Everyone living in York will know how busy some of the roads can get during peak times.
Congested traffic has a negative impact on its immediate surroundings with noise and air pollution. The continuous stopping and starting of the vehicles increases emissions and therefore increases pollution. Encouraging the use of electric cars would reduce this but it cannot be the only solution. While they reduce local emissions, making them creates more emissions than a petrol or diesel car due to the production of the battery. Reducing car use, and therefore traffic, will improve travel efficiency, which will encourage more people to use the public transport available.
The City of York Council has a strategy which aims, by 2030, to: increase the number of people travelling by bus and train by 50%, double the number of trips taken on foot or cycling, and reduce the number of miles driven by 20%. It is hoping to do this by improving public transport, reducing the reliance on cars, and by improving walking, wheeling, and cycling networks.
Part of the Local Transport Strategy is to improve bus services by extending the network and ensuring they are effective and reliable. They also want to work with Park and Ride services to increase their use. Over the past year, the number of people using York’s Park and Ride is on the up. The City of York Council estimated that people using the Park and Ride sites in December meant that 61,700 cars did not travel into York’s picturesque city centre. That is equivalent to a line of traffic reaching London! The numbers are very promising, but they are not perfect. Councillor Ravilious was very thankful to the bus services and pleased with the results; however, she also said she will “continue (her) work throughout the year to support and promote the city’s bus services as well as other sustainable forms of transport”. This highlights the city’s commitment to a greener and more sustainable city.
The Council is also aiming to improve walking and cycling routes around the city, making sure they are continuous, safe, and high quality to make it an attractive option. Choosing this over driving or getting an Uber has many benefits other than the environment. Doing more exercise and spending more time outdoors will have a wonderful effect on your mental and physical health. Another attraction is saving money, it may seem like a small amount but over a year can build up significantly.
It is important to remember that it is not easy to immediately change your habits. Even if you start by choosing more sustainable transport once or twice a week, this will still have a big impact overall!