Do You Know?
- There are about 2 million companies in the UK, but only 1,200 have implemented Travel Plans.
- A Department for Transport study in 2002 of 20 organisations found that their Travel Plans had reduced 'drive alone' car use by an average of 18%, and cost an average of £47 per year per full time employee to run.
- Traffic on the UK's roads is forecast to increase by between 20% and 25% between 2000 and 2010.
- There are 38 million empty car seats on the roads every day.
- The National Health Service is the UK's largest employer, with 1 million staff and 1 million visitors per day; that health trips account for 5% of all travel; and that 10% of NHS resources are spent on treating road casualties.
- 30% more fuel is used at 70mph than at 50mph.
- 50mph instead of 70mph reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 40%.
- Keeping tyres at the correct pressure can reduce fuel consumption by up to 3%.
- Automatic transmission can add 10-15% to fuel consumption.
- Air conditioning in cars increases fuel consumption by an average 15%.
- If you do under 5,000 miles a year it may be worth your while not owning a car at all. Using public transport, taxis, cycling, walking and hiring a car, say, for some weekends, may work out cheaper.
- Catalytic converters do emit less pollution BUT increase fuel use, increase carbon dioxide - 21% for a petrol car, need to be hot to work, so are not fully effective until 2-3 miles, and are prone to damage which stops them working.
- Road traffic produces one-fifth of the UK's carbon dioxide.
- Carbon dioxide does not dissolve or vanish but has a lifetime of between 50 and 200 years.
- Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are at their highest for over 400,000 years. Between 1970 and 2003 CO2 emissions in the UK changed as follows: from homes -25%, from industry -51% but from transport +91%.
- London's Thames Barrier was raised 4 times in its first 7 years. In the last 7 it's gone up 57 times. It will be inadequate by 2030 and there are plans for another one further downstream.
- Exhaust fumes are poisons. They damage our lungs. In-car air can be three times as toxic as air breathed by cyclists and walkers. Traffic pollution brings forward 12,000 - 24,000 deaths a year nationally due to respiratory diseases and carcinogenic effects.
- 1 in 3 car journeys are under 2 miles.
- Car travel is twice as dangerous as bus travel and five times more dangerous than rail travel. Bus passengers face a third less pollution.
- 'Real time information' at railway stations is available via www.nationalrail.co.uk and click on 'live departure boards'.
- Cycling provides protection against:
- coronary heart disease - 20 miles a week halves the risk of a heart attack strokes
- non-insulin dependent diabetes
- falls, fractures and injuries (through improved strength and co-ordination)
- colon cancer
- overweight and obesity
- Regular cyclists enjoy a fitness level equivalent to that of an average UK citizen ten years younger than them.
- As a general rule, cyclists live longer and are healthier than average car drivers, as the exercise benefits far outweigh the risks.
- Since 1975 the average distance walked in the UK has declined by 20%.
- Coronary heart disease is the country's single biggest killer. Inactive people are twice as likely to suffer heart problems than regular exercisers. 30 minutes/day of brisk walking is recommended, and sheds 150 calories. So good for weight management and your health.
- 1 in 3 adults are overweight. Only 4% of women and 14% of men take enough exercise to provide cardiac benefit.
Isn't it time we woke up? What on Earth are we doing?
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