Sustainable Travel

Sustainable transport refers to any means of transport with a low impact on the environment, and includes walking and cycling, car sharing, greener vehicles and public transport systems that are fuel-efficient, space-saving and promote healthy lifestyles.

Walking

It’s free, easy and takes little planning. Organising an appropriate route and checking the weather forecast help.

As well as being a practical and cost-effective means of transport, walking is a fantastic form of exercise. Get the walking habit and you'll reap health rewards now and in the future.

  • Get in shape - to lose weight you need to burn more calories than they eat. Walking helps burn up those calories. A 60kg (about nine and a half stone) person walking at 3mph burns about 99 calories per half hour. Brisk walking at 4mph burns about 150 calories in the same time.
  • Feel happier - getting enough exercise reduces depression and anxiety, promotes psychological well-being and reduces stress.

Health Walks

Walking improves our general health and wellbeing. If you want to start walking more regularly, you may be interested in joining one of our Health Walks which run from a variety of locations in Test Valley.

Cycling

Whether you use a bike for fun or to get to school or work, cycling is a good means of getting around.

Before you start, there are some basic things you need to do to ensure that you and your bike are ready for the road:

  • Make sure your bike is in good condition. You can take your bike for a check-up at your local cycle shop.
  • Make sure your bike is the right height and weight for you
  • Make sure your bike is suitable for your purposes - a town bike, for example, will not be as good for off-road riding.
  • Ensure you have helmet, lights and visible clothing especially if you are cycling on roads.
  • Make sure there is a place to carry bags if you need them.
  • Cycling can be quite a vigorous activity, so it is important that you are physically prepared. Do some simple warm-up exercises before setting off.

Salary Sacrifice Scheme

Cyclescheme is a provider of an employee benefit scheme for accessing savings on bikes and accessories. They have a vast supplier network available including independent bike shops.

Greener vehicles

Greener vehicles (e.g. running on biofuels, chargeable electricity, solar power) can have less impact on the environment.

The network of electric vehicle charging points is expanding over time. There are electric vehicle charging points in a number of the Council’s car parks – more information can be found here. To find out more on the location of electric vehicle charging points within and beyond the Borough, please visit the zapmap website

Hampshire County Council has a survey available via their website to tell them where you would like to see on-street EV charging facilities. This will help them understand where the demand is greatest to inform their emerging EV Strategy.