Focus of work
Public attitudes and political policies towards transport decarbonisation in the UK have shifted. Initially, this research focused on how the Labour Party could run a road review to reduce carbon emissions from transport. However, following pushback to Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) during the Uxbridge by-election, this research moved to raise awareness and ambition in the Labour Party about how sustainable and integrated transport policies can be implemented and help Labour meet their wider policy goals.
Charlie Hicks, Labour and Co-operative Councillor at Oxfordshire County Council, developed three key proposals he wants to see Labour implement to help them deliver on their long-term missions plan for Britain:
- Adopting the vision-led approach for transport planning
- Higher investment in active travel
- Adopting a vision-zero approach to road safety
This research will explore how using this missions framing in campaigning, policy analysis and decision-making can help deliver more ambitious integrated transport policies.
Impact
Integrated transport advocacy sector
Charlie’s work has influenced how some non-governmental organisations and advocacy groups now structure their lobbying work around the three mission themes that Charlie proposed.
- Charlie hosted a workshop with Create Streets, turning one of their reports into a policy note for the Labour Party on how vision-led transport planning helps to meet Labour missions. This note was sent to Louise Haigh’s transport policy team before the elections, while Create Streets now more prominently use Charlie’s missions-framing in their work.
- Transport Action Network have used the missions framing explicitly as a way to better highlight the better alternative uses of money than road-building.
- Charlie liaised with Active Travel England and encouraged them to frame active travel investment in Labour’s health mission outcomes – which includes how incorporating walking and cycling into people’s lives can reduce GP appointments. Active Travel England now more prominently in their policy analysis tools. Sustrans, alongside other walking and cycling groups, hosted a parliamentary roundtable also explicitly linking active travel to this health mission too.
Government policy decisions
- Charlie’s work raised awareness of policies around transport decarbonisation and contributed towards the above policy proposals from Labour.
- In 2024, Labour adopted the policy proposal for a vision-led approach to transport planning. This is included in the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which is currently being consulted on.
- In October 2024, Labour committed to increase spending on active travel by £100 million. Charlie feels the Government could go much further and hopes his missions work can feed into future lobbying work to help increase this number.
- Labour committed to a road safety strategy, and in October 2024 increased road maintenance spending by £500 million.
- Charlie presented a summary to then Shadow Roads Minister, Bill Esterson MP, and his team, about how adopting vision-zero can help Labour achieve their wider missions. Charlie also spoke at the Smart Transport Conference 2024 and at the Active City Leicester Conference.