Local leaders – what they need to deliver transport decarbonisation

Greener Transport Solutions logo Published on: 21st September 2021 by Kamal Panchal.

The first page of the ‘place’ chapter in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan states “With strong local leadership and ambition these benefits [from greening transport] will be felt by everyone, everywhere. The government will continue to support such an approach through policy, regulation and guidance, and by encouraging strategic coordination and sharing of best practice across…

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Can people travel sustainably?

Greener Transport Solutions logo Published on: 16th September 2021 by Anthony Smith.

“I don’t think we’re very close to being sustainable when it comes to transport at all.  It’s all about convenience, if the world doesn’t change, then how is it feasible to walk everywhere….” This is the view of one transport user in a group we spoke to.  But it’s not an uncommon view. So how…

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The long term will be decided by current policy and projects

Greener Transport Solutions logo Published on: 15th September 2021 by Professor Phil Goodwin.

It’s over 100 years since the effect of burning fossil fuel on climate has been established, and for the last 30 years the UK and other Governments have been agreeing many policy statements about reducing transport’s contribution to CO2 production, and climate change. During that period the amount of CO2 emitted by transport has increased.…

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The right climate for innovation: Decarbonising transport

Greener Transport Solutions logo Published on: 14th September 2021 by Hilary Chipping.

Transport is not just about how we get around, it fundamentally shapes our towns, our villages, our countryside, our ability to connect with friends and family, our health, education and our overall quality of life. As well as defining the areas in which we live, transport is also the largest contributor to UK domestic greenhouse…

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It’s time to put a price on carbon

Greener Transport Solutions logo Published on: 8th September 2021 by Stephen Glaister CBE FICE FCGI.

In the first of the Rising to the Challenge webinars I listened to my esteemed colleagues in the transport planning and policy professions discuss how best the nation might respond to the government’s Decarbonising Transport[1].  It was a good discussion but I could not help wondering if we are trapping ourselves into making it all…

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It’s the (economy) everything, stupid

Greener Transport Solutions logo Published on: 7th September 2021 by Paul Campion.

It’s the economy everything, stupid How much transport is in your sandwich? All transport planners are taught on the first day of transport planning school that ‘transport is a derived demand’ and the public debate is beginning to recognise that our personal travel patterns are, to a large extent, designed into our built environments: famously…

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Jet zero: pie in the sky?

Greener Transport Solutions logo Published on: 2nd September 2021 by Inga Aryanova.

Can we really decarbonise aviation by 2050? The Government’s Jet Zero consultation thinks not, but we should be able to offset the residual emissions. Aviation is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise: the expected lifetime of aircraft is over 25 years, new aircraft designs take around 10 years and the potential range of low…

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Decarbonising transport outside cities: it is possible, let’s get on with it

Greener Transport Solutions logo Published on: 31st August 2021 by Stephen Joseph.

Any discussion about transport and decarbonisation provokes a common response: that while it might be possible to decarbonise transport in cities, outside these there is no alternative to cars for any of the journeys people make and that any attempts to reduce car use outside cities are unrealistic and doomed to failure. This is not…

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Transport decarbonisation and the role of land-use planning

Greener Transport Solutions logo Published on: 26th August 2021 by Victoria Hills MRTPI FICE.

The transport sector is the most significant contributor towards the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. However, while other sectors such as energy generation have drastically reduced their emissions over the last 30 years, the transport sector has made little progress towards decarbonisation. So what more needs to be done? Significant behavioural shift The RTPI believes that…

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Is this Government serious about Decarbonising Transport?

Greener Transport Solutions logo Published on: 19th August 2021 by Dr Steve Melia.

Is this government serious about decarbonising transport, or is their Decarbonisation Plan just political hype? I was reflecting on that as I prepared to give evidence to the planning inquiry into North Somerset Council’s refusal to allow Bristol Airport to expand.  Ironically, their attempts to fudge the issues around aviation may have inadvertently strengthened the…

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