A Statement by the Greener Transport Council
We are a group of leading professionals in the transport and planning sectors who together support the UK Government’s commitment to decarbonising our economy while sharing a deep concern that much greater urgency and action is needed to address the challenge society faces. Our focus is upon what we believe the Government must do if we are to decarbonise transport at the rate necessary.
The July 2021 Transport Decarbonisation Plan is a welcome first step. We support the target of phasing out sales of all new polluting road vehicles by 2040 and the Plan’s vision for a cleaner, greener Britain. However, urgent attention must now be given to reducing the volume of traffic on our roads. Achieving our carbon reduction targets will require: i) Traffic reduction in addition to the roll out of zero emissions vehicles; ii) A complete reform of motoring taxation as we transition from petrol and diesel vehicles; and, iii) A credible national programme for delivering behaviour change.
