travel smart surrey

Surrey County Council’s Travel SMART programme – participatory budgeting in action

Participatory budgeting –  which involves local people when making decisions about how public money is spent on specific projects –  has proved popular with voters and is here to stay. Our certainty about that comes at least in part from the work we’ve done with our Travel SMART programme , which aims to help Surrey residents cut calories, carbon and costs.

A partnership between Surrey County Council and other local organisations, it is funded by the Department of Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund . Through Travel SMART, we’re investing in a range of measures across Woking, Guildford, Redhill and Reigate, including a new park and ride, improvements to bus lanes, over 34 miles of safe, signed walking and cycling routes and training and funding for local businesses. £1.7 million is earmarked to help communities that face barriers to sustainable travel as a result of deprivation, and our participatory budgeting project is playing a key role in ensuring that money is spent wisely.

In autumn 2012 we held community events in the Westborough district of Guildford and the Sheerwater and Maybury districts of Woking. Twelve groups were successful in bidding for a share of £220,000 for projects that make travel easier for residents or which bring services into the area, avoiding the need to travel. All residents of each ward aged 10 and over were eligible to vote and funding was allocated to the projects with the highest voting scores. Take a look at the short film below, where you can see the difference Travel SMART is making in communities across Surrey.

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Residents have told us that they want to have more of a say in decisions that affect their communities, and these events are designed to do exactly that.  Local people decide which groups should receive funding for projects that could make a real difference in their areas and it’s those local people who will benefit. Building on the events’ success, more events are taking place in early 2013 in Merstham, Stoke, Stoughton and Redhill West, where a total of £190,000 will be won by community groups and projects. A second round of events in Westborough, Sheerwater and Maybury will follow later in the year. Local people care what happens in their communities and want to help make decisions that affect them. Travel SMART gives our residents the opportunity to make sure that their voice is heard.

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Travel SMART scheme extended

A scheme that gives people the chance to pitch for up to £10,000 to support green travel schemes in their neighbourhoods has been extended.

The Travel SMART scheme has been rolled out in Redhill West, Merstham in Reigate and in the Stoke and Stoughton areas of Guildford.

Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment

This follows a successful launch of the project in May, in the Westborough area of Guildford and the Sheerwater and Maybury areas of Woking.

John Furey, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: “Travel SMART has money available for projects that help people get around and boost economic growth. This could include setting up community car clubs, cycle training schemes or improving a subway.

“This isn’t simply limited to improvements to transport. We’d like people to come forward with ideas about how to bring services into local communities to reduce the need to travel, such as setting up a job club in a community centre or running an exercise group.”

Once community groups and local organisations pitch their ideas, larger projects are decided upon at a public vote.

There are two levels of grants available – up to £3,000 or up to £10,000. To be successful, a project must make it easier for people to travel or help bring services into their community.

It also needs to achieve at least one of the following:

• Help people make better travel choices and improve accessibility
• Improve people’s access to jobs or skills
• Encourage people to live healthier lifestyles.

Residents will receive a leaflet through their door explaining how to get involved. The deadline for funding applications in Stoke and Stoughton is Wednesday, 5 December. The deadline for Redhill West and Merstham is Wednesday, 19 December.

To learn more and to apply for funding, visit http://www.travelsmartsurrey.info . Applications are also available from local schools and shops. Alternatively call 03456 009 009.

Media requiring more information can contact Surrey County Council senior media relations officer James Oxley on 0208 541 7259.

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Haslemere first

Nikki barton – haslemere independent councillor 2013 – 2023. serving community interests and not political interests. haslemere first., tag archives: surrey travel smart, please fill in this survey about access to haslemere railway station during the car park works.

As you will have read, South West Trains are upgrading parking and cycling facilities at

Haslemere Railway Station.

WORKS TO THE STATION FORECOURT ARE STARTING IN JUNE.  CAR PARK WORKS START MID-AUGUST, WITH THE MAIN STATION CAR PARK COMPLETELY CLOSED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS: We need your URGENT help with a survey …

South West Trains Leaflet

URGENT  Travel Survey for Accessing the Station  URGENT

South West Trains and Surrey County Council want to make it as easy as possible for people to access the station. We want to understand what travel options you would be interested in and willing to try during the works. If you have a minute, please click on the survey link below and answer the questions. We need as many people as possible to respond to help us gauge demand for a Hoppa service during the works.

!!!  https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/haslemerestationaccess !!!

