Measures to ensure people use their cars much less are essential, argues Richard Hebditch
In October this year, the Committee on Climate Change published its first annual report on the Government’s progress in meeting its targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The report, Meeting Carbon Budgets – the need for a step change, demonstrates that tackling harmful emissions must necessitate significant changes in the way we produce energy, build and maintain our homes and in how we move about.
The chapter on transport describes the scale of the challenge, but stresses that it is possible to make the changes to reduce the pollution caused by transport.
If ambitious targets for the introduction of electric vehicles are met, carbon dioxide emissions will start to be cut dramatically from the 2020s.
But it’s clear that the Government’s reliance on transport technology to achieve emissions reductions will not be enough. Electric vehicles will take time to be developed, even if significant investment starts now. And the Department for Transport’s confidence in biofuels, a key part of the Government’s Low Carbon Transport strategy published in the summer, ignores the cost of growing and transporting the fuels.
Instead, that total number of annual car kilometres will need to peak this year if the transport sector is to play a full role in reducing emissions in line with targets.
So ministers must adopt a stronger and more consistent approach to encourage and enable people to travel far more on foot, by bike and on public transport. “Smarter choices” measures, such as workplace travel plans, better public transport information and car sharing, would be effective at cutting the number of road journeys and emissions now – not just at some point in the future.
Of the three sustainable travel towns funded by the Department for Transport, Darlington and Peterborough saw cuts in car driver trips of 9 per cent, while in Worcester the figure was 7 per cent. The Government must commit itself to similar action in more towns and cities.
Of course, this is a difficult time to be calling for more spending to achieve this. But there are clear choices to be made with regard to transport spending. Measures that help to achieve our climate change objectives and reduce the amount people drive are essential.
The case for the new £100 million Bexhill-Hastings link road is currently being examined at a public inquiry. East Sussex County Council has never really considered whether building this road is the best way to improve transport on the Sussex coast. Government and regional studies have shown that what Hastings really needs are better train services, including a new station at Glyne Gap.
If the link road goes ahead, there won’t be any money to improve rail or bus services for a very long time. And a shortfall from developer contributions could mean the council having to cut budgets from other services to pay for the road.
Meanwhile, the Highways Agency is taking forward a £1.3 billion scheme for building just 21 miles of new A14. In comparison, the three sustainable travel towns together received £2 million for each year they were funded.
If tackling climate change is really to be a priority, it must be a priority in spending decisions across all government departments, not just something politicians stress in their speeches.
Whoever is in power after the next general election must ensure that the next spending review commits Britain to immediate cuts in harmful emissions.
This is not a problem we can leave to future generations.
Richard Hebditch is campaigns director of the Campaign for Better Transport
