THE congestion-free roads of the school holidays could return to Worcestershire this week as a major initiative gets underway across the county.

Businesses from across Worcestershire are being challenged to make a difference to congestion and pollution levels in the county by encouraging staff to use alternative methods of transport.

Travelwise Week hopes to get drivers out of the car by promoting a different theme every day that could reduce traffic and pollution levels.

The week will include day-long campaigns promoting alternative fuels, car-sharing, working from home, public transport, walking and cycling.

The initiative started with a commuter challenge in Worcester yesterday, in which drivers pitted themselves against cyclists, buses and walking to see who reached their destination first.

Business who convert the most amount of drivers to sustainable methods of transport during the week - which will have a number of promotions and discounts to help drivers make the swap - will win a prize.

Companies can help encourage staff out of their cars by:

n Setting up a "Bicycle Buddy" scheme whereby confident cyclists ride alongside nervous riders who have not taken to two wheels for some time.

n Promote the challenge through staff internet sites, offering incentives to car-share, walk or ride a bike.

n Post bus timetables on noticeboards in their receptions, staff areas or websites.

n Provide maps of walking and cycling routes and promote their benefits using posters at work.

n Encourage staff living near the office to walk together.

n Set up informal car sharing networks.

n Hold a travel information day highlighting different ways staff can become involved.

A WORCESTER street race aimed at reducing congestion in the city had a false start when one of the competitors became stuck in rush- hour traffic.

Worcestershire County Council's Travelwise Week, which started yesterday, was launched with a race between a bus, a group of cyclists and a car to show which method of transport was the quickest way to commute through the city.

But the car, driven by Evening News reporter Guy Whitmore, failed to reach the starting line at Worcester North park- and-ride at 8.30am after becoming stuck in heavy traffic at The Tything.

Employer travel plan co-ordinator Emily Van de Graff said his plight demonstrated the problems faced by many commuters who fell victim to unforeseeable traffic conditions when commuting to work.

"People have to add so much more time to their day to allow for congestion whether driving into work or driving home," she said.

"But, even then, congestion can be so heavy that they end up arriving late or missing their appointment.

"The whole idea of the race was to highlight that travelling through the city by car was the slowest, which was brilliantly demonstrated by the fact that the car involved in the race got caught in traffic and missed the start."

She added that during last week's dummy run of the race - from Worcester North park-and-ride car park to the Guildhall - the car then arrived eight minutes after the cyclists and five minutes after the bus.

But Miss Van de Graff said the eight minutes had not included the time taken to walk from a long-stay car park.

Yesterday's race was again won by the cyclists, who arrived three minutes before the bus.

"With the expense of petrol, wear and tear on the car and parking costs, driving was not only the slowest but also the most expensive," she added.

"And if riding a bike is not an option, a bus is still quicker and less expensive than driving.

"Using alternative methods of transport not only saves the planet, it saves time and money."