The Environmental Transport Association (ETA) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

carbon-neutral Global net-zero emissions is reached when greenhouse gas emissions and Greenhouse gas removal, removals due to human activities are in balance. It is often called simply net zero. ''Emissions'' can refer to all greenhouse gases or only carbon diox ...

provider of vehicle breakdown, bicycle, and

travel insurance Travel insurance is an insurance product for covering unexpected losses incurred while travelling, either internationally or domestically. Basic policies generally only cover emergency medical expenses while overseas, while comprehensive policies ...

for the environmentally concerned consumer. The ETA aims to raise awareness of the impact that transport has on the environment and help individuals and organizations make positive changes in their travel habits. They offer breakdown and road rescue services for cyclists, mobility scooter users, and motorists. In 2015, the ETA was voted Britain's most ethical insurance company by the Good Shopping Guide.

Promotional vehicles

The ETA has built a number of unusual vehicles over recent years to promote

sustainable transport Sustainable transport is transportation sustainability, sustainable in terms of their social and Environmental issue, environmental impacts. Components for evaluating sustainability include the particular vehicles used; the source of energy; and ...

as well as its own insurance products, two of which have gained

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

. The Guinness World Record for QTvan is a tiny caravan designed to be towed behind a bicycle or mobility scooter and is officially recognized as the world's smallest caravan. The Hornster was designed and built as a way of highlighting the danger posed to cyclists by lorries in urban areas. The bike is fitted with the air horn from a freight train, which is powered by a

SCUBA diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

cylinder and has been judged by Guinness World Records to be the world's loudest bicycle horn. The BOND bike was built by the ETA in response to the frustrations faced by urban cyclists; it features a handlebar-mounted flamethrower to dissuade motorists from overtaking too close, a caterpillar track to negotiate potholes, and an ejector seat to deal with bike thieves.

History

The ETA was founded in 1990 and became carbon neutral in 2002. It conducts and commissions research into environmental transport issues. It actively lobbies the government and key decision-makers to discuss new thinking in environmental transport. They claim to be the world's first climate-neutral motoring organization. The ETA was a founding member of Transport and the Environment promoting sustainable transport in Europe; which means an approach to transport that is environmentally responsible, economically sound, and socially just. 1992 - Green Transport Week is launched in

Weybridge Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge, Elmbridge district in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a cro ...

. 1993 - The ETA publishes Britain's first Car Buyers' Guide for people wanting to buy greener vehicles. 1995 - Sets up Walk to School Day in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

as part of Green Transport Week. 1995: Sets up a charitable trust. 1997 - The ETA inaugurated the world's first national Car Free Day as part of Green Transport Week, which is now held on 22 September every year. In 2014 Car Free Days were held in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, and Washington. 1998 - Founder member of the Slower Speeds Initiative. 1997 - Began the "20's Plenty" campaign for urban streets and rural lanes. Via the 20's Plenty for Us organisation - partially funded by the ETA, an estimated 13 million people will be living on streets at 20 mph within the year. 2002 - The ETA Trust, a charity, became limited by guarantee. 2008 - ETA Services Ltd., the services arm, and ETA Trust, the campaigning arm, separate. ETA Services funds the ETA Trust through a proportion of its revenue. 2012 - Began the pop-up zebra crossing campaign 2014 - Established the "Back on a Bike" campaign 2015 - Voted Britain's most ethical insurance company by the Good Shopping Guide

References

{{reflist

External links

Official site
Transport advocacy groups of the United Kingdom