Preston (United Kingdom)
The ancient town of Preston was granted city status in 2002. It has a population of 129,000 and is the administrative capital and largest commercial centre of Lancashire in north west England.
The city is currently undergoing a major regeneration, which will see the transformation of its inner urban areas and the redevelopment of the city centre with better retail, transportation, housing, business, leisure and other facilities. With 32,000 students, the University of Central Lancashire in Preston is the sixth largest university in the UK and one of the fastest growing.
The city is strategically located and is an important transport hub in the UK Trans-European Network between London and Scotland. Key rail and road links include the West Coast Main Line railway and the M6 motorway.
Throughout the city’s four-year involvement in CIVITAS the city developed many initiatives to deliver sustainable transport improvements. These included personalized travel planning, which reduced single-occupancy car trips by over 13 percent; a car-pooling initiative; the introduction of clear zones in the city; improved parking at the railway station; and improvements to the availability and quality of passenger transport information.