Sustainable transport

One quarter of all carbon dioxide emitted in the UK comes from cars and trucks on our roads. UK air quality is improving but in many areas air does not meet European standards, which are set with everybody's health in mind. Every household in the UK spends on average 1 in every 6 on motoring. By making energy efficient decisions when you travel you will also reduce the carbon dioxide emitted. Air quality will improve for everybody and you may save some money. To discover the energy efficient travel decisions you can make read each section below.

How you travel

Have you considered...

Walking

Which is free and healthy. As you exercise you halve your risk of coronary heart disease, and are exposed to around one third of the fumes of car travel. It can even be social as you get to know the other people on your route. It will often be quicker on short journeys as you have the option to use walking routes, underpasses etc which make the journey shorter. You don't emit any CO2 when walking.

Cycling

(At 10-20mph) Can be the fastest way to travel in urban peak hours. Cyclists also enjoy more reliable journey times than car users, and substantial health benefits, including a 50% reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease and reduced exposure to pollution. It is also an affordable form of transport when compared with other modes of travel. As with walking, you don't emit any CO2 whilst cycling. Once out of the cities and towns, East Anglia could have been designed for cyclists. Being mostly flat, it also offers a variety of different cycle routes available. Your local tourist information centre will have information on local routes. For national information contact Sustrans, a national charity promoting cycling and walking including The National Cycle Network, Safe Routes to School and City Cycle Guides.

Public transport

Is often quicker and cheaper than driving, even for two adults. Bus lanes make journeys quicker and you save the hassle and expense of parking. Park and ride schemes are available by train and bus. CO2 savings of 50% can be gained on each journey.

The type of car you use

Each car uses fuel at a different rate and therefore emits different amounts of CO2. Car manufactures are required to determine how much CO2 is emitted per kilometre. This information is on the environmental label which grades new cars from A (the cleanest) to F (the most polluting) and is similar to the EU energy label found on "white goods". Energy efficient motorists are aiming to emit as little CO2 as possible, so choose a car with lower emissions.

Liftsharing

Liftshare is an organisation that has been set up to encourage and enable more efficient transport and travel, and specifically to enable more efficient use of the car. To do this it has set up a website whereby users can enter details of either a regular or one-off journey they are planning, and it will then put the user in contact with people who undertake the same journey. The scheme allows people to benefit from the convenience of the car, whilst alleviating the associated problems of congestion and pollution. It will also save you money!