Good Journey is a non-profit organisation which champions car-free leisure travel in the UK. The website goodjourney.org.uk gives easy travel directions to visitor attractions and discounts of up to 50% for car-free visitors. There’s an online map with over 200 attractions and over 100 car-free travel guides. You’ll find inspiration for days out and holidays from Cornwall to coastal Fife plus top tips for things like outdoor pools and where to enjoy autumn colour.
Leisure travel is a significant contributor to CO2 emissions, with 70% of leisure trips made by car in 2018 and 20191. Yet a survey of National Trust visitors showed that 48% were open to visiting car-free.
Anxiety around ditching the car can be reinforced by messages that the car is the normal (or even the only) way to reach many attractions. Information on public transport is often sparse, while drivers are greeted with huge car parks and free parking.
But some pioneering visitor attractions have realised they can cut carbon and increase visitors by welcoming car-free visitors.
Good Journey creates webpages for attractions, with easy travel information and a door-to-door journey planner – like this for the RHS Garden Bridgewater. Participating attractions gain the Good Journey Mark – the symbol that car-free visitors are welcome and enjoy a discount.
And where public transport is less frequent or accessible, we support members to change the local transport landscape, even in small ways, like fixed price taxis or shuttle buses from local train stations. CoMoUK’s mobility hubs and similar schemes are another option that could help link up attractions to multiple transport options.
With 24% of UK households not owning a car, there’s a big opportunity for attractions to widen access and attract new audiences while cutting carbon.
Good Journey member Blenheim Palace increased car-free visitors by over25,000 in just two years – with up to 500 people a week using Blenheim’s Good Journey page to plan visits by train, bus, bike or foot.
Waddesdon Manor opened a new ‘Greenway’ cycle/footpath in 2018, linking to the National Cycle Network, e-bike hire and trains at Aylesbury Vale Parkway station. The path was used by over 70,000 people in the first year.
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