Car usage is a big contributor to climate change due to the emissions given off by traditional fuels. Whilst there are now many fuel alternatives available, sustainable transport is a term used to describe transport which has little or no environmental impact. To class as sustainable transport it must be possible to create the resources needed to create and fuel the mode of transport and to be able to absorb the waste from its creation and use.
Truly sustainable transport basically comes down to cycling and, in particular, walking as these require very little of the earth’s resources. There are a number of initiatives in place to encourage these activities as ways of helping to sustain the planet as well as contributing to a healthy lifestyle. A quarter of all car journeys are less than two miles long so it is not unrealistic to significantly increase the number of journeys people make by foot or cycle. Currently, for example, only about 2% of children ride their bike to school but 33% would like to do so.
There are a number of sustainable transport initiatives already in place to encourage people to walk and cycle. The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes designed to offer safe cycling for everyone. In addition projects such as Safe Routes to School and Bike It are specifically designed to encourage children onto their bikes, and the Walking Bus initiative has encouraged many children to walk to school, much improving the traffic problems associated with the ‘school run’ in many places. For more information including a map of the National Cycle Network, visit Sustrans, the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity, at www.sustrans.org.uk
