Car Free Day tomorrow

A SHETLAND Islands Council official has pledged to cycle and take the bus to work on Thursday to do his bit in “taking the heat off the planet”.

Peter Mogridge is the council official responsible for promoting a car-free day in Shetland this week.

He hopes that as many islanders as possible will follow suit, leaving their cars on the driveway and cycle, walk or use public transport instead.

Mogrigde said leaving the car behind is not just good for the environment, but also healthy.

“The nights are drawing in and the weather is starting to turn, so cycling, walking and waiting at bus stops rapidly lose their appeal when compared to the comfort of our own cars,” he said.

“However, the health benefits we get from physical activity do not stop just because of the season – nor do the benefits to the global climate of leaving the car at home and taking the bus.

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“I’ll be cycling and taking the bus to get to work from home on the Westside next Thursday; if you can, why not try going car free and do both yourself and your environment some good?

“Even if it’s just once a week, we could all feel the benefit.”

Thursday’s car free day is the culmination of the European mobility week, which still runs until 22 September.

However, car-free days are marked around the world and many big cities, like Bogota and Jakarta, actually close their central roads to motor vehicles for a day and fill them with walking and cycling events.

Mogridge reminded islanders that local bus timetables are available online at www.zettrans.org.uk/bus/BusTimetables.asp and could be downloaded as an app here: http://travel.shetland.org/desktop_homepage.php 

The travel app works offline once downloaded, so people can use it without needing a signal.