1. In the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) car numbers more than doubled between 1991 and 2002.
2. Emissions from road traffic are now the primary threat to the quality of air in Ireland (EPA 2004).
3. The average journey time by car in the GDA was 31 minutes in 1991. By 1997, this had increased to 43 minutes - reflecting greater congestion and longer journeys (DTO 2001).
4. In 2002 42% of primary and secondary pupils were driven to school - that's 329,229 children travelling by car! Only 25% of pupils walked, and 2% cycled.
5. One in five Irish children is overweight and one in twenty is obese (Department of Health 2003). Inactivity in childhood can influence activity patterns in adulthood.
6. Walking or cycling to school is a very effective way of increasing physical fitness, which can reduce the chance of heart disease, strokes, diabetes, obesity, cancer and depression in later life.
7. Researchers have found that mildly to moderately depressed individuals who engage in aerobic exercise for 15 to 30 minutes per day typically experience a positive mood within just ten days!
8. Researchers have found that adults who regularly cycle have, on average, the fitness levels of people ten years younger!
Did You Know....
...of the fuel put in the average car, 80% of the energy is lost in heat and through the car's exhaust and only 20% is used to actually turn the wheels?
...in Denmark, bicycles outnumber cars by two to one. This means there is less need for parking spaces or road infrastructure in cities?
...Dublin has the safest roads in Ireland! In 2005, despite congestion and higher volumes of traffic, the capital had fewer fatalities that the rest of the country combined. (Metro, Tues. Dec. 20th 2005)?
...every single kilometre not driven in a car reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 145grammes? (www.mobilityweek.eu)
...every car that was not produced reduces energy consumption by 50,000kilo Watt hours (www.mobilityweek.eu)