“In the UK, around 40 per cent of all trips are under two miles, and 70 per cent are under 5 miles, distances that can be covered without a car. Even walking to and from public transport is found to be highly effective in improving people’s health.”
“Despite all the well-known harmful side effects of driving, an important social cost is often overlooked: the opportunity cost of not walking or cycling, including to public transport stops.” Excellent summary from LSE on the need to focus on health in delivering transport policies
Electric vehicles are key for reducing transport emissions, but do they produce a healthy urban transport system? David Klenert, Linus Mattauch and Simona Sulikova argue that the health benefits of…
You only have to read the invective and outright hatred spewed onto any post about cycling to see the damage done to societyby the cult of car ownership. (Sponsored no doubt, by oil companies and the others behind climate denial and 'culture wars'.)
Do you live in London? Try doing a 5 mile journey round here on the bus that doesn’t take at least 3 times as long as going in a car and costs more. People no longer go to city centres - transport infrastructure hasn’t caught up with this.
Americans will say "BuT wHaT aBoUt Ma FrEeDuMb???"
When I lived in B'ham we didn't own a car as the bus, train and tram network was quick and cheap. Now we are in the shires, apart from the weekly shop, the car is rarely used outside of work commutes but the local villages etc, due to the bus network being butchered, are totally reliant on cars.
Many of the replies I see seem to talk about lack of infrastructure for walking ( not many think or mention bikes) or ill health. Whilst the infrastructure is clearly ver important, and the ill health is also valid, there is a little reluctance to move away from cars, which is not ideal.
Fleets of Ubers and taxis now to replace the axed buses and a dangerous walk on not amazingly well lit streets for people including women aged 60 plus . With a full day of work ahead and rubbish transport options for the car less now it’s not amusing
Doesn’t always work though . The council here have allowed both the early morning buses which used to be rammed full of commuters and students to be axed while they pontificate about building a cycle lane . I don’t - like many others feel like walking over a mile in the dark and rain to the station
2miles would be too far to walk for many elderly or disabled folks. I could do it when well, easily, but 500m yesterday was a real challenge. Would be interesting to see a breakdown by age
Personally: 2 trips of 3.5 miles a day; 4 days a week. Walking: 60min. Cycling: 20min Bus+Walk: 45min Car,: 30min Easy.
Sometimes I wonder how this data is counted. If I drive the kids to school, drop them off & go on to work, is that 2 journeys of 2 miles, or one of 4?