UK climate change programme : memoranda relating to the inquiry submitted to the Committee / Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environment, Transport, and Regional Affairs Committee.
Date:
1999
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: UK climate change programme : memoranda relating to the inquiry submitted to the Committee / Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    for transport—and herein lies a key to improving transport systems, and promoting more sustainable travel behaviour with the resultant benefits of reductions in damaging emissions that cause climate change. 2.17 Present levels of transport funding, particularly for public transport, are inadequate. Transport expenditure in the UK must be brought more into line with other EU countries if pollution, congestions, safety, the environment, and access to opportunities are to be improved. Such actions should include: — providing additional resources for a more integrated and sustainable transport system, locally and nationally; — providing all levels of government with the powers to take action to promote sustainable development and transport in parallel; — promoting non-car transport and responsible car-use; and — setting new priorities for the use of roads. 2.18 Most fiscal and regulatory measures are best carried out by national government, such as: vehicle excise rates, fuel duty rates, VAT, overall target setting, motorway tolling, and national transport policy objectives. However, revenues from new streams of income—such as workplace parking charges and road pricing—should be used locally for transport activities, both of a revenue or capital nature. This requires discretion (local choice), hypothecation (dedicated to the transport budget), and additionality (acceptance that the funds are additional to those already allocated to current transport spending). 2.19 Modernising current appraisal techniques must be a high priority. Appraisal processes for transport expenditure should place greater emphasis on: — Strategic environmental assessment—including wider social considerations, indirect and “secondary” environmental impacts, e.g., sourcing and disposal of materials. — Sustainable transport audits—not just of transport policies, but across a range of private and public sector decisions, like school closures and catchment areas. This should include consideration of mandatory Sustainability Commentaries in public sector decisions, particularly in relation to planning and service delivery, along with mandatory Sustainable Transport Audits for significant employers to monitor and improve environmental performance, perhaps as part of wider eco-audit initiatives. — Greater community involvement in defining problems, identifying alternatives and selecting options. This will stimulate ownership of problems and solutions. 2.20 Targets are essential; high profile, challenging national targets backed up by achievable local ones. They focus attention, promote action and permit performance monitoring. Targets must be: Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-related. They could take the form of: — overall traffic reduction targets; — air quality targets, particularly those related to vehicle emissions; — key “network” targets, e.g., for the use of rail, and reducing the use of roads; — targets for modes of journey to work and school; — proximity of new development to public transport and necessary services and facilities; and — the proportion of development using “brownfield” sites, including the number of people living in urban areas. 2.21 Similar targets will be needed to reduce the emission of CO, by road freight transport. 3. COMMENTS ON THE ISSUES RAISED The desirability of the options contained in the UK Climate Change Strategy in the light of non EU countries commitments 3.1 Along with other members of the EU, the UK is a relatively prosperous nation. Furthermore other countries often replicate its actions. If any changes in behaviour are to be expected from countries that are less strong economically strong then countries like the UK must be seen to lead the way. Nevertheless other non-EU countries must be encouraged to adopt similar targets and commitments to those endorsed by the UK. The role of the Climate Change Strategy as the first step towards greater reductions in emissions in the longer term, i.e., beyond 2010, with particular reference to the need for behavioural change 3.2 The Climate Change Strategy is just one part of the approach to develop more sustainable transport systems and communities. Clearly the actions recommended in the transport White Paper, “A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone”, supplemented by Local Transport Plans and legislation will form the basis for the contribution from the transport sector. (See also paragraph 2.14).