You "are" the traffic



 

Found this pic on a website during one of my internet trolling sessions. Its something to think about when your sitting there in your air conditioned/ heated comfortable "bubble" you call a car, getting frustrated and angry at the traffic ahead while sitting in another line of congestion. Everyday its the same thing, but you still keep trapping yourself in the same parking lot flow of traffic. SO WHY DO IT?

What else could you be doing instead of being stuck there? Home, spending time with your loved ones? parties? meeting friends? socialising?

Think of where you could be right now if you took an alternative way to get to where you are going. Instead of sitting in traffic you could be taking the train and already be at your destination, on a bike riding past all those cars.

The Alternative Travel Project - Stana and Seamus' documentary

I have mentioned a few times about The Alternative Travel Project, so i thought id give you the opportunity of watching Stana Katic's and Seamus Dever's ATP 4 part documentary series.

Disclaimer: These videos are copyright and remain property of ATP. They are linked directly to ATP official Youtube account. Fuel Free Friday or myself (Kim) is not associated in any way with or profits from ATF or any other brands/ companies mentioned in any of the videos. We are just here to share the love.

Frequent answers

Whats your answer when asked "Why dont you take alternative transport?"

"I dont have enough time to take it" seems to be the most common reply when people are asked that question.

BULLSHIT!!! Theres no excuse!

Take for example 2 fantastic people.... the wonderful spirits that created the Alternative Travel Project.... Stana Katic and Seamus Dever, stars of the hit American TV show "Castle", who work long hours most days of the week, yet they still managed to find time to take alternative travel options for 7 days over the period of 1 month. They even made a short 4 part documentary about it, which is worth a watch. C'mon, you find it hard to find time in your "busy" schedule, but Stana and Seamus, and many others out there that work the same long hours, can still make time to enjoy the benefits of Alternative Travel in the aid to better themselves and the environment.

So "I dont have time" is not an excuse.

"It costs too much" - Another common reply to the question.

Again BULLSHIT!! A few dollars a week is a small price to pay compared to paying the price for the survival of our future generations world.

If you can afford to drive a car, you can afford to take public transport. If you sit down and work it out it goes a little something like this:

COSTS INVOLVED IN DRIVING A CAR -

 - Car insurance

 - Petrol

 - Licence to drive the car

 - Maintenance of car

COSTS INVOLVED IN TAKING PUBLIC TRANSPORT -

 - fare ticket to your destination

In the hundreds of dollars you would spend on the car, you will save at least 90% of that by taking alternative transport options.

So "It costs too much" is not an excuse. 

So i ask this question again..... "Whats stopping you from talking alternative transport?"

Welcome to the Fuel Free Friday blog!

So guys, welcome to my Fuel Free Friday blog.

I got the idea for FFF after checking out the Alternative Travel Project (http://www.alternativetravelproject.com/). The ATP encourages people to go without their car for 1 day a week and choosing "alternative" transport to get where they need to go.

Why choosing alternative travel?
 - Save petrol, save the environment
 - Learn and become familiar with travel options in your area
 - Mingle with the "natives" that use these alternate options. Meet new people, make friends.
 - See things you wouldnt normally see

Alternative options to consider
 - Carpool with friends/ co-workers (yes i know this is still technically using fuel,  but it saves alot of fuel too by saving you having to take individual cars if you are heading to the same location)
 - Walk
 - Trains
 - Busses
 - Ride your bike
 - Scooters, Skateboards, Roller skates, Roller blades... the possibilities are endless



So Fuel Free Friday was born. The first day FFF was put to use was last Friday, 17th August 2012. Being mainly unemployed it was fairly easy. If you dont have to go anywhere then its already a Fuel Free Friday!

However that day, a day that originally was planned as a "stay at home" day, changed when i realised i was out of flour to make homemade bread (homemade bread is so much nicer and yummier and cheaper than store brought stuff). So here i was, out of bread and unable to bake my bread.

So my options... I live in a small country town about 15 minute drive from the local city. this town has all amenities for a common country town... general store, post office, grog shop, cafes, post office etc as well as 2 forms of "public" transport (bus and train). My first thought was "Ok, well im not going to catch a train or bus to the city just for a pack of flour. So my final option was the local general store. The store is ok. nice and handy for odd purchases in case of emergency. Its convenient too cos its only less than 5 minutes walk from home. So i thought well why not. so off i went.

They had the flour i needed, but looking at the price, i remembered why i dont frequent the store. The price was almost double what it would have cost if i had gone into the city to buy it from the supermarket. Ah well, small price to pay when i consider the petrol i would have used in the car driving to the city to buy it. So i grabbed the packet, paid, and made the return walk home to bake my bread.

So this weeks FFF is coming up. So far i have no plans to go out, so that means another "home" day. Mind you, there is still 2 full days between now and friday, which means still time to make plans.


So this blog is to share with you, avid reader, my experience with Fuel Free Friday. the ups, and downs, good points and bad points, and hopefully encourage you to create your own Fuel Free Fridays.