Other ways you can make a change

IT MIGHT seem like the only way to change your transport habits to be more environmentally friendly simply mean giving up the car in favour of walking, cycling or public transport.

But there are other things we can do as well.

Join a local car club

Many people during lockdown have been rethinking whether they need a second car: one option is to give it up and join a car club instead. This means you can use a car as and when you need, without worrying about parking, MOTs, insurance etc. Each car club vehicle takes an average of six private cars off the road: which reduces air pollution and congestion. Enterprise Car Club are currently offering a discount: people who use the code PORTSMOUTH10 can get the first year’s membership for £10 rather than £60, plus £10 credit.

Organise a play street session

There was a time when residential streets were the focal point of community, and kids would play outside together regularly. The aim of the organisation Playing Out is to achieve this again, starting with closing streets to through traffic (not residents) one afternoon a month (or more) so that kids and neighbours can socialise in safety. Locally there is already a Playing Out session - also known as play streets. Email laura.mellor@ gmail.com from Portsmouth Playing Out to find out more.

Join Pompey Living Streets

Pompey Living Streets is a group of residents who would like to establish low traffic neighbourhoods across the city and help make our streets the focal point of community again. In particular, they want to make Portsmouth streets safe and enjoyable places to socialize, walk, cycle, play out and organise food sharing / gardening / exchanges.

Set up a Low Traffic Neighbourhood One way to get people out of cars and walking and cycling more is through introducing low traffic neighbourhoods (LTN). The key principle of an LTN is that an area of residential streets becomes a sanctuary from ‘through traffic’.

If you would like to help establish

LTNs in Portsmouth contact Pompey Living Streets on portsmouthgroup@ livingstreets.org.uk.

Sign up your kid for a Bikeability course

Sign up your child for a cycling proficiency course. Portsmouth City Council offers free Bikeability training up to level 2 for every Year 6 child, if they attend

Portsmouth schools that encourage cycling as a means of transport to and from school.

Employer travel plans

If you are a major employer, consider implementing travel plans to reduce the number of your staff that travel to work by car alone. These help to cut congestion, relieve parking pressure, aid staff retention and save money on maintaining parking spaces.

Get the train instead of the plane

Some of us are understandably itching to jet off somewhere warm and unwind after a year. However flying is a particularly destructive activity when it comes to carbon emissions: a flight to Paris for example has 32 times the climate impact of travelling the same distance by Eurostar. The good news is that research shows when we give up flying it can inspire others to stop too. Check out the website flightfree. co.uk/ for more details, and the seat61 website to book train travel from the UK to anywhere in the world.