Content Index – FAQs – Nottingham Team Challenge

FAQs

Here you will find answers to common questions about the challenge. Still having trouble? You can get in touch with us here: challenge@sustrans.org.uk

What is the Challenge?

The Active Travel Challenge is a friendly competition encouraging individuals and workplaces; community groups; or organisations to walk, wheel, scoot and use public transport for more of their everyday journeys this summer.

When is the challenge?

The Active Travel Challenge will take place from 6 June - 1 July 2022.

What counts as a "journey"?

Any journey that is to work, for work, to your local shops or leisure activity as well as the school run or your daily exercise if working from home all count. You can find a full list of travel modes that included on the Homepage of the Challenge website.

If your travel mode is not listed on the home page, get in touch and we may be able to add it for you challenge@sustrans.org.uk.

I'm working from home, can I still take part?

Absolutely! If you are working from home, we still want you to take part, and with our new feature you can log all the exercise you are doing to get outdoors and get active.

When logging your journey, select Daily Exercise, and your extra lunchtime walks, runs or cycles will be added to your totals.

This same box gives you the option to log your active trips to the shops, school run or leisure activities too, so you can challenge yourself to get more active with some of the other journeys you are making.

If the Challenge has already started. Can I still join?

Absolutely! You can sign up at any point during the challenge up until the 30 June.

It's too far for me to walk or cycle to where I want to go!

You may be surprised how far you can comfortably cycle. Commutes of five miles or more are perfectly manageable, even for relatively inexperienced cyclists.

If the trip still seems daunting, why not compromise by walking or cycling to a bus stop or train station? This is a great way of incorporating some active travel into your daily commute.

What does the challenge hope to achieve?

The challenge aims to encourage people to walk and cycle more and to use public transport for the benefit of their health and the environment.

Does a short walk or cycle ride really make any difference?

Making just one short journey on foot or by bike can save around 2kg of carbon compared to driving. There are also significant health benefits if journeys are made regularly.

Why are electric vehicles not included as a category?

In this particular challenge we are focusing on reducing the level of single occupancy car trips. Whilst it's great that electric vehicles reduce emissions, they don't have the benefits to health and congestion that other forms of sustainable travel do.

Car-sharing or taking the bus, for example, would benefit both emission levels and congestion.

If you are using your electric car as a car-share please log these journeys.

How do I edit my profile?

Just go to your profile page and then scroll down to the bottom. You'll see your contact details and an 'edit details' button (no-one else will be able to see this and you'll need to be logged in for it to work). Click on this and you'll be able to edit your contact details.

If you need to edit any of your journeys just click on the 'view journeys' button which you'll find under the journey totals of your profile.

Do I have to be part of a workplace to take part?

No. You can also take part as an individual.

How do I set up my workplace?

After registering, you will be taken to a page where you can join or create your workplace. If you create one, you automatically become the captain (although this can be changed very simply to another person at a later date) and your workplace will be recorded on the platform for colleagues to also sign up to.

- Go to the Homepage and select Me at the top of the page

- Select Personal Profile

- Select Edit Details (this is at the very bottom of the page)

- Select Register with a workplace

You can then join one on the drop down, or click on ‘Create a new workplace’ to register a new one.

Once registered others in your workplace are able to also add teams too.

Please contact challenge@sustrans.org.uk if you need any help with this.

I selected the wrong workplace when I registered. How do I change it?

Go to your profile page and then scroll down to the bottom. You'll see your contact details and an 'edit details' button (no-one else will be able to see this and you'll need to be logged in for it to work). Click on this and you'll be able to switch to a different workplace.

I don't seem to be part of a workplace with my colleagues. How do I join them?

If you registered but didn't click the 'join workplace /team' button then you'll need to edit your profile.

To do this, go to your profile page and then scroll down to the bottom. You'll see your contact details and an 'edit details' button. Click on this and you'll be able tothen select your workplace and /or team from a drop down menu.

If your workplace isn't registered you'll also be able to register it here.

How do I amend my workplace profile?

If you were the first to set up your workplace then you will have admin rights to it's profile page.

