Roger Geffen, policy director at Cycling UK.
The UK government’s recent transport decarbonisation plan (TDP) has had a mixed reception. The consensus seems to be that it contains plenty of positive ideas but that it is very weak on a clear overall direction for the transport sector. Commentators have voiced frustration at its lack of a plan to reduce the demand for travel, so that the UK transport sector can play its part in averting the unfolding climate crisis.
This ambivalence is evident in the secretary of state’s foreword to the plan. At one point he says, “We must make public transport, cycling and walking the natural first choice for all who can take it”. Yet, elsewhere, he says, “It’s not about stopping people doing things: it’s about doing the same things differently … We will still drive on improved roads, but increasingly in zero emission cars.”
This mixed messaging does nothing to help councils, businesses and others know what kind of low carbon future to plan for.

Joe Talora 3-4 minutes
Motorists in London should be charged based on how many miles they drive to tackle poor air quality and plug the gap in TfL’s finances, according to a leading thinktank.
The Centre for London has called on TfL and the Mayor of London to introduce the measure following the publication of new data from City Hall about the impact of poor air quality.
The City Hall analysis found that BAME Londoners and those in poorer areas were more likely to suffer the effects of poor air quality, with nitrogen dioxide levels up to 13%  higher in the most deprived areas of the capital compared with the least deprived.
While clean air initiatives such as the ULEZ have seen that gap shrink by almost 50% since 2016, there are growing calls for more to be done to tackle to root causes of air pollution.
But Claire Harding, research director at Centre for London, has said that TfL and the mayor need to “go further”, adding that it is “simply unacceptable that tens of thousands of Londoners still breathe illegally polluted air”.

A quarter of our car journeys are under 2 miles.
When more people cycle, everybody wins.
Our new #BikeIsBest ad is now live.

:excerptstartExcuses include poor weather and running late. James FossdykeOne in three people regularly uses the car for short journeys that could be completed on foot or with public transport, according to a new study.Drivers beginning to consider electric carsA survey of 2,000 people by motoring website Carwow found that short trips are usually completed by car for convenience reasons,… [Read More]

Austrians will soon be able to travel huge train distances for next to nothing – and it’s all part of an effort to tackle the climate crisis

08.10.2021 06:00 AM

Just €3. That’s how much it’ll cost to travel the 692km from Bregenz to Vienna, or Salzburg to Kitzbuhel, or anywhere else in Austria on its trains or buses, including in cities. That’s thanks to the country’s new Klimaticket, or climate ticket, introduced to encourage people out of cars and onto public transport as part of carbon reduction efforts.
The pass isn’t daily but annual, so Austrians will have to shell out €1,095 in advance when Klimaticket is introduced later this month, though early takers will get a 15 per cent discount. “It makes commuting by train cheaper in most cases, especially for those with long distances, and is very easy to use,” says Ulla Rasmussen of Austrian mobility campaign group VCÖ. “Furthermore, we expect more people to choose public transport for their leisure activities and inland holidays since they then don’t have to buy additional tickets. Thus, the Klimaticket is not only cheaper, but also easy to use.”

1.8.2019

Not only are traffic filters an inexpensive and effective way that Councils can make streets cleaner and safer, but, as our new research shows, they are overwhelmingly popular among those who are most affected by them.*  Let’s make sure our Councils know this. Will you use our easy tool to write to your councillors with the evidence to ask them to take action?
We are really keen to hear of any responses you receive so that we can plan how to best engage with decision makers. Please forward any councillor responses you receive to cfc@wearepossible.org.
To see our draft email for your local Council, just fill out this short form.

Build now, pay (a lot) later: the hidden cost of car-centric development

Schemes such as Garden Towns require expensive off-site road infrastructure and a huge amount of on-site space for cars, says Martina Juvara. It’s time for cost effective alternatives that will help achieve net zero, she argues

Martina Juvara 05 October 2021


 
This is a decade of innovation: big change is awaiting us as technology continues to evolve and the response to climate change starts to gather momentum. Yet most housebuilding companies shy away from trumpeting innovation. They clearly rise to meet challenging government targets, but they do not make their customers aware of the innovation they are providing; energy efficient appliances are often disguised as chandeliers or Victorian-looking A-rated stoves, in developments reassuringly named like aristocratic parks or farmhouses.

Housebuilding companies will not be the ones fighting for change, proposing new ways to live and a different relationship with our cars. In doing so, they may be perpetuating a status quo where not enough questions are asked about the real costs of car-centric development. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones.

Chris Howell 27th July 2021 Cambridgeshire County Council Highways and Transport Committee met to decide the fate of the experimental bus gate on Mill Road in Cambridge, that had been introduced in June 2020 as part of emergency active travel funding by the then Conservative controlled Council.