In addition, are you aware of these websites to help you plan your route and also to find alternative parking during the works?

Surrey Travel Smart website

Summery Smart Travel: Choices that help cut carbon, calories and cost

Website: https://www.travelsmartsurrey.info/ with information for journey planning including calorie information and cost breakdown for each journey choice.

Surrey Lift Share

Surrey’s Lift Share

Website: https://surrey.liftshare.com/

The website links drivers and passengers so they can share their journeys. With 4,116 lift sharers in the Surrey network, there’s a great chance of finding a journey match

• You can join the network free of charge.
• You’ll save money as soon as you start lift sharing.
• You’ll be reducing congestion and pollution

Another ridesharing website is BlaBla Car: https://www.blablacar.co.uk

Rent out your driveway to railway users

JustPark: https://www.justpark.com/uk/parking/haslemere/

ParkOnMyDrive: http://www.parkonmydrive.com/

Surrey Bus Timetables

Bus timetables for the whole of Surrey are available on Surrey County Council’s website: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/buses-and-trains/bus-timetables

When the work begins on the decked car park, there will be more cycle parking at the station, as part of a wider cycle scheme delivering an additional 1400 cycle spaces across the South West Trains network.

SWT Cycle Hub Leaflet

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• Travel Money
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Spend abroad like you do in the UK

• Use your card abroad to pay or withdraw cash and you won’t pay our foreign exchange fees.
• Add it before you go for £7 a week and see how much you could save .
• Use for up to six weeks a year on single or multiple trips.

Travel Smart only applies to our charges. You may still have to pay separate charges for currency conversion if you ask the overseas service provider to do this.

For example, if you choose to pay with your card in Pounds Sterling, you may incur a currency conversion charge by the overseas provider.

Steps to take

We’ll guide you through it.

Mobile Banking app guide expandable section

Internet banking guide expandable section.

• Log on and select  more actions  followed by  Account Information and Benefits .
• Scroll down and select  Travel Smart .
• Select  continue  then select the account you want to add Travel Smart to.
• Add your trip name and select your start date.
• Select the number of weeks you want to add Travel Smart for from the drop down.
• Select  Review  and then check your order details.
• Accept our terms and conditions then select  Confirm and add now .
• Log on, select the more menu followed by  Travel .
• Select  Add Travel Smart .
• Select Review and then check your order details.

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Let’s look at the details

Paying for travel smart expandable section.

Full payment will be taken on your start date and shown on your statement.

If you’ve opted in, you’ll get a push notification before you travel so you know when Travel Smart is due to start. You can manage your push notification settings in the app. If you don’t get push notifications, we’ll send you a text message. You can keep your mobile number up to date in the app .

Please check there’s enough money in your account to cover the payment. If we can’t take the payment due to insufficient funds, Travel Smart will get cancelled.

When it starts and ends

It starts on the date you select at 00.01am UK time. It ends at 11:59pm UK time on the last day of your week(s).

How much could I save during one week abroad? expandable section

Our debit card fees.

There are different types of debit card fees that you may have to pay without Travel Smart active on your account.

Understanding my savings

The savings you could make could depend on how you use your debit card while you are abroad. We charge different fees for transactions in Euro inside the EEA to the rest of the world.

These include:

• foreign currency transaction fee (2.99%)
• foreign currency purchase fee (£0.50)*
• foreign currency cash fee (£1.50)
• foreign cash fee (£1.50).

*Does not apply to Platinum, Premier, Channel Islands and Isle of Man accounts. This fee does not apply to debit card purchases in Euro inside the EEA.

The foreign currency cash fee and foreign cash fee do not apply when you take out Euro inside the EEA. EEA means the European Economic Area.  

An example of how much you could save by not paying these fees:

If you spend £20 once a day for a week while overseas it could cost you a total of £4.19 in Europe and £7.69 in the rest of the world.

If you also withdraw £200 once during the week while overseas, this could cost you an additional £5.98 in Europe and £7.48 in the rest of the world.

The fees for UK accounts (excl Platinum and Premier) in this example (£20 spend a day for one week and £200 withdrawal):

• Total fees without Travel Smart = £10.17 (Europe) or £15.17 (rest of the world).
• Total fees with Travel Smart = £7 (Europe) and £7 (rest of the world).

The fees for Platinum, Premier, Channel Islands & Isle of Man accounts in this example (£20 spend a day for one week and £200 withdrawal):

• Total fees without Travel Smart = £10.17 (Europe) or £11.67 (rest of the world).
• Total fees with Travel Smart  = £7 (Europe) and £7 (rest of the world).

