Marilee has lived in Rockingham for several years and learnt about the TravelSmart program when she received a letter in her mailbox advising that the program was to take place in the area between September and November 2007. She was excited when she was provided with the opportunity to select information about walking, cycling and public transport that met her local travel needs.
 
"I was contacted by a lovely lady who asked me about our household’s travel needs and spoke to me about the kinds of information that might be useful to us. We were able to pick information we thought could help us get around. The next thing we knew, we were delivered a wonderful pack of goodies by a lovely man on a bike. It was such a nice surprise!"

Marilee and her husband Ian use local facilities and mostly shop close to home however they do make regular trips to Perth and other destinations. 

"I need to make regular trips into the City and I usually drive. I find that the trip is often stressful and it is hard for me to find a parking spot, I usually get my daughter to come along for the trip to give me a hand. When this TravelSmart information was delivered, my husband and I sat down and looked at how we could use it in our travel. The first thing I thought of was being able to take the bus, or the new train to the City for my appointments instead of driving. I was so pleased; this will make my trip so much easier.“

Marilee and Ian have already used the local Rockingham walks information provided as part of the program and have been on trails they did not know existed before being provided with local maps. They commented that they are now fitting more activity into their days, and Marilee is looking forward to the added health benefits she will gain by walking to and from the train station. 

Marilee commented that she was so pleased with her delivery that she wanted to share the information with others.

"I was so excited I went and spoke to my neighbour about TravelSmart. She is in her 70s and told me that she had also received the TravelSmart information - she had requested a Journey Planner and it gave her a personalised itinerary to show her when and how to get to and from her destination by bus. I know of others in this area who took the time to request the information and we have all been talking about what a great service this is and how we can use the information to change the way we travel. We are looking forward to making more and more changes over time - it’s so easy once you have the right information!"