Commuters who usually drive into Maidstone for work or school are being urged to get their skates on as part of a day aimed at getting people to leave their cars at home.

Kent County Council and Maidstone Town Centre Management are urging everyone who drives into the town to consider another way of travelling, whether it is on foot, by bike, or any more imaginative method, as part of the first In Town Without My Car day.

The day on Friday, September 19, which is being backed by the Kent Messenger, is the finale of Maidstone Goes Green week, which aims to change people’s travelling habits to dramatically reduce congestion in the town and lower CO2 emissions.

Commuters who leave their car at home that day and enter the Maidstone Commuter Challenge by passing one of three finishing lines around the town will find a free mini breakfast waiting for them, while those who dream up an ingenious way of getting into town could win six months health club membership or three bikes from Cycles UK.

The Mall Chequers, Fremlin Walk and the Royal Star Arcade will also be hosting events throughout the week, including a free bike health clinic and bus clinic for people to plan their journeys.

KCC’s cabinet member for environment Keith Ferrin (Con) said: “It’s amazing that 25 per cent of all journeys are two miles or less, but we often use the car out of habit.

“Climate change is something that we’re all responsible for and we need to get the message across that making small lifestyle changes can make a big difference.”

Kent Highways Services’ traffic management centre will be monitoring traffic flow on the day and Maidstone council will be measuring air quality, to measure the success of the day.

For details on all the events, how you can enter competitions, and more information on the day, see the Kent Messenger and Maidstone Extra next week.