Public Transport – A Greener Form of Travel
If you want to do your bit for the environment, getting public transport and leaving the car at home is one of the most straightforward things to do. Public transport can be more convenient, quicker, and cheaper to do so. And the green benefits are great too. Car journeys contribute a significant amount of our overall carbon footprint. According to the Energy Saving Trust nearly half of us use a car to drive short journeys, journeys that could otherwise be completed in another, more sustainable way. Using public transport may also have health benefits too.
CO2 emissions by transport mode
Mode - g CO2 pkm
Metro - 107
Bus - 110
Car - 127
*relate to passenger kilometres
Road Rage and the Environment
Did you know, road rage causes a flight or fight reaction in the body, which in emergency situations is useful, but when it's triggered over and over again it can be quite detrimental to a person's health. Anger for extended periods of time can weaken the immune system. Anger can also raise blood pressure; lead to heart attack, stroke, anxiety, skin problems, indigestion and headache.
On top of that, road raging is bad for the environment.
According to EERE aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking) wastes fuel and can lower your journey mileage by 33% and urban/city mileage by 5%.
All that wasted fuel contributes to climate change, but it doesn't really propel you where you need to go any more efficiently.
Reduce your carbon footprint and stress
Don't Drive: Walk, ride your bike or choose public transport each of which will reduce or eliminate your need for a car and will decrease the eco-damage of your journey.
Did you know it only takes around 20 minutes to walk one mile and 12 minutes to cycle two miles.
If you plan your journey correctly, you will find that you can save time, money and help the environment. Avoid those motorway delays and use the Metro, train, bus or ferry.
With the cost of fuel reaching £1.20, the average 1.4 car will cost you £45 for 400 miles, factor in motorway delays and other incidents this may be reduced to around 350 miles. Go Green – go public transport today.
Some of the benefits of public transport
Convenient
Public transport gets you where you want to be, when you want to be there, particularly in cities and towns. Rather than only being able to drive to a certain point before getting stuck in a one way system, you can reach your central point directly.
Quicker
In the majority of instances, your journey from A to B will be quick and often direct through continual improvement and investment in the Metro, bus routes and infrastructure.
Cheaper
If you’re regularly visiting a place, or planning a trip in advance, you can get season tickets or advance booked tickets for a cheaper price. The cost of running a car goes much further than the mere cost of petrol, which is now around £1.20 per litre. Getting on public transport means no congestion charges, car insurance and tax costs, plus eradicates the expense of maintaining your car to a high standard.
No Parking
Parking is often scarce, and usually expensive. The bonus of getting on public transport is being able to travel to where you need to go, without the extra hassle of trying to find a parking space.