The Sustainable Transport Alliance call for action to cut private car use

Nine walking, cycling, public transport and shared mobility groups have come together to call for rapid action to cut private car use. 

The nine organisations, which include the Community Rail Network, Bus Users UK, Living Streets and Sustrans have formed the Sustainable Transport Alliance, a new UK-wide alliance for green and fair transport with an aim to tackle the climate emergency and ensure inclusive transport for all. 

To reduce emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, private car use needs to be cut by between 20 – 60% by 2030. 

To achieve this, the alliance has set three top priorities:

– Communicate that public, shared and community transport, alongside active travel, is beneficial and aspirational, crucial to the climate and communities.
– 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.
– 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.”