Park Active Initiative

Park Active Initiative

Green parking is now flying the flag for a new parking initiative, Park Active, which aims to raise awareness of a new way of fitness and environmentally-friendly travel across the UK. As we are gradually lifted out of lockdown, people are starting to return to a new ‘norm’ that involves finding new and innovative ways to do things. This new approach to travel has numerous benefits for the environment, traffic, fitness and cost of travel.

cycle to work park active initiativeWhat is Park Active?

The Park Active initiative is a new concept prompted by the British Parking Association, which encourages people to think about undertaking a different approach to the final stretch of their journey to work, leisure or social activities.

Instead of driving to your final destination, instead Park Active encourages you to park a further distance away, such as on the edge of the town/city, and complete your journey in one of the following ways;

  • On foot
  • Bicycle
  • E-scooter

Green Parking Car Parks involved in the Park Active scheme:

What are the benefits of Park Active?

Health

One of the main benefits of the Park Active scheme is the impact that it has on your health and wellbeing. Choosing to split up your journey and complete the last leg on foot, or by an alternative healthy method of travel such as bicycle or scooter, does wonders for your fitness levels. With many of us falling short to exercise in previous months, we can use this as an excuse to get back out there and start improving our activity levels.

Cost of travel

Park Active encourages travellers to use the peripheral parking sites which are easy to access instead of centrally located sites or the closest car parks to their destination. These further out car parks tend to offer cheaper long-stay parking than the ones found in central locations, which means you not only save on your travel expenses but also on your parking tariffs. Visitors can then complete the rest of their journey on foot, or by an alternative method.

Environment

Lockdown saw a significant reduction in the number of vehicles on the road, which did wonders to the environment. Cleaner air was one of the greatest positive effects of the ‘stay at home’ campaign, where cities across the world saw pollution levels plummet. We want to try and keep up this energy by reducing the need for cars on the road in the centre of cities. Reduce your carbon footprint by reducing the amount of car travel, without eradicating the use of your car altogether.

Reduce traffic congestion

Central locations of cities and towns tend to become particularly busy at certain times of the day. If we take part in the Park Active initiative, it will reduce the amount of traffic on the roads and see less congestion. Cities will become more free-flowing and less traffic-heavy, which is ideal for blue badge holders and short stay visitors trying to reach the centre.

COVID-19 safety

Multi-story parking buildings that you find in central locations or attached to attractions such as shopping centres, have lifts and stairwells built into their structure. If you choose a surface car park which can be found on the edge of town/city car parks, it eliminates the risk of coming in contact with these areas which may be a host for the Coronavirus.

Multistory car parks also tend to provide only one way of paying, which is on a pay machine with buttons. Our car parks offer a contactless payment which can be done on your smartphone, so there is no need to touch any machinery or entry gates. With Green Parking, you can safely park and continue the rest of your journey to your final destination on foot, bicycle or scooter. It is a safer, cleaner and healthier parking option.

The Government’s scheme for bike travel

The Government recently announced a £250 million emergency active travel fund, which will be available for projects that support and promote more environmentally friendly travel habits. This will help communities and local authorities encourage people to use bikes as a form of transportation. Councils have been advised to reallocate road space for significant numbers of cyclists and pedestrians in towns and cities.

It’s a good time now to start thinking about how you can incorporate cycling into your commute, as the last part of your journey. Many of us live too far away for us to cycle the whole way, so the idea of parking and riding is ideal for many of us and reaps numerous benefits.

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