The way people get around is starting to change, and as a professor of transport strategy I do rather wonder if the modes of transport we use today will still be around by the turn of the next century.

The way people get around is starting to change, and as a professor of transport strategy I do rather wonder if the modes of transport we use today will still be around by the turn of the next century.

In the quest to cut carbon out of civilisation, the future of transport is key. Emissions from the sector have doubled in the past 40 years and continue to rise. Our travel habits are now responsible for one in four of the planet-warming molecules of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. While the transition to electric vehicles will kickstart progress, even a rapid shift will not on its own bring the sector close enough to carbon neutrality to limit warming below dangerous levels. We’ll also need radical and rapid reductions in road traffic –...

We have nearly half a century of time series data from the National Travel Survey that shows little change in both average travel time (close to an hour a day) and trip rate (about 1000 a year). In contrast, the average distance travelled displays two distinct phases: growth from 4500 miles per person per year in the early 1970s to about 7000 miles by 2000, after which growth ceased. Most travel is by car, so, as expected, car use per capita ceased to grow at the turn of the century, which is also the case for other developed countries. Such cessation of growth of car use has previously...

A tipping point in human history   Throughout history, humans (and transport planners!) have focused much of our energy on creating cities, and now that most of humanity lives in cities, cities are shaping our future prospects as a species. To quote research from Yale University “the conversion of Earth’s land surface to urban uses is one of the most irreversible human impacts on the global biosphere” [1]. Taking back redundant street and parking space is a great opportunity. 

The UK parliament recently declared a climate emergency, with prime minister Theresa May stating that the country will have net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The government has chosen its wording carefully: the term “net zero” opens the door to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through carbon offsetting.

Now in its 17th year, The Transport Practitioners’ Meeting (TPM) is the annual meeting place for all transport planners, modellers, highway engineers, placemakers and urban transport designers. Organised by PTRC Education and Research Services, a company within CILT(UK), the conference the conference offers a fantastic opportunity for practitioners to discuss, debate, share best practice and network with their peers. TPM is returning to Oxford 10 – 11 July 2019!

May is National Walking Month – the annual celebration of walking and streets organised by Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking.  As the charity marks its 90th anniversary, it has a campaign to make streets fitter for walking for everyone, whether they are aged nine or 90. I am a Trustee of Living Streets and I am passionate about the many benefits that arise from making places more walkable.

A new Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is being introduced in London, to reduce harmful emissions from traffic and improve air quality. Those who drive polluting vehicles into the city centre will face a daily charge – £12.50 for cars, motorcycles and vans, and £100 for lorries, buses and coaches – on top of the existing congestion charge. By October 2021, the scheme will expand to cover an area 18 times larger.