How to travel more sustainably this summer
Sustainable transport, sometimes known as green transport, is any form of transport that has no or a low climate impact. Most sustainable transport relies on renewable or regenerated energy, or on personal effort such as walking, wheeling or cycling.
The transport sector has a critical role to play in achieving the goal set out in the Paris Climate Agreement, to keep global temperature rise to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Transport accounts for a higher share of overall UK greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector of the economy.
To help you play your part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we’ve put together some top travel tips for traveling more sustainably.
Cycle, wheel or walk short distances: Walking, wheeling and cycling are great, low-impact cardio exercises. Getting out on foot or on a cycle is positive for your physical and mental health, avoids frustrating traffic jams, and is great for the environment. There are some suggested cycle routes on the following links.
- itravelsmart website – for maps for Chester, Ellesmere Port, Northwich, Winsford, Neston, and Helsby & Frodsham
- Cycling in Northwich - Visit Northwich
- Cycling in Cheshire | Cheshire Cycle Routes (visitcheshire.com)
If you want to gain confidence cycling around the area the Chester Cycling Campaign have set up a Chester Cycle Buddy scheme where an experience cyclist will join you on a ride and give you some tips and advice.
Choose public transport: The borough’s £2 bus fare is a great way to save money while saving the environment. Taking a train or bus means fewer cars on the road, no parking costs, and time to catch up on some reading. Plus, trains can often be quicker for longer journeys, and bus lanes mean you are less likely to be sat in a queue. Visit Traveline for timetable information for any bus, rail or coach service serving Cheshire and Warrington.
Hop on an electric scooter to get around Chester: If you are over 18 and visiting Chester this summer you could hire an e-scooter to get across the city. There are over 170 e-scooters available for hire from 49 dockless parking locations in Chester. The pay-as-you-go e-scooters are hired via the Ginger Shared Transport App from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. It costs £2.20 per 20 mins to ride and 50p per 10 mins to pause. Find out more information on the Ginger website.
If you have to drive, drive smarter: Having the correct air pressure in your tyres gives better mileage, cheaper maintenance and a smaller environmental impact. Braking less harshly can also be a great way of reducing pollution. Alternatively, car sharing can massively reduce your climate impact. The Energy Saving Trust has a good guide on driving more efficiently.
Make travel part of your Holiday: Could you get to your destination by train, boat or car instead of taking a flight which usually has higher emissions? A journey from London to Madrid for example would emit 43kg of CO2 per passenger by train, but 118kg by plane, according to EcoPassenger.
It is also worth considering if your journey is necessary. Perhaps you could look at alternative places to visit or ways to shop in your local area.
Also, consider the carbon footprint of having items shipped to your home. Could you collect a takeaway for example rather than getting it delivered?
Sources:
How Bad are Bannanas? Mike Berners-Lee
www.ecopassenger.org Ecopassenger
https://www.repairsmith.com/blog/hard-braking/ Repair Smith
theccc.org.uk The Committee on Climate Change
wwf.org.uk The World Wildlife Fund for Nature
unfccc.int United Nations Climate Change
www.visitengland.com Visit England
Every effort has been made to that ensure the information used in all climate emergency articles is accurate. All information used to inform the articles has been taken from reputable sources and those sources are given at the end of each article.
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