Good practice:

RACE AGAINST ROB

This good practice refers to an event in 2019 Cork (IE) with the aim of engaging the public by using innovative gaming approaches to allow people to experience low carbon sustainable/multimodal travel. It concentrated on changing behaviours towards low carbon travels by engaging the public in a challenge against professional athlete.

Notably, the Southern Regional Assembly, Cork Transport Mobility Forum and Cork City Council hosted the “RACE AGAINST ROB” challenge “Have you got what it takes to RACE AGAINST ROB?” It was an invitation to the public to race against a World Champion and Olympic Medallist for the 50km walking race – Rob Heffernan, well-known in Cork. The public could challenge the champion by using 3 low carbon means of transport (cycling, bike hire and public transport). The race route chosen highlighted the pedestrian/cycle infrastructure upgraded recently in Cork City.

8 Steps to engage the public to travel sustainably:
1. Build local team of low carbon mobility advocates
2. Identify well-known local athletic
3. Create free event - challenge, fun experience or family activity
4. Develop marketing campaign to create awareness in advance
5. Invite key public representatives to participate/open the event
6. Obtain participant consent for photos/video (including parental consents under 18 years)
7. Design t-shirt for the event to create non participating public inquisition and thereby start the wider discussion
8. Publish photos/video in media

The support of a well-known local athletic is critical to the success of this good practice. Financial costs are minimal around €8,000 to run the event to cover providing t-shirts, water bottles, refreshments, video etc.

The “RACE AGAINST ROB” event was advertised as a free event on social media, online, radio and newspapers in advance of the event. We needed to curtail the numbers, as the interest in participating was so high. This successful event had over 80 members of the public participating and provided the opportunity to raise awareness of the modal interchange improvements that have taken place in Cork City over the past couple of years and encouraged more people to use low carbon transport in the city

This good practice has the capacity for transfer without any difficulties to other regions and Countries and could be customised or altered, as required. We have shared this good practice with all the project partners in MATCH-UP to date.
Link below is a video of the “RACE AGAINST ROB” event -
https://youtu.be/ZpBnGIa6Cyw