Guidance on practical actions that councils can take to decarbonise transport have been released by the Local Government Association (LGA).
The move has seen experts from the University of Leeds provide advise on how to radically shift to zero carbon emissions from surface transport by 2050. A team was commissioned by the LGA, led by Professor Greg Marsden and Professor Jillian Anable from the Institute for Transport Studies at Leeds, to develop the policy briefings.
Priorities for the briefings were developed in collaboration with councillors and officers from 27 local authorities at workshops which took place in London and Leeds in early 2020. Seven webinars have been organised to launch the briefing notes the the briefings available on the LGA website.
Councillor David Renard, Chairman of the LGA’s Environment, Economy, Housing & Transport Board, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to revaluate how our transport networks operate but they have not altered our commitment to reaching net zero.
“Recovery from the crisis must be compatible with our decarbonisation ambitions and our briefing notes are mindful of both the new reality we are in and the opportunity we can grasp as part of a green recovery.”
Professor Greg Marsden, who led the project and is the director of the DecarboN8 network, said: “Different councils face different transport challenges, but everywhere has to act – and to act now. We cannot continue to pass the buck to our neighbours or to the next generation.
“Our work shows what councils can do today to help cut climate emissions and improve the places where we live and work.
“Anyone who wants to see these changes in their area can play a role by contacting their council to tell them about the briefings and ask what is being done locally to deliver a climate smart recovery from COVID-19.”
