CAR SHARING
Car sharing /Journey Sharing / Lift sharing - whatever you call it - is a good way to reduce the number of vehicles on the road, reduce air pollution and share the cost of commuting by car. Many employers in the West of England have already signed up to either Join my Journey or Liftshare. These sites help employees find colleagues, or those from neighbouring organisations, who live nearby or enroute, to share a lift into work.
Car Sharing during Covid-19 advice – Liftshare have compiled guidance on car sharing during Covid-19, based on government and industry advice, to help maintain social distancing while travelling with colleagues from other households. https://business.liftshare.com/commuter-guidelines/
Car sharing /Journey Sharing / Lift sharing - whatever you call it - is a good way to reduce the number of vehicles on the road, reduce air pollution and share the cost of commuting by car. Many employers in the West of England have already signed up to either Join my Journey or Liftshare. These sites help employees find colleagues, or those from neighbouring organisations, who live nearby or enroute, to share a lift into work.
Car Sharing during Covid-19 advice – Liftshare have compiled guidance on car sharing during Covid-19, based on government and industry advice, to help maintain social distancing while travelling with colleagues from other households. https://business.liftshare.com/commuter-guidelines/
Plan your Journey
The Government advises that you plan your route, including any breaks, before setting out. Routes may be different as local areas make changes to enable social distancing on pavements and cycle routes.
On your journey
If driving, you should anticipate more pedestrians and cyclists than usual, especially at peak times of day. Allow other road users to maintain social distance, where possible. For example, give cyclists space at traffic lights. Public Health England recommends keeping a 2 metre distance from others, where possible.
Limit the time you spend at garages, petrol stations and motorway services. Try to keep your distance from other people and if possible pay by contactless. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds or sanitise your hands when arriving and leaving.
OTHER OPTIONS
According to the RAC Foundation, cars spend around 96% of the time parked up and only 4% in actual use.
Car Clubs are a great way to access a car only when you absolutely need to. There are a number of car clubs in the West of England as well as numerous hire companies. This helps keep additional cars off the road and frees up valuable space for other uses.
Karshare is a new peer-to-peer car sharing/rental service. It provides a way for people to hire out their car to others in their community and for those in the community to hire a vehicle when required. Karshare have also been operating a donate a car sheme during lockdown, enabling people to donate their car for a week or so to frontline workers who need a vehicle to get around.
EVs (ELECTRIC VEHICLES)
More and more people are looking at purchasing or leasing an electric vehicle when they change their car due to their lower running costs, the increasing choice of models available and ongoing concerns about air quality and climate change. There are a range of national and local services that can help you work out whether going electric is right for you.
EV advice service - Free one-to-one phone conversation with Travelwest’s Electric Vehicle expert, who can provide answers to any questions you have, tell you about the latest grants available and signpost you to trusted information sources. Contact travel.roadshow@westofengland.org to request an EV phoneback.
Electric car demonstrator loan - Get a loan an EV for two-weeks (Nissan Leaf or Renault Zoe), and experience living with an EV for your everyday travel needs. This is a free service; the only expense to you is in charging the car with electricity. Contact travel.roadshow@westofengland.org Or sign up directly on E-car’s website: https://ecarclub.co.uk/ev-demo/
Energy Savings Trust - The Energy Saving Trust's website contains lots of useful information and advice about going electric. You can even learn more about the ins and outs of electric vehicles with Robert Llewellyn, of Red Dwarf and Scrapheap Challenge fame, in a short video explaining EVs and answering common questions.