If supermarkets weren't so big, they wouldn't need to be so far out of town, and if they weren't so far out of town, they wouldn't need the car parks around them.

The solution is to shop locally and boycott the huge 'out of town' shopping centres. Trouble is, there are areas in the UK certainly, where that is simply not possible because the big 'OOT' Supermarket has already blasted the poor little local shop out of the water. If this is the case, then good planning should help in reducing visits: take a neighbour with you so they don't have to drive out there; buy in bulk if possible to reduce number of visits; spread the weight out around the car on the journey home, don't stuff it all in the boot.

Shopping villages that encourage the use of the car to get from one end to the other should be banned. There's one near us that is L shaped, built next to a sewage treatment plant and gasometers, with a carpark area that is bigger than the shops. It's quicker, easier, warmer and a lot less smelly to get in your car and hop from shop to shop. There is a bus service but it stops in the middle of the long arm of the L, too far for most people to carry their shopping from the large grocery store at the far end.

It positively encourages people to drive from one end to the other, and on days when the prevailing wind is blowing in from the south-east, to not even open the car windows.

New housing estates and complexes are being built all over, but planners seem to forget the need for small, local shops. This results in a high population with very few facilities. The Victorian planners built a corner shop into almost every block in my area. Alas, only four out of nine within 5 minutes walk are still functioning businesses. The demise of the local shop has resulted in a more insular behaviour pattern, increased reliance on vehicular transport and more trade for the giant supermarket chains.

There are ways to reduce our energy emissions, turning off lights for an hour may be a start, but it's really not going to make that much of a difference right now.


Oh, and if they produced a carrier bag that actually lasted until I'd got to the bus stop, more people would consider re-using them.


LTS