Take the pledge and leave your car at home on Thursday 22nd September!
World Car Free Day highlights the numerous benefits of going car-free – including reduced air pollution and the promotion of walking, cycling and using public transport in a safer environment.
Here are some ideas to help you leave the car at home…
- Walk
For those fortunate enough to not have a long commute, why not walk to work? It’s better for the environment, your health and you can save on petrol! What’s not to like?
Could you leave the car at home and walk to school with your little ones, as well as encourage families to do the same? The Little Feet walking challenge is a great way to encourage families with young children to commit to healthy travel throughout childhood – and hopefully for life!
If you live further away, but need to come to your office base, could you perhaps park a mile away from your work base and walk part of the way in?
- Car share
Do you live near a colleague, could you share the commute? Car sharing is when two or more people get together to share the car journey, whether you are travelling to the same destination or to different places along one route.
You can also take a look at the local Car Sharing Scheme. The service is free to use and is brought to you through a partnership between the West Yorkshire councils and Metro. You can sign up to the scheme and register your journey details by visiting West Yorkshire Lift Share. Not only will this help to reduce the congestion and pollution caused by traffic on our roads, but it will help you save money too. Sharing a journey means you can share the fuel and any parking costs between everyone in the car.
- Public transport
You don’t have to worry about traffic jams or finding a parking space… As well as reducing congestion on the roads, there are lots of benefits to using public transport.
Have you heard about the new ‘Mayors Fares’? You will now pay no more than £2 for any single bus journey in West Yorkshire and you can also make unlimited journeys for £4.50 per day with a DaySaver ticket through the MCard App. This represents a saving of almost 20% on the current price. Better for the environment and the bank balance… Win win.
- Cycle
Hold your head up high on your bike on World Car Free Day knowing you’re freeing your streets of one less motor vehicle. Not only will you be doing wonders for your health, but you’ll be helping the environment around you too.
- Work from home
If you have the option of working from home, could some meetings be done over Microsoft Teams on Car Free Day? Of course social interaction is important, but perhaps we can schedule our time more wisely to reduce our time on the road.