Good Governance
We want local and national government to play its part in delivering sustainable transport.
We need government to base its decision-making and scrutiny in long-term sustainability, and not to serve short-term interests.
The move to sustainable transport will not be brought about if we don't have enlightened government prepared to take on the twin challenges of climate change and oil depletion. There is certainly no chance of progress if government instead chooses to pander continue to short-termist demands for more, cheap transport.
All levels of government - European, UK, Scottish and local authorities - claim to want to prioritise sustainable transport. Yet all of them subsidise increased road use and air travel through the construction of new roads and allowing aviation to avoid tax.
The Scottish Parliament lacks the in-depth scrutiny of transport policy provided at Westminster by its select and audit committees, while the Commission for Integrated Transport has no jurisdiction in Scotland.
The move to sustainable transport will require:
- Travel policies that rule out air travel
- Local authorities to set tough targets in their Single Outcome Agreements for reducing traffic levels, delivering modal shift to sustainable modes, and reducing vehicle emissions.
- All Scottish Government-funded agencies and public bodies, as well as the health sector and education sector, to put in place enforceable Workplace Travel Plans that can help them demonstrate that they are contributing to delivering sustainable transport.
- The Scottish Parliament to hold the Scottish Government to account against a consistent set of progress indicators and targets: for climate change emissions from transport, sustainable transport modal shares, road traffic levels in the four main cities, and levels of domestic air traffic.