Want to know how you can do your bit to save the planet, save some money and maybe even get fit and trim down? Your commute to work is where you can make a difference. With your travel plans modified car insurance, maintenance costs, petrol, and parking tariffs could be a thing of the past! Read on to discover some handy hints.
Walk to work
Do you live down the road from work, but have got into the bad habit of jumping in the car every day? Make a concerted effort to walk to work instead! While you might think it’ll take a little longer, you might also discover that you actually get there quicker or in the same time as you would if you were driving! With rush hour traffic usually being bumper-to-bumper, you’ll be glad of the chance to breathe in some clean air and clear your head before the day begins. And if you need a little motivation, why not take a look at Living Streets? They organise the ‘Walk to Work Week’, a great opportunity to get and give motivation!
Cycle to work (cycle to work scheme)
Especially quick if you live only a couple of miles from work, cycling is one of the speediest forms of transport available to you, and if you can squeeze in just 30 minutes of cycling per day (that’s a mere 15 minutes each way!), you’ll achieve a fitness level equivalent to that of someone 10 years your junior! And if you’re worried about the dangers you’ll face on the roads as a cyclist, here’s a cool factoid that’ll put your fear into perspective: there’s only one cyclist death for every 33-million kilometres cycled, which would take the average cyclist 21,000 years to get that far. And if you need a little help with buying a new bike, you could either buy a secondhand one to begin with or ask your boss to sign up to the Bike 2 Work scheme. It’s completely free to set up and it means that you and your colleagues can buy bikes and equipment at up to 52 per cent discount and spread the cost over 12 months, with monthly instalments being taken straight from your salary.
Car sharing
If you and your colleagues all live on roughly the same route to work but all drive in separately, why don’t you club together and agree to car share? You can each take turns driving in, and if there’s anyone who can’t drive, let them contribute towards petrol! It’ll save everyone money on car insurance, maintenance costs, petrol, and parking tariffs, and in terms of the environment, one car is better than five.
Public transport
Have you found out about what busses, trams or trains run in your area? While you might think it’s cheaper to drive to work than using public transport, it might be well worth your time to find out and then calculate how much you’re spending on car insurance, maintenance costs, petrol, and parking tariffs – you could be in for a big surprise!
Get yourself a lean, green smog-fighting machine
With a starting price of £23,990 and lithium-ion battery power, the Nissan LEAF Electric is the world’s very first five-seat, medium-sized hatchback with zero-emissions that will run for an incredibly worthy 80-100 miles per charge. Released in March this year, the Leaf was swiftly awarded 2011 European Car of the Year – a telling achievement. The electric motor delivers over 80kW drive to the wheels and takes just 30 minutes to charge to 80 per cent capacity (or eight hours to reach 100 per cent), making it eligible for the Plug-in Car Grant. And there are plenty of other models out at the moment, with many eligible for various grants and exemptions.
