Thinking about how people will get to your event is a key step in the event planning process, and Swindon Travel Choices has a variety of resources that can help to get you started.
Online journey planner
There’s a free journey planner on the home page at https://www.swindontravelchoices.co.uk/
Customers can put in their starting postcode and the event postcode and be presented with options for walking, cycling, public transport and car. The journey planner will outline the time it takes, calories burnt and CO2 savings.
Cycling and walking to your event
The Swindon Cycle Map shows where all the traffic free routes are that allow people to walk or cycle to your venue. The map can be downloaded as a PDF from the website. Alternatively hard copies can be obtained free from all the main libraries in Swindon, or requested via the website.
If people arrive by bike, where will they park their bike securely? If you need to hire out additional racks, see our link above.
Public Transport
- Is there a bus stop near your event site, and are the walking routes safe, lit and convenient for bus passengers to walk to your event?
- Do you need to put up signs directing bus passengers from the stop to your site? If so, don’t forget to sign the reverse route back to the stop.
As well as the journey planner mentioned above, bus times can be obtained:
Traveline – https://www.traveline.info/, or the main bus companies in Swindon
Swindon’s Bus Company https://www.swindonbus.co.uk/ and
Stagecoach https://www.stagecoachbus.com/
Coach and rail
If people are likely to come from further afield to your event, rail can be a quick option. Swindon’s railway station is connected to London Paddington, Reading, Chippenham, Bath, Bristol, Cheltenham and Gloucester. The TransWilts line has connections to Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury and beyond.
Rail times and tickets can be obtained from Great Western Railway https://www.gwr.com/
If you are travelling with a group of friends (3 to 9 adults), book together and save up to a third on the rail fare with Groupsave.
Passenger Assist
If you have a disability, non-visible disability, or are elderly, you can pre-book journey assistance. This can be booked online through GWR or by calling 0800 197 1329″
Taxis
A taxi is a great option for groups of friends, or for making the connection to the event from the railway station.
- Is there a safe drop off and pick up point for taxis?
- Do you need to make it clear with any signage?
- Why not put taxi phone numbers on signs for your customers? (A list of taxi phone numbers is available above).
Travelling by car
If it is likely that people will arrive by car, think about your car parking arrangements, whether you need marshals, whether to charge to cover some of the costs, whether the car park surface will stand up to lots of cars (after rain, grass will become muddy and cars could get stuck, for example).
- Where will blue badge holders park?
- Ensure that any postcode used in advertising the event will lead sat nav users to the correct car park.
- Encourage car sharing by promoting Swindon’s free car share matching service – www.carshareswindon.com
- Are there electric charging points on site?
When advertising how to get to the event, make sure that driving and parking are the last thing mentioned, prioritising the more sustainable modes first. We have a downloadable template advising customers about how to get to your event.
