Wheel-y great ways to make big savings (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Wheel-y great ways to make big savings

1:40pm Tuesday 19th August 2008 in

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The cost of transport would appear to be one outlay we can’t avoid, but with petrol and diesel prices soaring, more and more families are looking for alternative means of getting from A to B.

Susan and Henry Clayton live in Oakenshaw with their two children, Alex, 11, and Eleanor, ten. They’re a two-car family but are considering going down to one car and, wherever possible, they are turning to two wheels to get around, rather than four.

Each of the family members has a bike and they cycle regularly, particularly along the Spen Valley Greenway – part of Sustrans’ national cycle route – which runs near their home.

“We cycle more for leisure than anything but the Greenway is really handy. We can cycle to the supermarket in Cleckheaton and bring our shopping home, “ says Susan. “We often cycle to see my parents and friends. The children started cycling aged about three and gradually became more confident. They enjoy it, it keeps them fit and develops their confidence and road safety knowledge.

They’re too young to cycle to school, as it’s a bit too far, but when they’re older they could. They go to Whitechapel Middle School in Moorend, an eco-friendly school, which promotes cycling.

The school runs a cycling proficiency course and pupils can chain up their bikes and leave the key in the school office so they know their bikes are secure.”

Like many children, Alex and Eleanor are driven to school but they sometimes get the bus home. “We would use public transport a lot more if it was cheaper, and if the children lived closer to school they would walk there,” says Susan.

“Some children live within walking distance ofschool but are still driven there – it’s such a waste of money. It costs a lot just to start up a car!”

The family are keen to make more use of bikes as an alternative to their cars, wherever possible.

“With fuel prices increasing, we’d like to cut down to one car to save money,” says Susan. “It costs £50 to fill up our Honda CRV and we fill it up every two weeks. It costs about £30 to fill the Toyota Yaris and we do that every three weeks. We make a point of using the smaller car more often to keep petrol costs down.

“I’m conscious that we use our cars for short journeys more than we should, I’d like to cut down on that and do more cycling and walking. When we cycle, the children take a lot more notice of what’s around them and they become more aware of acceptable behaviour. Along the Greenway they pass other cyclists, horseriders, runners and walkers and they know to be courteous to other pathway users. We see lots of wildlife along the way, it’s a pretty countryside route.

“Cycling is a cheap way to get around and keep fit. You need to pay for a lot of leisure pursuits, and buy fancy equipment, but with cycling all you need is a bike and a helmet.”

Ruth Weston looks forward to the day when everything her family needs is within walking distance.

“I would like to live where we can get to the shops and to school without the use of a car,” says the mother-of-five.

Ruth, who with her husband David runs the Bradford-based Nappy Train and Aqua Births businesses, has a five-year game plan to lower the family’s carbon footprint and transport costs, which involves cutting down drastically on car use. This will mean significant changes to their lives and routine.

“We will be moving house, from Allerton to Shipley, which will put everything within walking distance, “ she says. “At the moment so much has to be done by car, and that is not the way we want to live. We want to become far less car dependent.”

Walking to school and to the shops will benefit the family not only by saving money, but will bring health benefits too, through more exercise. “It is a big step but worth it, “ says Ruth.

Shipley dad David Firth works in Howden, East Yorkshire, and has found that a car-sharing scheme helps with the 100-mile round trip.

“I car share with my colleague Brad Walton, who lives in Liversedge, “ says David. “We meet near junction 27 of the M62 in Birstall, both arriving by car, then take it in turns to drive the 40 miles to Howden.

“This means a saving of £9 for whoever is the passenger, which really adds up. We share the driving whenever we’re doing the same shift, which is about three times a week.

“Not only does it save on fuel costs, it saves on wear and tear for our cars. The best bit is the passenger gets to relax, and when we’re not chatting, I use the time for work tasks, such as drawing up staff rotas.

“It has made my journey to work more enjoyable. Our car sharing is done on an informal basis. The most difficult part was finding a safe place to leave one of our cars.”