Why behaviour change is vital for net zero mobility

20th Jan 2022

The role of behavioural change is vital for net zero mobility, in this article CIHT outlines how they have been supporting this agenda

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Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh

Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh

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A focus on people is central to the future of mobility. Behavioural and social science can help us better design our built environment and its transport system around users, and allow technology to improve the lives of individuals and society. 

These are the words of Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor and now familiar with the public due to his role in supporting the UK Government to address the Covid-19 pandemic.  He wrote this in 2018 for the Government Office for Science report:  A time of unprecedented change in the transport system.

In an interview for a CIHT podcast, the role of behavioural change for net-zero mobility was explored.  This featured an interview with Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh who received an MBE in recognition of work she has led on behaviour change and public engagement towards more sustainable futures.  Professor Whitmarsh is Director of CAST and University of Bath environmental psychologist and was a member of CIHT's Route to Net Zero Advisory Group.

In the interview Professor Whitmarsh explained the factors influencing transport users’ decision making, saying:

Probably biggest really overall was the environment, the physical and transport environment, the extent to which there is walkable neighbourhoods, and attractive ways and safe ways, people can walk and cycle, the availability of public transport, and the built environment and the extent to which distances you have to travel.  That is a really big set of influences

The physical and transport environment that is created is vital to reducing carbon emissions and supporting net zero mobility.  It is encouraging that CIHT was recongised in having been supporting this agenda for some time, as the Government Office for Science report said:

Recent guidance (Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, 2010) highlights the importance of a user hierarchy that puts pedestrians at the top. Future changes in transport technology and urban planning should be considered that make walking a higher priority [See Page 60]

CIHT is currently working, under a commission from the Department for Transport on an update to Manual for Streets.  The Government Office for Science report also stated:

To achieve such a shift away from cars, it is necessary to prioritise the needs of the users of the most efficient modes of transport. Such a user hierarchy, which puts pedestrians and cyclists at the top, is recommended in the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation’s (2010) Manual for Streets 2 [see page 78]

But since then, has the role of behaviour change been undervalued?  Professor Whitmarsh certainly thinks so, saying:

The role of behaviour change was very much underplayed [in the Government Net Zero strategy].  Actually in the foreword it was specifically stated that there was a desire not to change people’s lifestyles, because it was assumed that might be unpopular: behaviour change was almost equated with sacrifice actually which I think is quite problematic because actually what we know is that behaviour changes that we need to make to reach net zero will have wider benefits for people in terms of improving health and lots of other things’.

The lack of focus on behaviour change was highlighted by CIHT during Transport Day of COP 26 in an article written then Active Travel Missing from the Agenda at COP Transport Day | CIHT and subsequently this was picked up in Private Eye magazine.  Even with the focus on electric vehicles at Transport Day at COP 26 the role of behavioural change will be important for the uptake and adoption of EVs. 

With the transport sector moving to further support the sustainable hierarchy of transport – the ‘avoid’, ‘shift’, and ‘improve’ – the role of behavioural change will be vital at each stage. 

 

 

 

 

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