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The “Going Car Free” campaign in the UK encourages drivers to swap their car for a more sustainable option, talk about the challenge with friends and family and even write about people-friendly streets to their local councils.
UK drivers who stop using their cars in June could save around 150 euros for their efforts and even win a prize.
The challenge was proposed by the “Going Car Free” campaign promoted by Possible, a British climate action charity, to encourage a month of environmentally friendly travel,which could mean swapping your daily commute by car or to school for a bus or bicycle, or committing to a car-free day or week.
“This challenge aims to show people all over the country (or even the world) that going car-free is already possible with a bit of initiative in places that already have decent public transport and walking and cycling routes,” says Izzy Romilly, Possible’s sustainable transport campaign manager, to the Euronews.
To take part, those interested must register on the Possible website and will automatically be included in the prize draw (yet to be announced) if they do so before June 24.
Each week additional steps are suggested, such as swapping a regular car journey for a car-free option, talking about the challenge with friends and family or writing about the need to create people-friendly streets to the city council. For every extra milestone reached, an extra entry into the draw is offered, increasing the chances of winning.
Participants will receive regular emails with everything they might need, including resources, suggestions and inspiring stories from people who took part in the “Going Car Free” experiment in March this year. In this experiment, 12 participants were challenged to go completely car-free for three weeks and experiment with different ways of getting around where they live in Oxford, England.
A similar trial organized by Possible in 2022 allowed participants to save up to 30 pounds (35 euros) a week on average. Together, they managed to save around 374 kg of carbon and spend more time outdoors and in nature, which had a positive impact on their well-being. Of the dozens of people who took part in the test, ten admitted that they were planning to reduce their car use.
Transport is responsible for producing more than a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions, with private cars being the biggest contributor. According to a recent analysis by EU activist group Transport & Environment (T&E), petrol and diesel cars account for 40% of transport emissions, and are on course to account for almost half of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
According to Romilly, this kind of experiment “isn’t a new concept and the UK just needs to look at its counterparts in Europe to see that it’s possible”, whether it’s schemes to reduce the cost of public transport – leading to a widespread roll-out of bicycles and e-bikes – or to increase cycle lanes, which reduce the number of cars in city centers.
“Pontevedra in Spain banned cars from the city center in the early 2000s, while low-traffic neighborhoods and 32 km/h streets are common in many German cities. Several European cities, including Paris, Brussels, Copenhagen, Berlin and Amsterdam, have an annual car-free day, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to move freely around the capitals without worrying about cars,” she said.
Romilly says the campaign aims to “bridge the gap” between the UK and more progressive European countries, at least “until politicians do what needs to be done” to remove existing barriers to reducing car use.
So far, hundreds of people have signed up for the June challenge.
She might have chosen to study Meteorology and Oceanography, but ultimately pursued Communication. And that's fine because if they don't get their weather predictions right, she wouldn't be the one to change that. She started by looking for sustainable ideas and projects for the university, and since then, she has never stopped (who stops, really?). She loves to watch tv shows, but she watches few because she is demanding. You don't need much to convince her to embrace new, "greener" habits and challenges.
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