Transport

Oh Why Did I Buy a Car?

I brought a car at the beginning of July. After going 21 months without driving, I decided it was time to get back on the road. (You can see how I previously fared after 9 months without a car)

The number one reason for getting a car was that my family are back in the country. We need to get littl'un to school, do the shopping and have a life where we don't have to worry that everything takes so much longer than normal.

One Day They'll All Want A Car...

...at least that's what I think it said...

Many years ago there was an editorial piece in the catalogue of howies, the ethical activewear company.

Underneath a typical photo of a scene in China where hundreds of people were on bicycles, the caption read;
"One day they'll all want cars"
Or something like that.

In the years since that was said, the prophecy came true. China industrialised on a massive scale and people wanted cars.

Cycling Worth £3bn to UK Economy

It's been reported today that the cycling industry is worth some 3 billion pounds to the UK economy.

With cycle-manufacturing, cycle accessory manufacturing, retail and other cycle-related employment all thrown into the mix, that's a healthy figure and a good sign of the state of the cycling industry in this country.

As many as 23,000 people are employed in these UK cycle and cycle-related industries and they contribute some £600 million to our economy in wages and taxes.

Farnborough Airport Going Green

{EAV_BLOG_VER:d8d8317f40d9f024}Tucked away on page 17 of this week's Star Courier local newspaper is a little story about our Farnborough Airport (FAB)

It starts:

"Planes from Farnborough Airport might be pumping carbon dioxide into the sky but the airport itself has been praised for its green efforts."

The airport has been awarded Airport Carbon Accreditation at a level coined as "reduction" level which the paper notes is "the second highest of four possible ratings."

Greener Journeys on the Bus

A three-year campaign has been launched today in an ambitious bid to switch car journies to buses by 2014.

Whilst this may seem a tall order for car-loving Brits, the organisers of the Greener Journeys campaign believe this can be achieved if just 1 in 25 car journies are taken by bus instead.

The Greener Journeys campaign is a coalition of bus companies who will encourage drivers to take the bus instead by giving away a million free bus trips!

No Car for 9 Months

Last December I had gear change issues on the Subaru Legacy. So, in light of finances, the environment and a great excuse to "give it a go" I gave up the car.

I let the tax disc expire, declared Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) because, if you don't declare, it gives the DVLA an easy opportunity to squeeze revenue from lazy/unsuspecting motorists. I also cancelled the insurance and then left the car on the drive.

Planting Trees Slows Down Drivers

This green and pleasant land, in our opinion, isn't green enough. We're not just talking about environmental and energy-saving initiatives but also the fact that this country was once covered in trees and mankind, in his infinite "wisdom", has seen to remove so many of them. However, Norfolk County Council have been planting trees in rural villages, not for environmental reasons, but for traffic calming.

Rushmoor Climate Change Consultation

Last night I went to a climate change consultation with my local Rushmoor Borough Council.

40 local residents were invited down to Aldershot on a cold February night to discuss the borough's policy and, arranged into small groups, we brainstormed Rushmoor BC's plans for the environment and the future.

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