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Transport

Most of us still use the car as our primary mode of transport. However, one-quarter of all car journeys are

less than three kilometres. Car travel has a very significant environmental cost and impacts negatively on our health and wellbeing.

To ride a bike the same distance uses less than one-fiftieth of the energy required to drive.

Explore sustainable transport options.

Transport

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ENVIRONMENT

Transport for most Australians is the motor car, the second least energy efficient of the available modes (air travel being least). It generates noise, air, water and land pollution; contributes to global warming and consumes millions of hectares of land for roads. As individuals we must understand the implications of our restlessness, start diminishing our addiction to the car, and reinvigorate our use of public transport and bikes.

Motor vehicles are responsible for much of the air pollution in our major cities. In Sydney, cars release 91 per cent of the carbon monoxide in the air, 82% of the oxides of nitrogen and 49 per cent of volatile organic compounds, such as benzene. Cars emit one-third of the dangerous tiny particles that are present in Sydney’s air (CSIRO: 2000). Getting out of our cars and opting for sustainable modes of travel can help alleviate these issues.

WELLBEING

Cars emit harmful gases and chemicals into the atmosphere and are a major cause of health problems. Rethinking our transport habits can free up time, engage us with our local communities and enhance our health. If the motor car became less dominant, communities may also be a safer place and parents may be more willing to let their children out to play. Transport consumes our time. To regain this time, we need to overlay our transport time with activities that improve our wellbeing or simply move ourselves around less.

Sustainable living guide