Today’s Green Tips Advent Calendar window opens to challenge people, businesses and organisations to ditch their car and choose other ways to travel, such as catching a bus, getting on your bicycle and walking. Called Alternative Transport, it is a way of getting around that is often more sustainable and environmentally friendly, and it has other benefits too.
The need to take action on climate change is more pressing than ever. Transport is one of the main causes of the problem: making up a quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. There are easy ways to reduce emissions and have a positive impact on our health and on the wider environment.
Although the UK’s carbon emissions have dropped slightly since 1990, gains in some areas have been undermined by transport growth. Emissions from cars, lorries and aeroplanes continue to rise, and the problem is not limited to climate change. Traffic pollution leads to tens of thousands of early deaths and thousands more are killed in road accidents.
In the UK there were 330.8 billion vehicle miles in 2023, of which 33.5 million private cars drove 251.3 billion miles. In comparison, bicycles rode just 3.6 billion vehicle miles, just 1.4% compared to cars.
About 40% of the UK’s transport emissions come from private cars. An astonishing 6 out of every 10 cars on our roads contain just one person; for commuting or business journeys, about 85% carry only the driver. To reduce your impact, use your car less!
What is Alternative Transport?
Alternative Transport is the use of modes of transportation other than the single passenger motor vehicle including:
- Walking and biking, also referred to as Active Travel, are considered the most important alternative transportation options for health, space and capacity reasons. Other active travel options include scooters, rollerblading and skateboarding.
- Public transportation is an alternative that includes buses, trains and tramways.
- Carpooling is another alternative to driving alone.
Why Take Part In Alternative Transport?
Here are some reasons to choose to leave the car at home:
- Fitness
Cycling or walking to work is better for your fitness and doing it when you’d ordinarily be in a car, saves times and money.
- Wellness
Walking and cycling is better for your health and fitness and travelling by bus is more social and care free. Getting out of our cars means more fresh air and connection with our environment.
- Environment
Most greenhouse gas emissions come from road transport. Reducing the number of cars on our roads will have a dramatic effect on our ability to reduce our overall emissions.
- Convenience
Using a car necessitates parking and additional costs. Using a bike or walking means you can get closer to your ultimate destination. Travelling by bus and walking means you don’t need to worry about parking.
- Social
Walking, cycling and bussing inherently involves more people engagement, meaning that as a community we come together better rather than being isolated in our own cars.
- Infrastructure
Without cars and car parking dominating our infrastructure we can claim back that space for gardens and open spaces for everyone to enjoy. Emergency and delivery vehicles can operate with less hindrance and cost.
- Cost
Maintaining cars and parking is very costly. Whilst walking and buses don’t require any maintenance or parking, even a bike comes with free parking and much lower initial outlay and maintenance costs.
- Safety
If travelling to a destination is dominated by cars, it puts the safety of all other route users in danger, even if using a pavement. Rebalancing the focus on travel routes to pedestrians (including children), cyclists, horses and other vulnerable users makes all routes safer for everyone.
And whilst studies have found that a lack of infrastructure is deterring people from cycling with congested roads having huge safety issues for vulnerable cyclists, in Wellingborough (and in the other towns in Northamptonshire) we have lots of good cycle paths and most of them are away from busy roads. You can find all of the cycleways, and cycle parking sites in Wellingborough on Wellingborough Eco Map (see below or wellingboroughecogroup.org.uk/map)
Change together
There are many ways to choose alternative transport methods together, including Walking Buses at schools, walking and cycling clubs, and schemes at work that incentivise getting to work by bicycle or car sharing for example. There are also campaigns for alternative transport, including Critical Mass and Brightwayz.
Critical Mass are cycling events that happen in towns and cities all over the world on the last Friday of every month, including in Wellingborough. They are gatherings where everyone rides together as one big group. They are an opportunity to celebrate cycling but also to protest for change. Join Wellingborough Critical Mass rides on the last Friday of the month (except December) meeting 6:30pm and leaving 7:00pm from outside Castello Lounge.
Brightwayz is a social enterprise with ‘active travel’ expertise, they are a campaign company that offers products and information to engage, motivate and keep inspiring others to travel actively. In Wellingborough and Rushden they have recently teamed up the North Northamptonshire Council and others to engage with people to work on an active travel plan, including at ECO HUB, where they brought maps and serviced bicycles.
So, if you yearn to live in a less car-dependent society with cleaner air and safer, pleasanter street space; and you care about reducing the UK’s biggest source of CO2 emissions – transport, ditch your car for an alternative mode of transport. However you choose to get around during the festive period and beyond, have a great Christmas!