Zero emissions bus

Getting transport on the road to net zero

Transportation is the most polluting sector in the country, with 27% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions coming from our roads.

The challenges facing public sector leaders are detailed and complex, which is why Associate Director and Group Director Highways, Kate Attwood, is unpacking the transportation puzzle to find ways to bring emissions down.

Kate believes we need to shift our focus to reusing and repurposing materials, training engineers to apply their skills in new ways and changing our expectations for moving goods around.

Here, in the first of a series of blogs taken from discussions at the Public Sector Decarbonisation Virtual Festival, Kate shares why the transport sector needs a complete overhaul, and fast.

The way we approach transport needs to change and we don’t need to do it a bit better, we need to do it completely differently.

It’s a fact that 70% of global carbon emissions can be traced back to transport.

Most of what we design now will exist long past this bridging point in our carbon journey and into the non-fossil fuel world that is quickly approaching, so it makes perfect sense to adapt what currently exists to suit that new context.

Over the last 15 years, the amount of carbon emissions from manufacturing construction materials have halved, but overall output of carbon from construction has barely changed over the same period of time.

We need to unpack all the elements of this transportation puzzle to find ways of working in a net zero world.

By reusing and repurposing materials, we have an opportunity to reduce virgin construction carbon and extend the life of existing infrastructure.

Operating in this way would give us an important suite of transport options required to reduce personal and commercial carbon emissions from transport, be it hydrogen, electric overhead or battery.

We also need to change our behaviours and expectations for moving goods and ourselves around. 

I am currently working closely with the Welsh Government, who has made it clear that building brand new is no longer the default option in the majority of cases.

It’s a bold statement, but it’s one that is in line with the global standard for managing infrastructure carbon (PAS2080).

In openly taking a step back from business as usual, they are considering what a programme of infrastructure investment should look like through a low carbon lens.

The principle is simple: Build nothing, build less, build clever and build efficiently. 

The Welsh Government has consolidated this approach in their new National Transport Strategy (Llwybr Newydd).

For the transportation industry, this means engineers should take their skills and apply them in new ways, for example, repurposing vehicular networks for active travel or to accommodate electric vehicle (EV) options to reduce the need for new builds.

We must however do more than just start, we really must fire out of the blocks.

The most significant part of this is less about how we do it, the engineering community is clever enough to do anything, but more about how quickly we can make the change. 

Read more about our discussions from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Virtual Festival here.

PSE October/November 2023

PSE October/November 2023

How the Midlands can be supercharged

Our October/November 2023 edition of PSE brings you expert comment and analysis on a range of key public sector topics, from EV infrastructure to Digital transformation and reducing carbon emissions.

 

Videos...

View all videos
#PSE365: Public Sector Events

Be A Part Of It!

PSE365: Public Sector Virtual Events

PSE has created a full calendar of events to address the most important issues that influence the delivery of public sector services. 

 

Over 365 days you’ll have the opportunity to hear from a range of highly motivating, informative and inspirational speakers. These speakers will equip you with knowledge and unique insight to enable you to overcome the challenges that you face.

 

See our full events calendar and register now! 

Public Sector Executive Podcast

Ep. 46
Loyalty, Covid pressures, and crucial transport connections
Tom Riordan

In 2020, most of the world stopped. People were forced to stay at home and many people were furloughed. This episode's guest, however, was thrown into the forefront of the government's response to to the Covid-19 pandemic, leading the tracing system and working alongside local and central government bodies.

Host Dan Benn is joined by Tom Riordan, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, to discuss loyalty, the pressures of Covid-19, and the importance of transport to a city like Leeds.

More articles...

View all