If you’ve ever wondered how the other side lives, here’s your chance to find out. The Nova Channel, “the world’s first online television channel dedicated to transport,” challenged car commuters to use the passenger rail, instead of their cars, to get to work. Their short, documentary film follows Halifax commuter Julian McEvoy as he alternately uses the passenger rail and his car to travel to work. The side-by-side comparison of these two commutes is conclusive in its findings:
- Julian gets more exercise when he takes the rail, walking to-and-from the station.
- He saves money when he takes the rail—and a lot of it. Taking the train costs him £3 a day, compared to £5-6 for petrol, alone for his journey by car. The video concludes that if Julian were to continue taking the train, his savings would be an excess of £700 a year.
- Julian’s journey by train, he confirms, is pleasant, clean, and comfortable. He finds a seat every time, and stares leisurely out the window while others read the newspaper or a novel. When Julian drives to work, he’s easily frustrated by the excessive traffic, car congestion, road work, and other obstacles. Julian notes that the traffic is far worse when school is in session, as so many parents drive their children to school instead of having them walk or bike.
- It takes Julian slightly more time to get to work when he takes the train, but the prime culprit isn’t the mode of transport, but the ticket checks at the Leeds station, and the walking he does to get to-and-from the train stations. In fact, Julian moves faster by rail; his train had traveled nine miles closer to his office by the time he’d traveled only seven miles by car.
The video makes clear that commuting by mass transit is an all-around good deal: it’s better for your body, lighter on your wallet, and a more pleasant experience than sitting in traffic, flipping off the guy who’s cut in front of you, or cursing out some reckless teen driver who’s chewing fat on her cell phone. And, of course, it’s far less polluting to ditch your four wheels for the commuter rail. The documentary also mentions Britain’s plans to reduce car use and increase passenger rail use by 50%. By the looks of the government’s new legislation, the Brits are well on their way.
The Nova Channel’s Commuter Challenge video:
See also: Kris Murrin Stops Traffic in the U.K.
Photos via flickr by gnevets88 & navydevil187
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