Chiswick based DJ has joined the fight against global warning and announced that he is to give up his beloved Porsche Cayenne. What's more he is considering not only going for a cheaper more ecologically friendly model but joining a car club so that he won't even own his own vehicle.

As part of a trial organised by the Evening Standard called the Low Car Diet, Richard joined CityCarClub and had the shared use of a Toyota Yaris for a month.

He is quoted as saying, "I always knew there was no justification for me, a single guy, to have a huge vehicle, But the past month without my gas-guzzler, and driving the club's Toyota Yaris instead, made me realise I won't miss it at all. It's been heavenly driving around London in a smaller car, The narrow, car strewn roads of Chiswick are difficult and motorists feel that SUV drivers are road hogs."

XFM's drive-time radio DJ split from his long term girl friend Konnie Huq in the summer and has recently been quoted as saying that he would like to settle down. During the four week trial at with the car club he drove 120 miles in 25 trips and spent £101.60 well under the £300 he was allocated. Richard says he used to fill up the Cayenne once a week at a cost of £90 a time. He estimates that dumping the 4x4 and using the car club instead will save him over £5,000 a year.

The only downside was that booking the car could be a 'bit of a bind' if you were in a hurry but his verdict was, "It has drastically changed the way I look at how I should use a car."

October 28, 2006