Transport

Local authorities are ideally placed to influence a significant proportion of these emissions, in particular those that originate in the local authority area. The provision and location of facilities and infrastructure can play an important role in encouraging a modal shift, whilst communications and awareness campaigns will influence the behaviour changes necessary to lock in reductions from local transport emissions.

The pages in this section will provide you with an overview of key action areas through which to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from road transport. You should look to all of these to help you achieve area-wide reductions:

Local Transport Plans and Strategies - England
Local Transport Plans and Strategies - Scotland
Local planning - development of substainable infrastructure
Council fleet and staff travel 
Travel plans - reducing personal travel
Business and other public sector transport emissions

Local transport plans and strategies - England  

In England, the third round of Local Transport Plans places a clear requirement on local authorities to reduce carbon emissions from transport. It is one of five key goals that must be addressed by local authorities in a longer term plan than has previously been required. The rest of the pages in this section will all contribute to ensuring your LTP3 delivers these reductions.

Find out more about Local transport plans and strategies in England 

Local transport plans and strategies - Scotland

In Scotland, one of the key aims of Local Transport Strategies is to contribute to the national objective of protecting the environment in a local context. Reading all of the pages in this section on reducing emissions from travel will put you in a good position to ensure that your strategy achieves this aim.

Find out more about Local transport plans and strategies in Scotland

Local planning - development of sustainable infrastructure

Planning is a powerful tool that should be used to deliver sustainable transport infrastructure to new communities and regeneration areas. Planning can help to deliver the infrastructure that will support a modal shift but also make sustainable transport choices the logical option for residents.

This can be achieved through making sustainability a priority of good spatial planning as well as using planing conditions and powers to support sustainable infrastrucure.

Find out more about local planning - development of sustainable infrastructure

Council fleet and staff travel

Another portion of transport emissions for councils comes from staff travel by commuting to and from work. By encouraging initiatives such as walking to work one day per week instead of travelling by car a member of staff can reduce their commuting emissions by 20%.

The Energy Saving Trust offers a number of free transport advice services to help local authorities better manage their council fleet. Our fleet advice consultants have expertise in all aspects of fleet management and can help you find savings throughout your transport operations. Many councils rely heavily on employees using their own vehicles and reimbursing them for fuel. This is known as a ‘grey’ fleet and can be a large source of unmanaged emissions. Our transport advice consultants can help. They have years of experience managing ‘grey’ fleet costs and emissions and can help you find the savings you need.

Find out more about fleet management

Travel plans - reducing personal travel

Local authorities can influence constituents to reduce their transport emissions by promoting modal shifts (walking, cycling and the use of public transport) where possible and, where driving is still considered necessary, promoting smarter driving techniques and choices. Working with partners within and across your authority should also help you identify projects or initiatives that will deliver on multiple objectives as well as emissions reductions, including and health, wellbeing and accessibility, whilst making the most of available council resources.

Find out more about travel plans - reducing personal travel

Business and other public sector transport emissions

To be successful in achieving area-wide emissions reductions, it will be vital for local authorities to work with businesses and other public sector organisations. Work with your Local Strategic Partnership or Community Planning Partnership and other appropriate forums to build on existing relationships and, where you are working with private or other public sector stakeholders, encourage the same high standards for all project partners.

Find out more about business and other public sector transport emissions

Case studies

• Nottingham City Council public transport.
• One Planet Sutton.
• Richmond Borough Council.

Links and resources

• The Department for Transport Sustainable Travel pages and  Carbon Pathways – Informing development of a carbon reduction strategy for transport.
• Scottish Government sustainable travel pages: Sustainable Travel Page.
• Campaign for Better Transport: helps secure transport policies and programmes to improve quality of life and reduce environmental impact.
• The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE): Making the case: improving health through transport.
• EU Urban Mobility Action Plan (30 September 2009) in response to a consultation on  ‘Towards a new culture for urban mobility’ Green Paper.