Car-free low-carbon travel

Too many cars and lorries in the wrong place at the wrong time ruin the countryside we love.

They are noisy and polluting, and spoil many people’s enjoyment of being in nature. As climate change is the biggest threat to our landscapes, reducing traffic is also crucial in cutting carbon emissions and slowing the threat.

There is an imbalance between North and South in the funding of transport – here in the north, for too long, there has been a lack of investment and inequality of provision resulting in revenue shortfall and a need for subsidy. But when investment proposals do come forward (usually from decisions taken in London) they are often for schemes which worsen sustainability and carbon, and still fail to ‘close the gap’.

For decades our main transport campaign has been trying to solve the traffic problems on the A628 Trans-Pennine route in a way that doesn’t just shift the traffic somewhere else.

What we’re doing

• We support improvements to local bus and train services which encourage people to travel without a car
• We lobby for slower speed limits in the countryside to make our roads safer – especially for other users including cyclists, horse-riders and walkers
• We support local food networks to support the rural economy and reduce the impact of food miles
• We monitor the countryside for roadside clutter, and work to improve design and reduce its impact

What you can do

Three things you can do this week to help reduce the impact of traffic on the countryside…

• When you next visit the countryside, use the bus, train or cycle instead of going by car
• Check food labels for the place of origin – and then buy local rather than imported food
• Drive 5 mph more slowly and smoothly on rural roads to save petrol and cut emissions

Read more…

• Click on the links below to read about current Car-free low-carbon travel campaigns
•   Trans-Pennine Corridor: Mottram Bypass and A628 Woodhead Pass
•   Hope Valley railway loop
• Click here to read our Transport policy.
• For more information about sustainable transport and the north-south imbalance, visit: transportnorth.org.uk