Pathways to Net Zero: Making decarbonisation work for people and places

Four years after the Transport Decarbonisation Plan set the future direction for our sector, we face a critical juncture, says Jonathan Foster-Clark, Director, Movement & Place, AtkinsRéalis

Four years after the Transport Decarbonisation Plan set the future direction for our sector, we face a critical juncture. Although there were plenty of questions about the plan’s assumptions, it gave us a clear way forward with pathways and priorities for action.

But the climate – both political and environmental – has changed. The climate emergency, once the dominant concern, now competes with multiple other pressing issues for public attention.

As our sector gathers at Pathways to Net Zero, these challenges should galvanize us to regroup, learn from what’s happened, and re-frame our narrative.

Knowledge is power

We previously had limited understanding of carbon in the transport sector. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) datasets showed where carbon is generated, but we lacked granular insights into the trip patterns driving these emissions – journey purposes, distances, and whether travel was local or passing through.

Similarly, we had limited evidence on how different transport policies could reduce user emissions within the Avoid-Shift-Improve framework. And we had limited insights into the sources of embodied carbon in the infrastructure that we build and maintain.

That’s changed in the last four years. The sub-national bodies have transformed our understanding of the sources of transport carbon through their work to provide easily accessible datasets which illuminate where emissions actually originate. We’ve learned during this time that, whilst most trips are short, the bulk of emissions in many areas come from medium- to longer-distance journeys.

The Carbon Assessment Playbook has become a vital tool in helping local authorities to understand the potential impacts of different policies in their areas – right from the very outset of developing their Local Transport Plans. And DfT’s Quantifiable Carbon Guidance sets a clear framework to help local government and its partners to integrate planning for carbon into transport programmes using a whole-life management approach.

Armed with this evidence, we can now have very different conversations. With nationally-mandated, robust datasets and tools, we have the ability to clearly communicate with politicians and stakeholders the key challenges and roles of different policies in helping to deliver our ambitions. With this evidence base established, the challenge shifts to implementation - and that's where place and politics intersect.

 

Places and politics

 Making the case for decarbonisation is challenging in a climate of funding pressures, boarded up high streets and reduced bus services. But we also know that measures to support decarbonisation are measures that improve people’s lives and help re-energise local economies.

Reports from the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, Urban Transport Group and CIHT provide compelling evidence on the economic and health benefits of active travel programmes. Analyses by KPMG for CPT UK show that bus passengers spend over £35 billion in local economies, and every pound spent on packages of bus improvements could deliver more than £4.50 in benefits. Well-designed schemes focused on place-making or regeneration can deliver significant health and economic benefits, whilst also helping to reduce car dependence and emissions.

We know that most local authorities and their partners face significant capacity constraints in delivering the scale of change required. Meaningful transport decarbonisation will mean targeting large areas, not just short sections of schemes, and it will require sufficient incentives for large numbers of people to shift behaviour.

Short sections of cycle track and isolated bus lanes are unlikely to shift the dial: this requires extensive route treatment and activation strategies. Here’s where we face the real challenge, with real-world trade-offs and negotiations with stakeholders and residents.

But local government has the power to create compelling visions for their places. One recent example is the Emerging Movement Strategy for Bath, where Bath and North East Somerset Council and AtkinsRéalis worked together to build a future vision for movement and place across the city.

This has identified how different modes should be prioritised in different streets across the city, with a clear framework to drive transformational change, demonstrating how strategic vision can unite political stakeholders around ambitious goals.

We also have the new draft National Planning Policy Framework, which includes a reference to ‘proposing development patterns… which can help contribute to radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions’. Together with the requirement for vision-led planning, this sets a strong platform for driving transport decarbonisation through the planning system, albeit set against the challenge of delivering challenging housing targets. This gives us the opportunity to work closely with members to proactively shape the future of our places.

People-led change

Devolution is bringing new opportunities to drive change through place-based programmes and collaboration across regional geographies. But ultimately this is all about enabling people to make changes – whether that’s active, catching a bus, joining a car club, or taking the plunge in buying an EV. We cannot force change, so we need to understand people’s day-to-day lives and transport needs.

Transport choices are shaped by local context, life circumstances and individual needs. Our strategies must therefore start with understanding people’s lived experiences, not blanket assumptions about behaviour. This means making zero-carbon choices the most convenient and attractive options, through vision-led people- and place-based planning.

Attitudes towards decarbonisation have hardened amongst groups of people in places that are suffering economic challenges, and more widely amongst some demographics. But we also know that there is much stronger support for change amongst younger people and less vocal minorities.

This requires intentional engagement with these groups when we’re developing our strategies and plans. This means targeted engagement - from digital communities to grassroots organisations - that reaches people where they already gather, rather than expecting them to come to us.

Our recent work with Transport for the South East exemplifies the importance of reaching out to communities that often feel excluded from transport planning decisions. We worked with protected characteristic groups to help ensure that the region’s new transport strategy was developed with inclusion and equity at its heart.

Through research with grassroots organisations, we built in-depth insights on the factors shaping people’s experiences of transport services and their ability to travel, with this evidence then used to shape the region’s strategy.

At Pathways to Net Zero, we have the opportunity to move beyond the 'what' and focus on the 'how' - sharing practical experience on stakeholder engagement, funding models, and delivery at scale.

Despite the challenges, we understand where carbon is generated, we know what measures are needed, and we have the ability to shape our places to support sustainable and inclusive growth.

Most importantly, by understanding the needs and aspirations of the people using our transport networks, we can design schemes that simultaneously decarbonise transport and improve quality of life. This is how we create healthy, thriving, resilient places where zero-carbon choices become the natural choices.

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Jonathan Foster-Clark, Director, Movement & Place, AtkinsRéalis