Image: Sustrans
Sustrans is calling on motorists to give up their car for Lent, in order to have a ‘positive impact on the world’.
The charity, which aims to make it easier for people to walk and cycle, says the 40-day period in the run up to Easter is an ideal time to ‘reconsider how we make our daily journeys’.
Sustrans adds that hanging up the car keys could deliver health and happiness benefits, while also helping to improve air quality – thereby addressing a ‘health crisis that is affecting children, people with lung conditions and the elderly the hardest’.
Getting underway today (14 Feb), Lent is traditionally a period of fasting and prayer in the Christian calendar. However, nowadays many people choose to give something up for Lent or pledge to change a long standing habit, irrespective of their religious beliefs.
Sustrans acknowledges that for some people it may not be possible to give up the car completely, and is calling on these drivers to commit to not use their vehicles for short journeys of less than a couple of miles – for example the school run, the commute to work, ‘popping’ to the shops and weekend leisure outings.
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