How many weeks do I get? expandable section

Understanding my weeks.

Each year, you can add up to six weeks of Travel Smart to your account. This limit is applied from 1 January 00.01am UK time and resets on 31 December at 11.59pm. Unused weeks do not carry over.

How to use my weeks

Each time you book a trip, you can add one or more weeks to your account (up to six).

Track my weeks

We show you a summary of your trips and how many weeks you’ve booked, including any upcoming weeks.

What's included? expandable section

Once Travel Smart is added, you can use your debit card to:

• Make payments with your debit card abroad.
• Take out money in a foreign currency or sterling at an ATM or over the counter, outside the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man.
• Make payments in a foreign currency for your trip over the internet (such as booking an activity).
• You won’t have to pay our normal debit card fees unless the transaction is excluded. Instead, we will charge you a fixed fee, for the number of weeks you choose no matter how many transactions you make with Travel Smart.

What's not included? expandable section

Any business transactions are excluded from this service and our normal debit card fees will apply.

Travel Smart only applies to our charges. You may still have to pay separate charges for currency conversion if you ask the overseas service provider to do this. For example, if you choose to pay with your card in Pounds Sterling, you may incur a currency conversion charge by the overseas provider. Also some ATM providers may charge a fee.

Removing Travel Smart expandable section

• You can remove Travel Smart until 11:59pm on the day before your start date. You can do this through our app and Internet Banking. If you have a joint account, either of you can do this.
• If you’re within your 14 day cancellation period, you can still remove Travel Smart after it starts. This period starts on the day you get your terms and conditions. You’ll get a refund for any weeks you’ve paid for but can’t use (please refer to your terms and conditions).

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Ulez warning ahead of M25 closure in Surrey

• Monday 6 May 2024 at 11:53am

Drivers will be subjected to London’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez) rules if they move off official diversion routes during this weekend’s M25 closure.

The motorway will be closed in both directions between Junctions 9 and 10 in Surrey from 9pm on Friday until 6am on Monday while concrete beams for a new bridge and a gantry are lifted into place.

Diversion routes will take cars on a 19-mile journey on A roads, crossing from Surrey into London’s Ulez area.

National Highways said anyone ignoring diversion signs in an attempt to find shorter alternative routes will be liable for the £12.50 daily Ulez fee if their vehicle does not meet minimum emissions standards.

Failure to pay the charge when required can result in a £180 fine, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

National Highways senior project manager Jonathan Wade told the PA news agency: “Although the (Ulez) cameras will be active, no enforcement action will be taken.

“However, if you ignore the diversion signs and do your own thing, then if your vehicle’s not compliant you do run the risk of getting caught.

“You’ll be perfectly safe as long as you follow the diversion routes.”

There are concerns sat navs could direct some drivers on to minor roads after leaving the M25, meaning they could be detected by other Ulez cameras as well as risk creating gridlock in residential areas.

This weekend will see the second of five planned closures of the M25 – which encircles London – on sections connecting with Junction 10 as part of a £317 million improvement project.

Mr Wade said there is a “very real” risk that the lack of disruption then means some motorists will not heed warnings to replan journeys this weekend.

“We’ve upped the amount of correspondence that we’ve been sending out to try and counter that but it remains an issue,” he said.

Other stretches of the M25 will also be disrupted this weekend due to ongoing work to retrofit additional emergency stopping areas on smart motorway sections.

Mr Wade explained that the Junction 10 work can be halted at various points throughout the weekend if it runs behind schedule, as “we wouldn’t jeopardise opening the M25 on Monday morning”.

RAC spokesperson Alice Simpson said drivers could face “up to six days of disrupted travel” as the M25 closure follows national rail strikes which are expected to spark increased traffic levels.

She went on: “While the general advice is to avoid driving if possible, people will still need to make essential journeys for work, to access medical care and to reach Gatwick and Heathrow airports.

“Planning ahead is absolutely vital. Rather than relying on a sat nav, check the planned diversion routes ahead of time and be prepared for long delays.

“It’s also a really good idea to check your vehicle’s oil and coolant levels, tyre pressure and tread depth all before setting off to reduce the chances of a very unwelcome breakdown.”

Three more weekend closures of the M25 will take place between August and the end of the year.

