The Government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan was unveiled by the Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps. Sustrans has said that in order to help reach net-zero there needs to be a fundamental shift towards active travel and public transport use and crucially, walking and cycling need to be the natural first choice for short journeys.
Xavier Brice, CEO of Sustrans, said: “We welcome the clear ambition to make walking and cycling the natural choice for short journeys and are pleased to see it front and centre of this plan.
“Realising this ambition will require sustained investment in world-class infrastructure to create safe and inclusive routes and make it easy for everyone to walk and cycle.
“Many people have no choice but to use their car because of how we have planned our towns and cities.
“It’s good that this plan recognises the need to reverse this and instead of baking-in car dependency, plan our places on the principles of 20-minute neighbourhoods, and create healthier places and happier lives for everyone.”
The vision also announces plans to phase out the sale of new diesel and petrol heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) by 2040, subject to consultation.
