Sustainable travel

We are committed to helping make travel and tourism more sustainable - to ensure that whilst our visitors can still get the most out of their trip, we safeguard our local nature and help reduce the industry's carbon footprint.

Read on to find out what Portsmouth as a whole is doing to combat climate change, and also some helpful ways for you to keep your carbon emissions down on your next trip.

Sustainable travel to Portsmouth

Visit Portsmouth works closely with our partners South Western Railway and Southern Rail to encourage more people to 'let the train take the strain' when travelling to the city.

We have used posters on the rail network to not just promote all the great things to see and do here, but also encourage people to leave the car at home. After all, Portsmouth is well served by the rail network, being just an hour and a half from London, and with direct routes to Brighton, Cardiff, Bristol, Southampton and beyond.

A number of Portsmouth attractions have also signed up to the SWR Rewards platform, giving those who have travelled here by train discounts on entry to top attractions, or freebies when they arrive.

Check out SWR Rewards for more information and to get some deals for your next trip.

Once you arrive in Portsmouth, there are plenty of ways to travel sustainably without a car. First off, check out the My Journey Portsmouth website for travel information and advice not just in the city, but the wider Hampshire area. It contains local cycle routes, walking maps, and links to all the public transport operators in the area.

Of course, sustainable transport can be a whole load of fun. Portsmouth was selected as a location for e-scooter trials - provided by Voi. Keep an eye out for stands across the city where you can take an electric scooter out for a short-term hire, either as a quick and easy way to get from A to B, or a fun way to zip along the seafront.

If you've brought a bicycle, there are lock ups and bike hangars located across the city for safe storage. Some of these are positioned right on the road for easy access, and a space that would originally take up one car could potentially hold six or more bikes.

Alternatively, leave yours at home and hire a bicycle (also provided by Voi) when you get here. There are around 360 rental bikes stationed at 90+ bays dotted across the city. In the nine months after their launch, rental bikes in Portsmouth had covered over 44,000km, with 4,108 active users. Find out more about the scheme on the Voi website.

Also, be sure to check out the South East Rapid Transport website, for updates on the project to enable quick, convenient and sustainable travel around Portsmouth and out to its surrounding towns and villages.

   

Clean Air Zone

Portsmouth operates a Clean Air Zone across large parts of the city centre, meaning there's a charge on entering the zone for any commercial vehicles (Heavy Goods Vehicles; buses, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles) that either do not meet Euro 6 emissions standards (so are Euro 5 or older) if they are diesel, or do not meet Euro 4 emissions standards (so are Euro 3 or older) if they are petrol.

The charge is £10 a day for non-compliant taxis and Private Hire Vehicles, and £50 a day for HGVs, buses and coaches.

Regular road users will not be charged to enter the zone - it only applies to commercial vehicles.

Air pollution is the biggest environmental killer in the UK, so these changes were needed to help improve the city's air quality for residents and visitors alike. However, it was put to government that Portsmouth should have a Class B Clean Air Zone, to ensure that private vehicle owners are not charged.

As well as the Clean Air Zone, Portsmouth City Council has worked on numerous other initiatives to drive down air pollution. It has provided more Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points, has encouraged cleaner taxis and private hire vehicles, ensured over 100 local buses now comply with Euro 6 standards, is using the parking permits fee to encourage low emission vehicles, and is changing parking capacity and pricing - which includes expanding the Park and Ride.

There is also a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan that aims to create continuous cycling and walking routes that more people want to use for travelling around the city.

   

Portsmouth International Port

Portsmouth's Port may be in the process of greatly expanding its number of annual calls, but it's ensuring this is done in an environmentally conscious way.

It has pledged to improve air quality and its carbon footprint - setting out to become one of the UK's first zero emission ports.

This will be achieved through a huge host of measures, including: installation of solar panels, commission and installation of a new storage battery, new zero-emission port light vehicles and vans, electric vehicle charging points for customers, applications for land-based wind turbines, and plenty more besides.

All this is in addition to measures already undertaken at the port, among them using electronic trucks, LED lighting and having one of the UK’s most sustainable and energy efficient public buildings (which has achieved a ‘very good’ rating under the international environmental BREEAM standard). This rating was achieved through the use of innovative technology including sea water harvesting to flush toilets and regulate temperature in the building, plus wind capture on the roof.

   

Other sustainable initiatives

As well as all the above, Portsmouth City Council has the City Greening Fund, for which it has offered local community groups up to £5,000 for projects such as tree planting, increasing biodiversity, and engaging the local community more with nature. With the funding now closed, we are already seeing the first results from community groups that have taken advantage of the funding.

Elsewhere around the city are businesses and organisations pushing the sustainability message. The Package Free Larder, for example, is 'Portsmouth's first plastic-free supermarket', selling groceries and household essentials - at affordable prices too.

Additionally, a host of local restaurants, cafes and delis promote the benefits of local produce - being open about where they source their ingredients and cutting down food miles wherever possible. Plus, of course, don't forget Southsea Farmers' Market, where you can buy meat, vegetables, plants and more straight from source, on the third Sunday of each month.