The project, due to be completed in summer 2025, will increase the number of lanes and make it easier to enter and exit the M25 at Junction 10, which is one of the UK’s busiest and most dangerous motorway junctions.

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Russia rounds up migrants celebrating New Year’s Eve and enlists them to fight in Ukraine

Some 3,000 labour migrants detained in st petersburg alone as vladimir putin takes to increasingly desperate measures to make up for ukraine war losses, article bookmarked.

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Vladimir Putin took advantage of New Year’s Eve celebrations to round up suspected illegal immigrants and force them to immediately enlist in his war against Ukraine, according to multiple local media reports.

Some 3,000 migrants were detained in St Petersburg alone, as authorities patrolled the streets of Russia’s second largest city carrying out checks purportedly “to prevent crime”, reported the Kremlin’s RIA news agency.

Labour migrants from central Asia perform vital services across Russia’s economy, which is struggling amid the drain of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the international isolation that has come as a result.

Yet Putin has repeatedly vilified them as “not an easy problem” to be addressed, and now appears to be recruiting them to make up for the heavy losses he is suffering in Donetsk and Kharkiv .

Some of the migrants held across Russian cities were handed on-the-spot military summonses, while others were forcibly taken to military enlistment offices, reported the Moscow Times . The migrants are predominantly from central Asian nations such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.

The authorities claimed that more than 600 of those detained were in breach of various clauses of migration legislation. More than 100 now face deportation, the report added.

A man from Tajikistan who was dressed as Santa Claus was among those held by the authorities in Moscow, reported Russian online news outlet SOTA.

The raids on Sunday night were carried out near metro stations as well as at popular gathering points for seeing in the new year, such as squares in central St Petersburg, reported news outlet Bumaga.

Russia’s top investigative organ, the Investigative Committee, said it was opening a criminal case against three migrants over “acts of hooliganism” against Russian servicemen in the west-central Russian city Chelyabinsk.

“A crowd of drunken migrants attacked two young men demobilised from the frontline, one soldier was hit with a baton,” the committee said on their official Telegram channel. The reports cannot be independently verified, with Russian media closely controlled by the Kremlin.

In a recent address Putin said Russia has more than 10 million labour migrants. The Russian government has taken increasingly desperate measures to expand its armed forces amid the losses it has suffered in Ukraine, including extending the age limit for compulsory military service.

Last month, Putin signed a decree to increase the maximum size of his armed forces by 170,000 personnel, to 1.32 million.

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Moscow Ballet's Swan Lake comes to Aldershot

Enjoy a night of classic ballet alongside Tchaikovsky’s superb score

• 15:09, 24 FEB 2014
• Updated 15:18, 24 FEB 2014

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In the first of this year’s awaited visits to the Princes Hall, Moscow Ballet – La Classique are set to delight audiences with the iconic Swan Lake on Sunday March 9, at 3pm.

The world-renowned ballet company demonstrate their continued quality of dance and performances in a dramatic production of this timeless favourite set to Tchaikovsky’s superb score.

Originally presented, with choreography by Julius Reisinger, at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow 4 March 1877 but superseded by a new choreographic version by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov at the Maryinsky Theatre, St Petersburg on 8 February 1895 and subsequently established as one of the masterpieces of ballet.

The famous Act II of Swan Lake, choreographed by Ivanov as part of a memorial tribute to Tchaikovsky who had died the year before, is performed by almost every ballet company in the world.

“Prince Siegfried is celebrating his coming of age in the garden of his ancestral palace. His mother observes that it’s time to consider marriage and that tomorrow at the formal celebration of his 21st birthday, the court ball, he should select his future wife from the lovely ladies in attendance.

But, tomorrow is another day and for now Siegfried prefers to go hunting. Alone, by a lake, he sees Odette, Queen of the Swans, who appears to be both swan and woman! She explains that an evil sorcerer, Von Rothbart, has cast a spell on her and she must remain a swan, except between midnight and dawn, unless she is saved by true love.”

The famous Moscow Ballet of Classical Choreography - ‘La Classique’ was founded in 1990, utilising ballet dancers from the leading theatres of the CIS Countries and the Bolshoi, Kirov and Ballet Theatres of Kiev and Odessa.

Moscow Ballet – La Classique has thrilled ballet lovers during hugely successful tours of Egypt, Morocco, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Norway, Israel, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand as well as the UK and this world famous company have gained vast international acclaim.

Tickets cost £23 full, £22 concessions, £21 friends and are available from the box office on 01252 329155 or at

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