Last week Greenhouse attended the launch of ‘A Good Transport Plan for Bristol’. Sustrans, the cycling and walking charity, inspired by people, organisations and businesses across the city, has developed a plan that sets out a vision for the future of travel in Bristol.
Air pollution in cities has been a hot topic in the news over the past few weeks, see Guardian’s article of London taking just one week to breach annual air pollution limits, for some insight into the scale of the problem. But the problem isn’t just in the capital, pollution in Bristol has contributed to around 200 premature deaths every year. Change needs to happen now, and we all have a role to play in helping to deliver a sustainable transport system.
From the Passenger Transport Executive Group… “If just one car trip a month per person were switched to bus or coach in the UK we would make a saving of two billion tonnes of CO2 per year, and there would be one billion fewer car journeys on the road”.
Over the next 10 years, £500 million will be invested in new transport projects to help build a better Bristol. This is funding positive projects such as the rapid transit MetroBus, MetroWest rail network, and new cycle path developments. Funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Bristol 2015 European Green Capital made the Good Transport plan possible. The Green Capital Partnership and it’s Transport group have worked with Sustrans by consulting over 1,300 individuals and organisations for the plan, bringing together the key organisations in the city.
The vision:
“Imagine a city where everyone, of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, can get around easily. A city where it is enjoyable and affordable for everyone to get from A to B and where the transport network is simple to use, well-connected and reliable.”
The plan contains nine clear objectives (above), that promote clean and conventional travel around the city. They all involve changes on every level, from the individual on the street to strategic planning that the city scale.
Something so simple would make a huge impact on the air pollution in the city.
So what do they want to achieve in the next 5-10 years? Sustrans have set out some superb objectives, such as; double the number of people walking or cycling for everyday journeys, enable all children to have the option to walk or cycle to schools, see a growing proportion of vehicles on our roads that use ultra low emission technology and to create a city where everyone embraces and celebrates the culture of sustainable travel. The plan is a strong vision of Bristol could be like as a leading city in sustainability.
Here are some top tips from key speakers and sponsors on how you can get involved with the Good Transport Plan:
- Poppy Brett, Life Cycle UK “I have two tips. Firstly, read the plan so you can see the great work that organisations across Bristol are doing to promote good transport. Secondly, as the plan is a vision of what Bristol could be like everyone has a role to play. All people need to do is change one thing about the way they travel. Be it big or small – walking, cycling, using public transport, leaving the car at home for short journeys – their actions will be positively contributing to ‘Good Transport’ in Bristol”
- Jon Usher, South West Area Manager, Sustrans “Everyone has a role to play in shaping Bristol’s transport future and people’s every day transport choices have in impact on everyone else in the city. We’re asking people to look at the plan, and ask themselves: ‘how can I change my travel habits to support sustainable transport?” Jon went on to say; “We’d also like people to feed into the West of England’s Joint Spatial Plan and Transport Study to ensure the aspirations for good transport over the next 20 years are captured”
- Tina Biggs from Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways “We are trying to solve Bristol’s traffic problem by increasing the number of stations in the city. My tip is for people to vote on our travel survey – The more we know about what transport people want and need in the city, the more WEP (West of England Partnership) will have to listen to us.”
You can view the full plan here, or follow the #GoodTransport hashtag on twitter for updates.
At Greenhouse we like to encourage everyone to cycle into work, we also are proud to provide PR support to Co-wheels, the largest independent car club in the UK which is also run as a social enterprise, and we are about to launch the ‘Smog Mobile’ across the UK to detect air pollution on the move.
If you are working in this area and doing interesting things to solve air pollution or develop clean transport solutions, we would love to hear from you and feature you on our blog.
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