Leave the car at home this World Car Free Day

Imagine a world where the majority of streets in our cities aren’t full of cars. Imagine a city where people are able to walk, wheel and cycle without having to worry about how busy the roads are with cars.

That’s what we’re doing this World Car Free Day by encouraging people to look into alternatives to driving their car everywhere and take a moment to consider the effect this has on the environment and on our health.

Low Emission Zones (LEZs) were introduced in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow earlier this year to set environmental limits on the vehicles driving in city centres. LEZs aim to improve air quality and public health in Scotland by encouraging people to use more sustainable methods of transport.

Replacing car journeys with public transport can help reduce CO2 emissions by 42% if using the bus and 73% if using the train.

Have you considered looking into the public transport on offer in your area to get you from A to B? Apps like Google Maps and CityMapper (available in Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as other cities all over the world) provide a detailed plan of how to get around using public transport with up-to-date timetables, as well as letting you see how long it would take to walk or cycle to your destination. These are an easy way to check your options.

Public transport also allows for a more relaxing journey, particularly on your way into work. You can prepare yourself for a day of work and maybe even get some work done on the bus or train, or you can just relax

You could save money by using more public transport as it is much cheaper than some of the expenses that come with driving, such as fuel, parking, insurance and car maintenance.

Walking, wheeling and cycling are fantastic ways of getting about, including to public transport, gets you into the fresh air and improves your health and wellbeing. They are all also completely free of charge!

What better time than World Car Free Day to leave the car at home? Who knows the benefits you might discover if you change your daily commute to include using public transport, walking, wheeling or cycling.