Heatwaves show UK must do more to promote cycling and walking, campaigners say

Civil society groups argue climate crisis means transport sector needs to urgently reduce its carbon emissions

Dozens of civil society groups have demanded the UK government do more to promote cycling and walking, after this summer’s extreme heat exposed the desperate need to decarbonise transport.

This summer’s heatwaves and wildfires were “immediate, real-world manifestations of the climate emergency”, the groups said, making reform of transport – responsible for more carbon emissions than any other sector in the UK – an urgent priority.

Last year, domestic transport was responsible for almost a third of the UK’s net greenhouse gas emissions – with the total emissions from the sector increasing 2% over the previous year.

The groups call for a “modal shift” in transport provision. “What that means is creating the conditions which allow people to travel for a higher proportion of the trip by walking, cycling, public transport and shared mobility than by private cars,” said Ben Plowden, the chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport .

The demand comes after Labour appeared to have shelved targets for an increase in trips made by public transport and a reduction in trips using private vehicles.

Before the 2024 election, Labour had committed to setting goals for shifting travel habits away from private vehicles and towards public transport and active travel, such as cycling and walking.

But by this summer the government’s cycling and walking strategy had no broader targets to increase the percentage of total trips made by public transport or to reduce the percentage of total trips made by cars.

The intervention, signed by 54 civil society organisations, was led by the Campaign for Better Transport. Plowden said their call had been lent increased urgency by the summer’s repeated heatwaves and the oil price inflation caused by the US war on Iran.

“That such a range of organisations have come together to make this statement shows the urgent need for stronger action in response to the climate emergency, which has had such a devastating impact on communities across the country this summer,” Plowden said.

“The heatwaves and wildfires, the harm to people, nature and infrastructure, are just a taste of things to come if we do not act urgently.”

The statement called on the government to develop policies including “increasing the proportion of journeys made by public transport, shared transport, walking, wheeling and cycling”, as well as targets to increase the amount of freight carried by trains.

“With the majority of journeys under five miles, this will benefit local communities, making it easier for people to get to shops, schools, health services and see friends and family,” it said.

Plowden said: “It’s really a question around getting on with the sort of investment primarily in local transport improvements that would allow all of those things to happen simultaneously and as part of the same process.

“And we think that that needs to be driven by central government setting an overall target for enabling people to change how they travel, away from private vehicle use and to be able to choose public transport, walks, cycle, wheeled and shared mobility. And of course obviously increase the uptake of electric vehicles as well.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re giving people real choice in how they travel by making buses, trains and active travel cheaper, more reliable and easier to access – including lowering the bus fare cap to £2, freezing rail fares, and investing £4.5bn in cycling and walking.

“Rather than restricting how people get around, we’re focused on giving them better alternatives. More broadly, we’re accelerating the UK’s transition to cleaner transport through our ZEV [zero-emission vehicle] mandate, backed by £7.5bn.”