A more cohesive approach to accelerating the uptake of zero emission vehicles – from buses and cars to bikes and scooters – across the UK’s city regions is vital if ambitious city-wide and national decarbonisation targets are to be achieved, a new report urges.
Transport is the single biggest contributor (by sector) to UK greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for 27% of emissions, with 91% of this from road transport*. Decarbonising transport will therefore be vital if the UK’s national target of net zero emissions by 2050 is to be met, as well as city region’s own net zero ambitions, of which target dates range from 2030 to 2048.
The report sets out the challenges city regions face in decarbonising urban vehicles, which includes private vehicles as well as public sector fleets, and also the opportunities to overcome barriers and make real progress.
The challenges, examined across six themes (see notes to editors), range from staffing capacity at local authorities, a lack of cohesive national policy and the absence of strategic and coordinated funding, whilst opportunities are presented in further devolution of powers to city regions, innovation and infrastructure design.
The report also sets out a roadmap detailing how the journey to net zero by 2050 is achieved through each of the six themes.
The report concludes by saying, ‘The Government has made decarbonising vehicle fleets a policy priority and made significant funding available for this task. However, the report finds that there is a need for greater cohesion of national policy with less fragmentation between both the approach taken to different transport modes (cars, buses, taxis, new mobility and so on) as well as with the provision of supporting green energy infrastructure. If all urban vehicles are to be decarbonised as rapidly and efficiently as possible then there is also a need for government to involve the city regions more closely in the formulation and implementation of policy.’
