Changes Start with... THE SPARK "at the heart of the alternative west country"
In praise of the car pool
I live in Stroud, about 30 miles from The Spark’s office in the centre of Bristol, but there is no direct public transport connection between Stroud, a town of around 50,000 people, and the largest city in the South West. In fact, it took a lot of research to find that out. The local council has very little information on public transport. They direct you to the individual (private) bus and rail companies.
I can take a train via Swindon or Cheltenham to get to Bristol, leaving from Stroud at five past 7 in the morning to get to work by 9, getting home by half past 7 in the evening. This would cost me around £30 return. I could also take the bus into Gloucester, which takes about one hour, but then there is no onward bus to Bristol. I could take another bus to Thornbury and change, or there is a train direct from Gloucester to Bristol, which also takes about one hour. With the bus, this would cost well over £20 return and would take about three hours each way. The third and most feasible option is to take the train from Cam & Dursley station, about 35 minutes from Bristol, for £10.70 return, but this is 8 miles from my house. I will be able to cycle this in good weather, but for now it’s the bus (around £6 return) or a lift from my partner. The problem with the bus is that it does not stop at the station or connect with any of the trains, so to get to the office by 9, I need to catch a bus at 6.35 a.m. (the next bus isn’t until 8.15 a.m.)!
The upshot of that frustrating paragraph is that it is really difficult – and expensive – to be green with the state of public transport in this part of Sparkland. Door-to-door, the journey from home to work by car is just 45 minutes, so it is easy to see why so many people drive. As I commute with my partner at rush hour, we see car after car with only one person in it and huge lorries whose loads could probably be carried by rail on the longer stretches. The result is bumper-to-bumper traffic in Bristol and an extra 15 minutes on the journey, not terrible you might think, but much of that time is spent moving slowly, pumping out a lot of pollution.
What a coincidence then that one of our advertisers came into the office this week and we got to talking about commuting. It turns out she’s from Nailsworth, so she shared my frustration over public transport and suggested we car pool. If we can get another person to join us, we’ll have taken at least two cars off the road. It’s not ideal, of course, but at least it is tackling some of the problem. So here’s to the car pool! Let’s share resources, cut emissions and make that journey in a little less stressful.
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