Hence i thought I'd share the way i use a sustainable fun toy to keep both the kids and me happy. Not just for the week, this is a long term sustainability tool.
Nope it's not a Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc HappyInator-Inator-Mobob. It's a bike and a trailer.
I present to you my Vitus VEE ONE '11 edition and my trailer. parked up by the school
Now How does such a contraption save money you ask?
Firstly Bus travel.
A weekly hip hop ticket for use on Arriva the Shires and Centrebus (Grant Palmer it sucks you pulled out of this) costs £16.50 and a day ticket costs £4.20.
For a 48 weeks travel this would cost me £792 in weekly passes and £1008 in day tickets.
The bike cost £250 and the trailer approx £130. this cost in total. If i were to cycle all 48 weeks I save £682 in daily tickets and £412 in weekly tickets.
(this is approximate and probably inaccurate. as I walk and ride in nice weather and use the bike and the local bus services when it's soggy. Sadly I can't use it in heavy rain or icy conditions for risk of accidents. Brakes hate wet or slippy stuff)
Yes I know public transport is more economical than a car as buses carry vast amounts of people on them, but the way Luton and Dunstable traffic goes on a daily standstill they still consume a vast amount of Derv(diesel) on stop starts, especially on school times when they are most busy.
with some of the buses Centrebus and Arriva use there could be a lot of waste emissions belching out, especially in some of the older buses. (remember there's no Low Emission Zone here, We're on a major arterial route A5)
Also time saving is a good reason to ride.
The bike gets the kids to school in about 12 minutes whereas waiting for the bus, it arriving, getting on, getting off and walking to the school can sometimes stretch to about 30 mins, (HINT ARRIVA. A TIMETABLE IS MEANT TO BE KEPT TO NOT IGNORED IN PEAK TIMES THROW A COUPLE MORE BUSES OUT FROM BOTH TOWNS) I'm serious about the 30 mins.
The most important part about riding the bike and trailer for me has to be interaction.
As a whole I find 90% of people see the trailer and smile as the kids are usually happy in the back as they can see everything going on around them. Especially the diggers where' Bovis homes are building. (Tilia park management. your staff are exceedingly friendly when we've talked to them. nice one!)
The girls sing, talk with me, say hello to the cars, buses and trucks all the way to school. meaning we're all happy.
I would show you a week of riding, but the weather has stopped me from using the cameras. (must get a waterproof cam)
Could you replace the car or bus with a bike? Dare you try it? Or have you done the same as me. Let us know below.
Paul
P.S. one more reason why being sustaniable is easy. I run a symbian device. (nokia e6) and love the battery life. For instance I was at Cybher the other month and I charged my phone the evening before the event. Hammering it for tweeting, photos in molome, emails and facebook it lasted 2 days on one charge when many devices ran dry around halfway though the day
Just remember to put some precautionary measures on the mount.
ReplyDeleteAlways check to screws if they are tight to prevent accidents.