If you are the workplace administrator:

Log in and then go to your workplace's profile page. Scroll down to the bottom of the profile page you'll see the 'edit details' button. Click on this for options to edit your workplace's details (including adding or amending teams).

You can find more workplace details by clicking the 'more details' button. This will enable you to see who has registered for the organisation as well as their contact details if you need to contact them.

If you are not the workplace administrator:

Scroll down to the bottom of the workplace profile page and you'll see the name of the person who has this role.

Can we keep an eye on our competitors? We'd like to do better than them!

Yes you can. We call this a Nemesis Challenge!.

You'll need your workplace administrator to set this up, but it is very straightforward.

1. click through to the profile page of the workplace you want to watch (find all competing workplaces on the leader boards on the results pages).
3. Just beneath the workplace name click 'Watch this workplace'.

In your own workplace profile you'll see a section with the workplaces you are watching. You'll see how they are doing and how far ahead or behind them you are.

What type of bike should I buy?

Road bikes are fast and light, but new riders may sometimes find the seating position restrictive. A mountain bike may be sturdier and has a more upright riding position, but be sure to put on slick tyres if you're riding on the road! A hybrid is a compromise between the two - a lightweight frame with an upright riding position.

Folding bikes are increasingly popular, and modern versions are comfortable and efficient. Electrically assisted bikes take a good chunk of the effort out of even the longest commuting trips.

What would I wear for cycling?

It's important to feel comfortable when riding your bike and above all a personal choice. However, Sports wear will enable you to move freely while loose fitting clothes in the summer might help you to feel cool and a good set of waterproofs will help keep you dry.

I need to take the kids to school!

Nearly 50% of children would like to cycle to school, but only 4% do. If your kids are old enough, why not try out walking or cycling together?

You could even contact other parents and organise a walking or cycling train. If they're too little, there's a great range of child seats and trailers available for most requirements.

Can I count the miles I pedal on an exercise bike?

No, we're afraid not. Rather than logging activity in a gym or exercise class we want you to leave your car at home and challenge yourself to make more walking wheeling and public transport journeys.

Can I count jogging or running journeys?

Yes absolutely.

How do I win?

There are prizes for winning workplaces and prizes for individuals.

Winning workplaces are judged by the overall rate of participation, so you must encourage your colleagues and friends to get involved if you want to win the competition!

In the event of a draw the winning workplace will be the one logging the greatest number of journeys proportional to the number of people who work there.

We rank the individual leader board by the number of journeys you complete rather than by the distance you've travelled or the type of travel mode you used. This means that those completing multi-modal journeys will climb the leader board more quickly.

We'll be giving out spot-prizes along the way for taking part, so if you log just one journey you're in with a chance of winning some great prizes even if you're not at the top of the leader board!

How are the carbon, calorie and cost savings calculated?

Carbon calculations are based on data from the UK Government GHG Conversion Factors report 2019 [Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2019.]

Calories burnt and cost savings are all based on industry practice and data, while car cost calculations are based on RAC Motoring Services data. These figures are based on running an average sized car, with 10,000 average annual mileage with an average fuel price.

What will you do with the results?

Overall results will be used to demonstrate the impacts of the challenge with our partners, to inform future initiatives and to promote the benefits of more active travel . We won't share any of your personal data with anyone outside of Sustrans.

Why are you talking about doughnuts?

We use doughnuts to talk about calories. This is not because we want you to eat more of them, but because doughnuts are easy to visualise, and help to demonstrate how many calories you've burnt with all your hard efforts. Well done you!

Where can I get a good flapjack recipe?

250g Porridge Oats
125g Butter (melted)
125g Brown Sugar
2-3 tbsps Golden Syrup (depends how gooey you want it)

Mix all the ingredients together and press into a lightly greased baking tin.
Place in the oven and bake on 180 until golden brown (about 20 minutes).

How do I contact the challenge organisers?

If you have any questions about the Active Travel Challenge, please contact:

challenge@sustrans.org.uk

I want a bespoke challenge for my workplace. Is this an option?

Yes we can offer a more bespoke challenge - please contact The challenge organisers to discuss your needs:

challenge@sustrans.org.uk