Would you consider going car-free for just one day?
For years, cars have been an integral part of many people’s lives, but what would our life look like if we had sustainable travel options that met our needs? Would we continue to be so reliant on cars?
With World Car Free Day coming up on Sunday (22 September), this is the perfect time to think about our mobility and how travel fits into our life.
Cars have always been seen as the most convenient option for many people, giving a degree of flexibility and control that most current forms of public transport struggle to provide. However, with the climate crisis being a forefront issue in everyone’s minds, we must think about the ramifications of our travel choices. Transport produced 26% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the UK in 2021, 91% of which came from road vehicles like cars and taxis.
The flexibility car travel allows is paid for in higher quantities of emissions that harm our environment, as opposed to travel options that transport more people. According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, in 2022 our national rail system emitted around 35 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilometre, whilst the average petrol car emits 170 grams. This means that by taking a train instead of a car for medium-length distances we could reduce our emissions by around 80%. For shorter trips, using a bike instead of a car would also reduce travel emissions by huge amounts.
Environmental concerns are not the only thing to consider when thinking about our car usage: health and independence are also factors. Staying mobile is important for staying healthy, and car ownership has been linked to decreased levels of physical activity. Opting for walking or cycling for short trips is a great way to improve your physical wellbeing.
Independence, however, is a subtler factor, as we pointed out earlier that cars allow great independence and flexibility. But what about the people who are unable to drive? Our current travel environment often makes it so that cars feel like the only option for many people, and for people who can’t drive, it can sometimes prove difficult to get around conveniently or quickly using public transport. The UK has an ageing population, with the median age in the UK exceeding 40 in 2014, and loneliness in older adults is prevalent and incredibly harmful, with those with a high degree of loneliness being twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
We definitely should not have to compromise our lives entirely if we give up cars for the good of the environment. Instead, we should have the options to travel efficiently and conveniently. More inclusive, sustainable transport could be a way to achieve this.
Designing more sustainable and inclusive transport
My project looks at whether creating an inclusive transport system using sustainable transport modes could provide alternative options for people to travel conveniently, efficiently, and sustainably. It focuses on listening to the needs of groups in the UK to find out what they need to make sustainable transport options fulfil their needs and enable them to go to the places they need to go, participate in life, and maintain the social networks so integral to our well-being and quality of life.
As part of the project, participants used a ‘game board’ to visualise how their journeys could change if an inclusive and sustainable transport system that they influenced were available. The creation of such a system has the possibility of reducing loneliness in older adults after they stop driving, increasing social inclusion, and most importantly, introducing choice for those who feel like driving isn’t an option.
Whilst better, even more sustainable and inclusive car-alternatives are still in the developmental stages, for those who are able to, making use of the current public transport options or choosing to walk or cycle instead of taking the car on short journeys will still have a great impact on the planet. Will you be taking part in car-free day this year?
Blog by Stephanie Scott, PhD student in the Institute for Transport Studies. Thesis title: Using Design for All Principles as a behavioural approach to decarbonise UK transport whilst supporting equity and accessibility
Featured image: Adobe Stock
Project images taken at the Priestley Centre launch event in June 2024.