Shopping
Around 1/5 of all trips made in the South West each year are for shopping purposes – far more than for any other purpose, including going to work.
So thinking about how you shop and where you go to get the things you need can have a really big impact on traffic volumes, pollution and the amount of time and money you spend going backwards and forwards for essential items.
Shopping locally and buying locally sourced products is a good way to start. As well as cutting down your travel, it also supports local producers and is often far better quality than imported and mass-produced food and items.
Think about the small change you could make so that you are less reliant on the car for shopping – perhaps simply getting a rucksack or some bicycle panniers would mean you could easily carry the food you need for a couple of days on foot or by bike – and the exercise would burn off the extra calories from a sneaky treat!
Another idea is to save up the trips you need to make for various purposes and do it all on one journey – it will save you time and money. And why not share the journey with a friend, or pick up a few items for your neighbours while you are there?
