For many people, getting in the car for a journey, however short, is something that is done almost without thinking about and certainly without thinking about the consequences for either health or the environment. However there are many alternative ways of getting around and here we consider some of them.
Alternative ways to tackle a local journey
The Government recently announced an initiative which has seen some 9 local authorities receive funding from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund The idea behind the scheme is that councils receive funding to help with projects which encourage people to use more sustainable forms of transport. While many people may think it is easier to just jump in the car to take the children to school, there may be an alternative.
Certainly, if you live near enough to your school then walking is probably the best option, however for more adventurous parents, why not try cycling to school with your children? If driving really is the only option then one idea may be to try and park a distance from the school, thereby easing traffic congestion around the school gates as well as getting the health benefits from walking the rest of the way.
If you are travelling to work then public transport, or cycling are two great options, particularly if you work in a big city where parking is both difficult to find, and expensive. Again, if driving is the only option then perhaps try driving some of the way and taking public transport or walking the remainder, or alternatively try and car share with someone, splitting the cost of the fuel and lessening the environmental impact.
How to deal with a long distance journey
While walking and cycling are great choices for local journeys, they are not really an option if you are travelling any great distance. Not unless you are super-fit! However this doesn’t necessarily mean that the only option is to get in the car. Public transport, whether train or bus or coach, will still enable you to get where you need to go but without causing unnecessary impact to the environment. Other than the obvious environmental benefits, there are many other benefits to using public transport. If you are travelling from the south of the country to the north, you can use our website http://hotels.planethikes.com for find places to stay on cheap price. If you are going away for a break then travelling by train can make the journey part of the holiday and means that you can avoid the traffic jams and get to your destination in the easiest and quickest way. As well as the train, buses and coaches are also a great way to get around and can often provide good value for money if this is a consideration.
Hopefully this has provided some useful hints and tips on the best ways to travel which have the benefits of being good for your health, better for the environment and easier on your wallet!
