Travel less by car

If you need to speak to a healthcare professional, and it doesn’t have to be in person, try using NHS Scotland’s Near Me video calling platform.

Consider online shopping and delivery for heavier, bulky items. This could be more sustainable than you making an individual trip by car.

Plan your food shopping to buy heavy or bulky long-life items less frequently and make more trips on foot or by bike to the local shops to buy fresh foods, like fruit and vegetables.

Think about how you can swap, share, or repair existing items. Sharing items within your community can mean travelling less by car to find and buy new things.

Consider picking somewhere local when meeting up with family and friends. This could make it easier to walk, wheel, cycle, or take public transport to get there, and if you do still need to travel by car, you’ll have reduced the distance you need to drive, which will reduce your carbon emissions.

Walking is better for the environment and for you. We should aim to get 150 minutes of physical activity each week. Even just two 10-minute walks a day can add up and help you achieve good health and well being, you’ll also be using your car less and helping to tackle the climate emergency.

Consider cycling to get you from A to B. If you’re a beginner, start easy and get to know your options for accessing a suitable bike and training.

If you need to pop out for a few different reasons, aim to combine all the trips into a single journey, so you’re driving less miles.

You could even coordinate with friends, family, and your local community to share journeys and reduce the number of one person car trips. In many places there are services to help you find people to Liftshare with. Several Regional Transport Partnerships support these services, for example in Tayside and Central Scotland.

Consider replacing one or more cars with a club car membership, which means using cars only as and when required, without being tied to ownership. For more information about car clubs and how to find your local club, visit CoMoUK.

Providing online options for accessing services and appointments.

Encouraging working or learning remotely.

Offering sustainable delivery options.

Maintaining, improving, and promoting the availability of local services and amenities.

Ensuring local services and amenities are easily accessible for people travelling by walking, wheeling, cycling, or public transport, to encourage them to support and enjoy what’s nearby.

Making sure local services and amenities are accessible for people who use their vehicle as a mobility aid, to avoid them needing to travel to a more distant destination.

Considering the location of services to make it easier for those choosing not to drive or combining multiple trips.

Coordinating staff travel and logistics/deliveries to share journeys and reduce the number of one person car trips.

Thinking about organisational car ownerships and if this can be replaced with car club membership allowing access and usage of cars nationwide. For further information on car clubs visit CoMoUK

Resources are available at www.travelknowhowscotland.co.uk/