What is sustainable travel?
Any form of transport can be sustainable:
- public transport
- car sharing
- walking
- cycling
- electric, hybrid and biodiesel cars (vehicles that
keep carbon emissions, and other pollutants, to a minimum)
Sustainable travel is any form of transport that keeps damage to
our environment, and therefore the future, to a minimum.
Why is sustainable travel vital for Kent?
Kent has a large population and provides an important link
to mainland Europe for freight and passenger traffic.
Motor vehicles create carbon emissions and other pollutants
that damage the environment, add to global warming and reduce air
quality for local residents. They can also cause more congestion,
longer delays, increased parking problems, and reduced road
safety.
Sustainable travel can be a valuable way of improving
health. If we reduce our dependence on the car, we could walk or
cycle more. Even if it is just a short journey to a bus stop or car
share pick up.
What can you do?
There are a number of ways that we can make our use of transport
more sustainable:
- Car sharing -
reducing the number of single occupant journeys can have a huge
impact on pollution and congestion
- Travel plans -
When businesses, schools and other organisations create a travel
plan, they can make a real difference to the transport choice their
employees and visitors make
- Walking buses -
A walking bus scheme can benefit children, parents, the school and
the local community
- Reduce carbon dioxide emissions - how we use our
cars, and the type of cars we decide to buy, can affect our own
carbon dioxide emissions.