I noticed a while ago that I was often making shortish journeys (ie around town, or to the next town) by car instead of train, because my little wheeled tin box was the only place where I could listen to the radio in splendid isolation. And I know I'm not alone in this, but I have been known to extend my journey a bit to allow time for an interesting programme to finish, or a favourite song to fade out. Well, no more!
Yes, I've bought a little personal MP3 player! So now I can download podcasts of life enhancing things, like Radio 4 nuggets such as Start the Week or The Unbelievable Truth, or people talking nonsense I agree with about music on the Word Magazine podcast, or Introducing...with Tom Robinson from BBC6Music, and I can listen to these while I'm walking or using the train.
Esteemed reader, celebrate with me: I have joined the modern age, and I can tell you that a joyous aspect of this new life is that I actually want my foot-and-train journeys to take that little bit longer so my programmes can finish.
So there you go: after 10 years of ranting about changing people's transport behaviour I can reveal that the two most simple steps to leaving the car at home are these: online shopping; and a little MP3 player.
If only I had discovered this sooner!
AW.
