Increasingly, there is a need to travel without relying on an individual car and to favour walking, cycling, public transport and car-sharing. Your reasons (economical, social or environmental) for doing so may vary but the benefits of going car-free or car lean are real and plentiful.
Economical Benefits
Between insurance, repairs and fuel, a car is expensive to run and maintain. At the cheapest end of the scale (small engine and more than 25’000 miles driven in a year), traveling by car still cost around 25 pence per mile and that does not include the likely parking fee at your destination.
Environmental Benefits
Cars are responsible for a range of environmental impacts:
• Climate change: Road transport accounts for 22% of total UK emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) – the major contributor to climate change.
• Air Quality: Air pollutants from transport include nitrogen oxides, particles, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. All have a damaging impact on the health of people (causing respiratory illnesses such asthma), animals and vegetation locally
• Noise: Noise from road traffic affects 30% of people in the UK. Noise pollution include engine noise, tyre noise, car horns, car stereos, door slamming, and squeaking brakes.
• Resource Use: Cars from their construction, use and eventual disposal consume large amounts of raw materials, and produce significant quantities of waste.
Health Benefits
Walking and cycling are excellent forms of exercise, reducing the risk of obesity and heart problems in later life. Even if you cannot walk the whole of your journey, by using public transport, you will be far more active than if traveling by car.
Social Benefits
Vehicle use affects our whole quality of local life. Traffic can be dangerous and intimidating, dividing communities and making street life unpleasant. Abandoned vehicles cause nuisance, whilst air pollution and traffic noise can make urban living uncomfortable. Therefore reducing our reliance on car can only brings about benefits. In addition, walking, cycling, catching public transport or car sharing with friends or family is a great way of socialising and building people skills.
Tackling Congestion
Road congestion is a major issue in St Albans and many other localities. In addition to the annoyance it cause, it amplifies problems such local air pollution, noise pollution, reduction of quality of life. The best way to tackle it is to reduce the car number on the road and reduce low occupancy car use by choosing to travel by different sustainable means.
What can we do?
Here are a few things that we can all do to become car lean
Date of last review: 15 December 2009