3 December 2010
Government's climate plans need more focus on car restraint
Colin Howden, Director of Transform Scotland, said:
"Notwithstanding our concerns, the RPP presents a generally welcome set of Policies and Proposals for the transport sector which would allow the sector to make a contribution to Scotland’s emissions targets. In particular, the RPP has a welcome emphasis on 'Smarter Choices' (behaviour change) measures."However, the Draft Budget published on the same day shows little evidence of a change in spending priorities required to implement the RPP’s Proposals. Our concern is that they remain “proposals” – unfunded, and with the Second Forth Road Bridge scheduled to gobble up increasing shares of the Scottish capital budget over the next five years, arguably unfundable."Our summary of views on the RPP:
- The RPP shows that the 42% target for emissions reduction can be met
- However, there is too great a reliance on voluntary measures in the transport section of the RPP
- And there is too great a reliance on Proposals to achieve emissions reduction from the transport sector
- The RPP is potentially transformational in certain areas of transport policy, and specifically on ‘Smarter Choices’ measures
- The RPP is however flawed in that it includes no road traffic demand management measures
- The reliance on biofuels is unacceptable given that emerging evidence suggests that this intervention has a net emissions-generating impact
- There is a serious mismatch in funding terms between the RPP and the Draft Budget 2011-12.