[00:-1.00]The Road to Bestruction
[00:-2.00]Jasper Stevens looks at our addiction to cars.
[00:-3.00]"This morning it took me forty minutes to get to work.
[00:-4.00]More roadworks on the A 10!
[00:-5.00]More of those awful traffic cones."
[00:-6.00]"Oh really?It took me over an hour.There was an accident on the M 11."
[00:-7.00]"You're both lucky.It took me two hours!You don't have to use the M25."
[00:-8.00]How often have you heard these conversations?
[00:-9.00]How often do we get stuck in traffic jams?
[00:10.00]How often do we arrive at work or school stressed out,tired and angry?
[00:11.00]For many people in Britain,the answer is every day.
[00:12.00]But anger and stress are nothing compared to the real costs of the motor car.
[00:13.00]Here are some figures:
[00:14.00]In the last ten years,
[00:15.00]the number of cars on the roads in Britain has gone up by 30%.
[00:16.00]There are now 25 million cars in this country.
[00:17.00]Over three thousand people die every year in road accidents in Britain.
[00:18.00]In London,cars produce 99% of all carbon monoxide in the atmosphere.
[00:19.00]Traffic produces ozone which can reach dangerous levels in the summer.
[00:20.00]Twenty-five thousand deaths per year are caused by air pollution.
[00:21.00]One in seven children in Britain suffers from asthma.
[00:22.00]Some types of cancer are related to traffic pollution.
[00:23.00]Traffic is one of the major causes of global warming and climate change.
[00:24.00]We know that cars bad for us.
[00:25.00]So why do we carry on using our cars so much?
[00:26.00]We all make excuses:"The buses are terrible."
[00:27.00]"The trains are always late!""I haven't got time to walk."
[00:28.00]I'm talking about myself,too.
[00:29.00]I confess:I'm addicted to my car.
[00:30.00]When I asked Jenny Trowe of Greenpeace for advice about how to give up,
[00:31.00]she told me six things:
[00:32.00]1 Use your legs.
[00:33.00]Over 25% of car journeys are under two miles-
[00:34.00]short journeys we could easily walk or cycle.
[00:35.00]Leg power can save you money,keep you fit and help you live longer.
[00:36.00]And regular exercise cuts the risk of heart disease by 50%!
[00:37.00]2 Use public transport.
[00:38.00]On average,about forty people travel in one bus,
[00:39.00]while the same number occupy thirty-three cars.
[00:40.00]Somethimes it can take a little bit longer,but so what?
[00:41.00]You can relax on the bus or train,read a book,talk to someone,
[00:42.00]meet the love of you life-who knows?
[00:43.00]3 Think before you go.
[00:44.00]Do you really have to go to that shopping centre on the other side of town?
[00:45.00]What about the shops around the corner?
[00:46.00]Before you get into your car,
[00:47.00]think about whether you really need to make that journey.
[00:48.00]4 Share cars.
[00:49.00]If you've really got ot use a car,share journeys with someone else.
[00:50.00]It is much cheaer and kinder to the environment.
[00:51.00]5 Don't believe adverts!
[00:52.00]Nearly a quarter of all the adverts on TV are about cars.
[00:53.00]You see an attractive man or woman driving a fast car through beautiful countryside.
[00:54.00]It's not true!
[00:55.00]That new car won't make you sexier or more attractive.
[00:56.00]And you won't be driving on an empty country road.
[00:57.00]You'll be stuck in a traffic jam in city or on a motorway!
[00:58.00]6 Take action!
[00:59.00]We often think there is nothing we can do about the noise,
[-1:00.00]pollution and danger of traffic.
[-1:-1.00]There is.If your street's full of heavy traffic,talk to your neighbours about it.
[-1:-2.00]Write to the papers.
[-1:-3.00]Go to the town council.Ask for a speed limit.
[-1:-4.00]Ask for a zebra crossing or a pedestrin area.
[-1:-5.00]Get a protest group together.
[-1:-6.00]Don't just sit around and complain!
[-1:-7.00]All quite simple,isn't it?
[-1:-8.00]Six easy ways to improve our environment.
[-1:-9.00]Well,I'm sorry I must finish this article.
[-1:10.00]I've got to pick up my daughter from school at four o'clock
[-1:11.00]Then I've got to drive to Sainsbury's to do the shopping.
[-1:12.00]After that I have to take my son to a party.
[-1:13.00]And tomorrow we're driving over to see my mother.
[-1:14.00]The traffic's going to be awful,but what can we do? |