Proposed activities for European Mobility Week
We are proposing the introduction of ECO driving and a focus on Bicycle skills and maintenance for the week.
Activities proposed for the week will be promoted by the Inter agency groups, Donegal County Council, Health Service Executive, Gaelscoil, Udaras Na Gaeltachta, LYIT, Large Industry, Letterkenny Tidy Towns, Chamber of Commerce.
It is hoped this project will get County wide publicity as a result of working with the Inter Energy Agency groups and the Councils Electoral Areas.

The second programme we hope to implement is in relation to bicycle skills and basic maintenance for all ages. Some Cycle retailers in Letterkenny, have already been approached and have agreed in principal to organise bicycle challenges with the cycle club out in the “Gartan Outdoor Activity Centre”.
We have also contacted other cycle shops, who will run similar events. All those contacted so far have said they will support the initiative in any way they can.
PROPOSED VISION
We are focusing on ECO driving particularly, as County Donegal is a rural county with restricted access to public transport options. Leaving the car at home is not always feasible in the long term, and we felt it was better to reduce our car energy use in the long term than to leave the car at home for 1 day.

Engaging in ECO driving can give you the opportunity to save up to and over in some cases 20% annually on your fuel bills. This has been proven in the Dundalk 2020 project. To the average motorist this is the potential to save €520 annually.

While we will also be encouraging Car pooling and leaving the car at home, we felt that in order to leave the car at home it should be a long term sustainable option and should not require the streets to be closed.
If you are within walking distance or cycling distance then you walk or cycle, if you are not you can do ECO driving. One activity should not preclude the other.

We will attach a questionnaire to the Eco driving instruction handout, to gain information on how the Eco driving has worked out for those who took up the Challenge. What they saved, time, Euro, Diesel, stress levels perceived before and after, etc.
OBJECTIVES OF ECO DRIVING
· Gain an extra 250km per tank of diesel on a 1.9L diesel engine.
· That’s potential for a 20% energy saving per week.
· The permanent measures will be the improved driving practice gained as a result of improved road safety and by a reduction in collisions
· It will also gain positive advertisement for efforts to improving road manners in the County.
· It is also a very cheap initiative, to improve the safety and green credentials of the County.
· It’s a very cheap price for a life saved!
· Benefit to the emergency services through a reduction in the number of incidents attended.
· It is stage 1 of a process of changing the mindset of the public in regard to the way we use energy.
· Although the purpose of Eco driving is to reduce energy use while driving, it may also prove, that less disposable income, may act as a catalyst to improving driving manners. This can only be welcomed.
· Changing our driving habits and showing the savings that can be made, may also encourage greater uptake of other energy saving driving habits such as car pooling, which is already being implemented by some businesses and offices in the County.
· Over time there is great potential for reduced traffic volumes as people get to grips with the theory of ECO driving and reduce the many individual short journeys made on any particular day, by organising themselves and amalgamating their journeys, thereby also improving time management skills.
OBJECTIVES OF CYCLE INITIATIVE
· Rolling this out over the County, means we have the potential to gain greatly in terms of population exposure and impact.
· The Bicycle promotion will certainly give momentum under alternative mobility, while the Eco driving comes under Energy Efficiency and lower emissions economy.
· The basic maintenance and skills programme will be capturing the increasing numbers, 80 so far, who have signed up to the Bike to work scheme, in Donegal County Council.
· Linking up with Gartan Outdoor Centre and Active Donegal for Bicycle Challenges will , challenge and excite while upskilling.
· Increasing the use of Bicycles will improve our health, fitness levels and well being.


PROPOSED PARTNERS
All CDB partners: the VEC, Inishowen Co Op, Donegal County Council, Failte Ireland, IDA, HSE, Teagasc, Donegal Childcare, FAS Enterprise Ireland, Muff resource centre, BIM, LYIT, Local Industry, Local Business. We will also have involvement with, Active Donegal, the local cycle shops and the local ADI registered driving schools.