car free day

Next Monday, 22nd September, it's World Car Free Day and motorists are encouraged to leave their cars at home in favour of bikes, trains, buses and feet. The event focuses on alternatives to car travel and the need for more and better public transport and pedestrianised areas. According to the ETA, 37% of British drivers feel that there is no practical alternative to driving whilst another 11% have already taken steps to reduce their mileage due to financial and environmental concerns. Other studies show that nearly two thirds of us find traffic in cities unbearable with suggestions ranging from increased public transport in city and suburban environments to a complete ban on car traffic in city centres on certain days of the week. Meanwhile the number of cars on the roads and the amount of urban traffic is steadily increasing, adversely affecting the wellbeing of city and town dwellers, with increase in noise, pollution and stress. However, on Monday we can make a positive change and choose an alternative method of transport. Over 4 million of us commute a distance of less than 3 miles by car every day. Let's get creative; pull out those bikes, dust off those walking boots or get on the bus for an altogether different experience! 

In Brighton on Sunday (always have to be a little bit different those Brighton folk eh?) people will be invited to take to the streets for dancing, music, activities and entertainment, organised by Transition Brighton and Hove. Visitors can hop on a rickshaw for a free ride, create artworks by cycling through paint, picnic in the street or go on a health walk through the city centre. Sound too cool to be true - it's not, and there's loads more stuff planned too.

Leytonstone have adopted the same approach and are planning a car-free extravaganza on Sunday with Geno Washington and Ram Jam band rocking the streets, along with a french market and a chance to try out all kinds of weird and wonderful two wheeled contraptions.

Fancy a free massage? Head to Camden tomorrow for Car Free Friday where you'll find green police on stilts, friendly folk giving away pedometers, the Bike Doctor on hand for cycling advice and maintenance and the chance of a free commuter massage.  

On Monday, you can bike for your breakfast at the BlendaVenda stall in Hounslow. Cyclists can use pedal power to create a free smoothie or flex their vocal cords as well as their leg muscles on a bike powered karaoke unit. Lots of free green transport guides and advice on hand too.

Meanwhile in Devon, prizes of £50 worth of vouchers are being offered for the most creative method of travelling to work. Last year, the prize was won by Mark Bailey who used a mini canoe, mini bicycle and the bus to commute to work.

In Harrogate, travellers on 24th Sept will be offered a free day's bus pass to encourage citizens to see how the service has improved recently. At 11am Toddle Through Town is for all those parents and toddlers who want to get involved. There will also be free rickshaw rides and a community bike ride through the town at 5pm.

Have fun!!

week two challenge update

Transport has been on my mind over the last week following the challenges that I set. We changed travel plans for a journey and we all bundled in the back of a friend's van rather than driving to a party at the weekend. I found a brilliant bus timetable which centres around a large map of the downs and all the places that you can visit, such as the Long Man of Wilmington and gorgeous woodland - Abbotts Wood, using local bus services and trains. We can also get to my favourite crystal shop with a short walk and a hop across a field - hurrah! We went on lots of bike rides last week, mainly locally - the kids are getting so confident on their bikes now. On one ride we cycled to a local village and found a rope swing behind the church, which made a fun rest stop. On the way home from that ride, we sang the whole journey and the hills suddenly didn't seem nearly so challenging. I signed up to Flight Pledge last year and we haven't flown for several years, but have taken holidays by train and car instead. I haven't yet discovered how much it costs to drive a mile but Chris Goodall, author of How to Live a Low Carbon Life, a fabulous sourcebook of crunchy figures and insightful comment says that it costs on average £0.10 a mile to make a car journey. I would like to work out how much it costs taking into account the road tax, insurance and initial cost of the car so will get back to you on that one. Out of curiosity I have been looking at the G Wiz electric car - apparently they cost £0.017p a mile to run and owners also don't have to pay tax. It does cost £6,999 to buy new though. Am going to ask the neighbours how they feel about car sharing too. New challenges will be posted later...

week two challenge

Well here it is folks - how to green up your travel arrangements, save money and have fun into the bargain. Try these five simple steps this week:

• Make a note of all your regular journeys and replace one journey this week with a different mode of transport - think bikes, buses, trams or shanks pony.

• Find a bus timetable for your local area and see what exotic locations you could visit!

• Go for a bike ride. If you haven't got a bike, borrow or hire one. Check out Sustrans for ideas of local cycle routes, including off-road trails.

• Calculate how much it costs to drive a mile in the car. 

• Sign up to flight pledge. You can choose from options such as not taking leisure flights or not flying except in emergencies.

I'll let you know how we get on with these in the office a bit later in the week!

hot day in office

Wow - its been baking here today. Luckily I only had a half day in the office as it gets a bit close working on a computer in the heat. This morning we had friends over and we went on a treasure hunt, which turned into a bit of a litter pick, due to a bunch of concerned kids. On the way home, laden with crisp packets, bottles and cans, I overheard my eldest and her friend talking about polar bears. Her friend claimed that we're killing them with all our litter (according to a TV programme she'd seen). I was surprised at how eloquently my daughter explained that that is an indirect result, the more immediate one being the threat to British wildlife. Although we do talk about global environmental issues, we tend to focus more on what's happening at home and in our community so it's good to know that she has managed to fit her views into a wider context as well. For us, so much of our home educating experiences centre round conversations. We always eat together, at least once a day, and a lot of family conversations take place round the table after dinner. Our youngest is intrigued by economics and how small scale independents compete with the multinationals. A wee socialist in the making? We have been talking around the subject of the Nestlé boycott and artificial milk marketing in the developing world. I am trying to present just the facts to ensure that they can make up their own minds - sometimes not so easy to avoid a biased opinion. 

A new daily ritual is the bike ride after dinner - tonight we discovered a magical oak wood and went off-roading - feels very liberating to be able to cover such distances and explore our surroundings in a completely different way. Vive le velo!!

recycled bikes in waltham

As a relatively new cycling convert, all things two wheeled make me very excited right now so when I heard about this I had to drop a quick post. On the third and fourth Saturday of every month - ie) 16th and 23rd August - residents of Waltham Forest in London, E10, can pick up a recycled bike for as little as £20. Visitors can also learn a bit of basic bike maintenance and those with unwanted bikes can donate them to a new home.