their impact and to act as a ‘point of contact’ for comments from visitors and staff.

Ensuring access to information...

We have already begun to improve the level of public transport information at The Trafford Centre through the production of the dedicated Public Transport Guide and the provision of information on our website and in-Centre information pods. There is still more that we can do, however, to ensure visitors and staff have access to up-to-the-minute travel information. In particular we are investigating the following measures:

• Development of a dedicated Trafford Centre Public Transport Timetable freely available at the Centre and other transport interchange locations across Greater Manchester;

• Options for a Public Address system and electronic displays at the bus station, and seeking to extend this to investigate the provision of dedicated bus information screens around the Centre to provide continually updated information on the bus services currently available at the bus station;

• Extension and integration of the level of travel information included on The Trafford Centre website (www.traffordcentre.co.uk) and direct web connections to other public transport operator sites to allow journey planning;

• Development of a ‘Travel Office’ within the Centre providing a public access point to both the Travel Coordinator and information on public transport connections to The Trafford Centre.

Raising awareness...

In addition to general day-to-day travel information such as timetables, route planners and maps, the Travel Plan will also develop and coordinate travel awareness campaigns at The Trafford Centre such as ‘National Cycle Week’ and ‘National Car Free Day’ through on-site activities and promotions within our visitor magazine ‘The Trafford Magazine’.