communities, climate action and transport
DESCRIPTION
Stephen Joseph's presentation at the Communities and Climate Action Conference 2011 on sustainable transport in the UKTRANSCRIPT
Communities and Climate change
Communities, climate action and transport
Stephen Joseph, Campaign for Better Transport
Communities and Climate change
Transport is an issue for communities and climate action
Communities need access to key facilities and services but• growth of car dependent development excludes those
without cars • poor, no, expensive public transport• dangerous roads with too much traffic going too fastAnd transport accounts for 26% of UK carbon emissions
now, if road and air traffic grow could be higher by 2050
Communities and Climate change
Car dependent development
Communities and Climate change
A simple suggestion:
It’s not possible to build enough roads for everyone to drive where they like, when they like as fast as they like!
Communities and Climate change
Where’s the carbon?
CO2 emissions from passenger surface transport modes
Work28%
Education3%
Personal business20%
Recreation24%
Holiday7%
Other8%
Employer's business
10%
'Surface transport modes' include household cars, buses, coaches, surface rail, underground, light rail, taxis
Mainly single car drivers
Communities and Climate change
Action to help communities and climate
• Better public transport• Safer roads so more can walk and cycle (over half of car
trips are under 5 miles)• Travel plans for schools, workplaces etc• “car clubs”: low cost, local car sharing• Manage roads and car parking properly Communities are promised new roads as the solution, but
big new roads worsen rather than improve things and there’s no money anyway
Communities and Climate change
Car use can be reduced: Sustainable Travel Towns 2004-6
Darlington Car use
Public transport
Cycling
-11%
+ 14%
+79 %
Worcester Car use
Public transport
Cycling
-12%
+ 22%
+ 36%
Peterborough Car use
Public transport
Cycling
-13%
+ 13%
+25%
Communities and Climate change
What can communities do
•Better buses and trains►Access to stations►Community Rail
Partnerships►Quality bus partnerships►Social enterprises (HCT)
•Travel plans for schools and workplaces•Support cycle training, safe routes to schools etc•Street audits
Communities and Climate change
Walking and cycling
•Safe routes•Signing•Cycle parking•Street design (e.g. advanced stop lines at lights)•Speed management where people live
Communities and Climate change
Public transport
•Information: needs to be high quality and easily available•Area-wide ticketing•Marketing: “metro” maps, branding etc•Personal security: CCTV, policing priority•Good access to stops/stations•Young people’s fares e.g. “Youth Mover ticket” (Isle of Wight)•Community rail partnerships•Real time information and bus management•Bus priorityAbove all treat public transport as a priority network that decision-makers and car users might want to use
Communities and Climate change
Shared space
•Redesign roads as streets•Removing signs, barriers etc
Communities and Climate change
General Government policy
• Higher rail fares – join www.fairfaresnow.org.uk• Reduced bus funding – campaign against bus cuts• Planning changes will reduce controls on traffic-
generating development
But there is good news – the local sustainable transport fund, to be launched this week: get councils to apply for it
Communities and Climate change
Conclusions
- Current transport patterns and trends are not sustainable
- Communities can make a difference to transport and to climate change
- Technology will help but won’t solve the problems
- Some government policies will make things worse, communities can campaign against them
Communities and Climate change
Different routes to prosperity
Vienna: car use has fallen from 40% - 36%, 30% of journeys are now on foot or bike, 34% public transport
Los Angeles: 90% car, 10% rest