Ten top tips to help you go car free
This autumn, we’re working with our partner, NiQuitin, to call on all the Clean Air Heroes out there to take action on dirty air. One of the best ways to reduce our impact on air quality is to go car free as much as possible, and this World Car Free Day, Sandra, our clean air champion, mum of two and car free campaigner for Possible (who aim towards seeing a zero carbon society), tells us her top tips for going car free.
Every little bit helps
As a Car Free campaigner in Birmingham, I’m working to cut private car use in our cities. I gave up our family car ten years ago and honestly have never looked back. I know it may sound daunting but it’s been such a brilliant decision for our family and even if you can just slowly start reducing your car use, it all helps.
Let’s start with the evidence
Replacing car journeys with cleaner forms of transport such as walking and cycling, will make our air cleaner and safer to breathe, help tackle the climate crisis and make our cities much nicer places to live. By switching more of our journeys, we can help protect our children’s lungs from the worst effects of air pollution and really help tackle this health emergency.
And, you will probably save money, be more active, see more of nature and improve your physical and mental health. What’s not to love?
My top tips
1. Make a list of all your travel needs and work out the best type of transport for each one. For example, you might want to try cycling to school, going to work on the bus, going to the pub in a shared taxi or minicab, or getting your shopping delivered.
2. Don’t feel guilty if you sometimes need to use a taxi. Taxis and private hire vehicles are part of the public transport mix, and an occasional taxi is cheaper and cleaner than owning a car.
3. Think of the journey as just as important as the destination. You can have a proper conversation if you are walking with someone, play card games with the kids on the train, read a book or listen to podcasts if you are on the bus, get fit by cycling or walking regularly – endless possibilities!
4. Recruit a friend or colleague to go car free with you. That way you can increase your positive impact, share the joy and swap transport tips.
5. Look for deals - your employer may offer discounted travel cards for public transport, or savings on buying a bike and gear via the Cycle To Work scheme. They may even pay a mileage allowance if you use your bike for work trips.
6. Use apps to plan your routes and rediscover your city. If you haven’t walked or cycled much lately, you might be surprised at the beautiful, green walkways and cycle paths that have been built. I use Moovit and Komoot. CityMapper and google maps are helpful too.
7. If you’re not ready to sell yet, make your car less accessible. For instance, if you keep it parked a distance from your home you won't automatically jump in it when you leave your home, and the children won’t pester you to drive them to school.
8. Get some free training on riding a bike, build up your confidence, and make sure you have all the accessories - lock, lights, comfortable saddle, pannier bags, gloves, helmet and waterproof jacket and trousers. That way, you will be able to cycle in all weather conditions and put your bag on the bike instead of on your back. If you don’t feel super fit, or if you expect to regularly ride up steep hills, or carry a heavy bag, invest in an electric bike.
9. Join a car club or car share scheme (there’s probably one near you). Then, when you do want to use a car, you can easily book one, for as little as an hour, any time of day or night. We joined Co-wheels. You only pay to drive when you are actually using a car and there’s a range of vehicle types, including hybrids, electric cars and vans.
10. Sell your car and celebrate your new car free life! The sooner you do it, the sooner you’ll start saving money on insurance, tax, MOT, and repairs. There’s a tremendous sense of liberation when you no longer have to pay to own a car. You’ll meet more people, animals and plants, and maybe you’ll have some interesting adventures too!
Of course, this can all be harder if you have a long-term health condition and find it harder to move around, but it’s about doing what you can to help in the amount you can manage. There are some great tips here from the “We are Undefeatable Campaign” about getting active with a health condition.
Thinking of going car free?
Have you gone car free? Are there things the government could do to help you make this change? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you: stories@auk-blf.org.uk
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