Sustainable Transport Alliance looking to slash emissions before COP26

The Alliance is looking to reduce private car usage by promoting the benfist of public transport and other sustainable means of mobility.

Nine walking, cycling, public transport and shared mobility groups have come together to call for rapid action to cut greenhouse gas emissions with less than one year to go until COP26 (The United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2021) in Glasgow.

The NGOs have formed the Sustainable Transport Alliance, a new UK-wide alliance for green and fair transport to tackle the climate emergency and ensure inclusive transport for all.

Ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, the alliance says rapidly reducing private car use is “crucial to safeguarding our climate and tackling air pollution”.

According to the alliance, greenhouse gas emissions from road transport currently make up around a fifth of the UK’s total emissions, and transport is the largest-emitting single economic sector.

Private car use needs to be cut by between 20 and 60 per cent by 2030, which requires a transition to healthier, greener modes of transport: walking and cycling; community, public and shared transport such as car, cycle or e-scooter sharing schemes says the Alliance.

the Sustainable Transport Alliance says it has set three top priorities. Firstly, to communicate that public, shared and community transport, alongside active travel, is beneficial and aspirational, crucial to recovery, our climate and communities.

Secondly, it seeks to create opportunities for collaboration and innovation across the transport field, involving local, national and devolved governments, and putting communities at the heart of positive change.

Lastly, the alliance says it wants to bring partners and evidence together to galvanise strategic and systemic progress on sustainable, inclusive transport in the build-up to COP-26. 

In a joint statement, the Sustainable Transport Alliance said: “We want to ensure that public, community and shared transport, alongside and connected with walking and cycling, is prioritised, celebrated and developed, so everyone can access opportunities, get around, and live their lives by sustainable means.

“This is crucial to health and wellbeing, community cohesion and resilience, sustainable economic development, and responding to the increasingly-urgent climate emergency.

“It’s about creating the future we all want, and our children deserve. That’s why we’re working together to support and empower communities, and advise policy and decision-makers, to help to unlock the great benefits of sustainable and inclusive transport for all.

“We are asking governments at all levels, our partners in transport and within communities, to work with us.

“We are at a critical point: we must work swiftly to ensure we have our transport priorities right, based on communities and environment, health and wellbeing.”