County council’s tips for cutting petrol use and cost

West Sussex County Council has issued some advice to motorists on cutting petrol use and costs.

They include reminding people about a countywide car sharing website and a whole range of tips available on the Council’s TravelWise website pages.

County Councillor John O’Brien, Deputy Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We hope the advice will be useful, not just during the current uncertainty over fuel supplies, but also because petrol is not getting any cheaper.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The car sharing web site www.westsussexcarshare.com can put people in touch with someone who is making a similar journey, and has the potential to halve travel costs.

Anyone living or working in the county can use the site free of charge.

The site is particularly useful for commuters and those making regular journeys. By sharing journeys on a daily basis commuters can typically save around £700 per year in fuel costs alone.

The TravelWise team says public transport is sometimes seen as being expensive but people can greatly reduce their travel costs by buying a weekly or monthly season ticket.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

For example, a weekly rail ticket from Littlehampton to Chichester costs £16.40, whereas Google Maps estimates it would cost £34.70 to fuel a car for the same journey - and you won’t have to pay for parking either!

Area-wide bus passes can offer good value too and people can often save money by buying on-line.

Cycling is a very low cost form of transport and has enormous health benefits. As well as being good for the environment, cycling for 30 minutes a day can help greatly reduce the risk of heart disease.

The County Council also has an on-line cycle journey planner to help people find the quietest route and give turn-by-turn directions. It will also tell you how many calories you’ve burned and how much carbon dioxide you have saved by not using a car.

For more information about sustainable travel visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/travelwise