20 June
Not to be deterred by distance Rebekah Smith in our communications team cycled a whopping 26 miles to work today – taking in nature on her zero emission commute.
What’s your usual commute?
Typically I drive three miles from my village to Newark Castle station where I hop on a train to Nottingham. It takes roughly an hour door to door. As part of my job is promoting cleaner air, I thought I should practise what I preach and try a cleaner way to travel.
What did you do for Clean Air Day?
Cycling 26 miles to work is definitely a bit excessive for me to consider doing every day, but as a one off it was a bit of an adventure. It was a beautiful, bright morning, and the route took me down an old railway line, then onto quiet green lanes with little traffic. It was a great way to explore the county, and soak up nature along the way.
Crossing the A46 near East Bridgford was the least pleasant bit, but once I’d made it past Newton and up the hill behind Shelford the view across the Trent valley made it all worth it.
The most enjoyable section was along the river between Holme Pierrepont and Trent Bridge – my regular commute takes me straight into the station so I hadn’t really realised how much green space there is so close to the city centre.
My legs started to get a bit tired as I neared West Bridgford, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so pleased to see the incinerator tower!
So will you be cycling home?
Not today! I’ll be taking the train back, but I will have a three mile ride uphill the other end.
Clean Air Day isn’t about making a token gesture for just one day, but thinking more about how you can do your bit to reduce air pollution long term. And although I won’t be cycling 26 miles to work on a regular basis, this morning has inspired me to leave the car at home more often.
Hopefully people will use Clean Air Day as a catalyst to make long-term sustainable choices.
