Mobility Matters Daily #355 - Just transition and low income groups

Good day my good friend.

To be honest, the weather forecast for next week in the UK slightly worries me. Three straight days of temperatures in excess of 33C where I live is a recipe for real trouble in a country literally designed for cold weather. And the fact that transport is contributing to that happening in terms of increasing carbon emissions and the heat island effect of asphalt is worrying on a professional level. Keep safe and cool, fellow Brits.

If you have any suggestions for interesting news items or bits of research to include in this newsletter, you can email me.

You should also join a lot of like-minded people at Mobility Camp in Bristol in September. Get your tickets now. Seriously, they are starting to really sell now.

James

A just climate transition is an idea whose time must come. So how do we do this?

A big thank you to very good friend Esther Barnes for sharing this really interesting study by the IPPR on fairly reducing car use in Scottish cities. By speaking to people on lower incomes directly, the researchers found a general acceptance that reducing car use is fair, there is support for road space reallocation away from cars, but concerns that people on lower incomes are not listened to.

The last part struck a chord with me. We often discuss ensuring the views of different genders and ethnicities are reflected in transport planning - as they must be. But how about different classes and income groups? Those on higher incomes are more likely to take part in transport gluttony, and be involved in public decision making. But the solution is simple. We know where people on lower incomes are more likely to live, so lets concentrate our climate change efforts and transport improvements there, and involve them. Simple!

Different public transport modes are more useful for different income groups

Bit of an income and class theme to today’s newsletter! But I am amazed that in the UK, we don’t consider the role of class more in transport. This research from China points out a home truth. Whilst we may like building new railways and tram systems, what is most useful for people on low incomes are buses. When this research demonstrates that there is no clear link between access to metros and the propensity of people on lower incomes to use them.

Again, we know this. We have the data that shows that people on lower incomes are more likely to use buses, and the propensity to use rail actually increases as incomes increase. So why do we think that building new tram routes and new railway lines will benefit the poorest in society? Why are we blind to this simple fact? Any answers?

People from a low income neighbourhood riding on a bus (Source: North Carolina Health News)

Random things

These links are meant to make you think about the things that affect our world in transport, and not just think about transport itself. I hope that you enjoy them.

• Zephyr breaks own record for longest unmanned flight (BBC)

• Climate change risks to sovereign debt: How integrated assessment models inform our understanding (VoxEU)

• Meet Rufus, the hawk who keeps pigeons away from Wimbledon (Los Angeles Times)

• Ships get older and slower as emissions rules bite (Reuters)

• Do Electric Vehicles Really Move The Climate Needle? (The Lever)

Something interesting

Mining emissions by source (Source: u/NoComplaint1281)

If everything made arrives on the back of a lorry, it also starts life in the ground at some point. And mining produces a lot of carbon emissions. A lot.

If you do nothing else today, then do this

Check out the below visualisation of Marble Arch, and picture how the current traffic hell that is the area could be so much better. Its inspiring.

Adam Tranter @adamtranter

What might our cities look like if we prioritised people, not cars? Here's a visualisation of what Marble Arch, London's 5-lane mega-roundabout, could look like if we did just that. Visualisation: @jan_kamensky for #ShimanoFutureCities project