A new report entitled ‘Decarbonising Transport, let’s get moving together’ offers recommendations on how to re-think travel demand, re-mode away from cars, and re-power transport away from fossil-fuels in order to achieve climate action goals.
Convened by the London Transport Museum as part of its Interchange thought leadership events and delivered by engineering, management and development consultancy Mott MacDonald in partnership with international law firm Gowling WLG and global transportation company Thales GTS, a series of workshops were held around the UK, bringing together heads of industry, local councils, regional government, transport operators, law firms, consultancies, charities and campaigners.
Key insights revealed that public sector investment, policy and structure is important, but so too is cross-sectoral collaboration; that the transport and energy sector must come together to help re-power transport systems; and that the uptake of electric vehicles will help, but is only part of the answer and still brings congestion so improved public transport and greater active travel is needed, particularly for the first and last mile. Additionally, a one size fits all approach is not possible, as what may be right for an urban environment may not be the best approach for a village, and what works in London may not work in the regions of the UK. User-friendly real-time data is also essential to encourage public transport use, the report says.
Director of the London Transport Museum Sam Mullins OBE said: “The elephant of decarbonisation can seem like an impossibly big animal for a city or country to digest. The only solution is to tackle the beast in bite-sized chunks. This report is brimming with ideas, insights, case studies and recommendations about how to make travel more sustainable for everybody in the country, whether they live in an urban environment or in a village.”
Transport Specialist at Mott MacDonald and lead author of the report Katie Chesworth added: “A cross sectoral approach to bridge the divides is key in breaking down barriers and bringing ideas. I was truly excited by the enthusiasm and creativity in all the workshops. Integrated and inter-connected solutions are vital. To be truly sustainable, a decarbonised transport system needs to work for all communities and users, specific environments, and create a better future for us all.”
