Rethinking Transport for Sustainable Societies

A sustainability solution that the travel industry must work on is the integration of active travel, such as waking and cycling, into transport routes. This is particularly effective for suburban areas which might have 15-20 gaps between transport options, where active travel can be encouraged. Active travel can be seen as creating more 'productive time' during journeys, due to the health benefits that come with including short bursts of exercise in travel journeys. This can also add to individual wellbeing, as active transport like walking or cycling can be an enjoyable activity, as well as a form of exercise. The UK government is in the process of setting up 'Active Travel England' as an executive agency whose job it will be to work on projects of improving infrastructure that will support walking and cycling as part of longer journeys.

Presented by: Professor Sarah Sharples, Chief Scientific Advisor, Department of Transport, UK

Active Travel England 

Certain groups, including women, may feel particularly unsafe using public transport at night. There is a need to make public transport provision more inclusive, so that women travellers feel safer and happier using public transport networks at all times. A solution for this is to use infrastructure design that is inclusive for all passengers and prioritises safety of vulnerable groups. Lighting is particularly important, not only on services and in stations, but also outside of train/bus stations, so that travellers waiting to be picked up by a car, bus or taxi feel safe. Another solution is to design seat height in train carriages in such a way that allows travellers to identify if a carriage they are stepping into is empty, or if it contains an unwelcome presence.

Presented by: Professor Sarah Sharples, Chief Scientific Advisor, Department of Transport, UK

Gender inclusive transport-systems

Technology can be harnessed to design 'on-demand' services in public transport, which can be integrated into the existing public transport system. One example of this is used in Holland: buses can divert from their routes in the evenings/ at night in order to drop passengers off in a closer proximity to their homes to minimise people walking longer distances at night, should they feel unsafe to do so. These sorts of solutions may be particularly relevant to periphery and rural areas, where public transport services are often less efficient or less reliable, or fewer services run. On demand services are also becoming increasingly available in certain regions of the UK.

Presented by: Mohamed Mezghani, Secretary General of International Association of Public Transport (UITP), France

West Midlands Ways to Travel

The rural mobility challenge for public transport

Adapting public transport networks to climate change can occur in a number of ways. In part, this means looking at how the existing infrastructure can be made more resilient to changing climates. Another solution is to have greater flexibility in the contractual systems between authorities and transport operators, so that the latter are able to develop new services during unforeseen circumstances. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were instances of services changing their routes to better serve hospitals. This type of flexibility should be more easily obtainable, and operators should be compensated for such changes. Such contractual flexibility would provide a greater degree of resilience to transport services in their response to natural events as well as other unprecedented circumstances.

Presented by: Mohamed Mezghani, Secretary General of International Association of Public Transport (UITP), France

Transport contract design flexibilty

Flexibility in transport services

The 'Avoid, Shift, Improve' or ASI approach is a three-step approach to greening public transport systems which can be used by governments, local authorities and urban planners. The first 'Avoid' step involves considering how travel can be altogether avoided, such as through the use of greater remote working, and shortening the distances between homes and the services that individuals will require as part of urban planning. The 'Shift' step is a focus on moving to less-emitting modes of transport, encouraging active mobility like walking and cycling, and greater use of public transport networks. Urban planners and government policy should ensure that infrastructure is enabling to encourage individuals to use these greener modes of transport. Finally, the 'Improve' aspect of the framework involves improving the technology of vehicles so that they are less polluting. This can involve use of hybrid, electric, biomass or hydrogen fuelled vehicles in the public transport system, as well as for private use. Considerations such as greater automation of transport, and predicted maintenance services are examples of how technology can be harnessed in this final step in order to ensure that transport systems remain efficient and reliable.

Presented by: Mohamed Mezghani, Secretary General of International Association of Public Transport (UITP), France

Avoid, Shift, Improve approach

The "Climate Resilient Transport" policy guide published by High Volume Transport, is a guide for Low Income Countries on how to create climate-resilient public transport systems. The State of Knowledge report written to influence the policy guide presents three common themes to the solutions that are necessary for LICs to adopt in order to ensure resilience in their public transport networks. These include the need to improve coordination within governments, and to ensure that inter-sectoral collaboration is happening within the design of transport networks; the need for greater capacity-building and awareness raising in the areas of climate knowledge, climate and transport data, and with regards to the financial resources available in these contexts; and a full stakeholder engagement to ensure that local people and the private sector are included in transport planning.

Presented by: Sarah Greenham, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering at the University of Birmingham, Co-Author of the State of Knowledge report and Climate Resilient Transport Report published by High Volume Transport

Climate Resilient Transport information 

Climate Resilient Transport information