Car use in the West of England region needs to almost halve to meet climate targets

Car use in the West of England region needs to almost halve to meet net zero climate targets by 2030. Over the past 15 years, almost no progress has been made locally on reducing carbon dioxide emissions from transport, according to the latest analysis.

Transport is the largest local contributor to carbon emissions, without even counting shipping or flying. The number of miles driven in private cars needs to be reduced by 40 per cent, according to the West of England Combined Authority, meaning both fewer trips and shorter journeys.

Better fuel efficiency and growing use of alternative modes of transport have been offset by a rising number of car journeys, and cars generally becoming larger with a trend towards huge sports utility vehicles (SUVs). Last year 52 per cent of people in the region travelled to work by car.

The problem was set out in detail in the West of England climate and ecological strategy and action plan 2023. The wide-ranging document also suggests ways political leaders could tackle stubbornly high levels of transport emissions, such as bringing in congestion charges.

The strategy, published this month, said: "Emissions from transport are among the largest contributors to greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions in the region, representing 42% of the total in 2020. Transport emissions are not reducing in line with other emissions. Population growth means that car trips are expected to increase by a further 8% up to 2030.

"We need to substantially reduce the use of the private car mileage by around 40 per cent, both in terms of the number of trips and their length. This represents a fundamental change in lifestyle — decentralising services so people can access them in their local neighbourhood; significant increases in the use of public transport and active modes of cycling, walking and wheeling; and a shift towards electric cars will help but will not be enough."

Plans to cut car use in the region, according to the new strategy, could include hiking car parking fees, providing public services more locally, building new bike lanes and better pedestrian routes, building new railway stations and increasing frequency of train services, and introducing congestion charges to help pay for improved public transport.

Two Clean Air Zones were recently introduced in Bristol and Bath — but the aim of these is not to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. Instead, they focus solely on reducing nitrogen dioxide pollution, which harms people's health with a proven link to worsening lung and heart conditions, and an increased risk of heart attacks and dementia.

But many people in the West of England currently have "no viable alternative" to driving a car, according to Liberal Democrat Councillor Richard Samuel, deputy council leader and cabinet member for resources at Bath and North East Somerset Council. Speaking during a combined authority meeting on March 17, he criticised recent cuts to local bus services.

He said: "It's perfectly obvious that you cannot expect people to forego car journeys if there is no viable alternative. And the viable alternative in our area is predominantly bus transport. People I speak to say, 'well I would leave my car at home if there was a good alternative'.

"I can tell you from conversations I have with people, that the reason concessionary fare bus holders are not using their tickets is that there is no damn bus, or the service is poor and irregular and has been cut. That's the problem. What people do in those circumstances is they abandon the bus as an alternative.

"Much more effort needs to be put into this. Frankly the bus service in this area is a disgrace, and it is deteriorating and everybody knows it is deteriorating. What we need is serious analysis and serious solutions to a very deep seated problem. The problem is not of our causing, it's what is happening in the bus industry. But to be honest it sticks in my throat to be handing millions more to private operators for a deteriorating service. This is not the way to go."