Sustainable Transport

Thursday 29th January 2009, Guoman Charing Cross Hotel, London, 09:15 - 16:00

Sustainable Transport: Balancing the Social, Economical and the Environmental

“A well-designed strategy can support economic growth and tackle carbon emissions. We need to get the prices right to cover the environmental and congestion costs of transport, to encourage technological innovation, to promote behavioural change, and to be smart with our investment decisions.”

Ruth Kelly, Former Secretary of State for Transport, “Towards a Sustainable Transport System: Supporting Economic Growth in a Low Carbon World” October 2007.

Overview

The British transport system has an essential role in supporting our economy, through its allocation of jobs and services for the public and in providing the networks that are so fundamental to business and trade.

As our society has grown more prosperous, demand for road, rail and air travel has increased substantially. Simultaneously, we face an urgent environmental challenge: to build a more sustainable transport network that helps us meet our climate change objectives.

The Government aims to meet this objective by investing heavily in public transport; supporting the development and adoption of greener technologies; and encouraging more sustainable patterns of travel through regulation, training, and improving public awareness of environmental issues.

Both the Stern and Eddington reports in 2006 highlighted the multi-faceted approaches needed to meet the huge challenges ahead. Eddington emphasised that a transport policy should reflect the economic and structural changes that are shaping our transport needs - and highlighted three strategic economic priorities – city catchments; inter-urban corridors; and international gateways. Adopting the right policy mix is key to meeting economic and environmental goals, and delivering sustained and targeted infrastructure investment. The Stern Review reported that the economic cost of not acting to tackle climate change far outweighs the costs of taking action.

The release of “Towards a Sustainable Transport System: Supporting Economic Growth in a Low Carbon World” (October 2007) set out how the Government sees transport contributing to combating climate change and delivering economic growth. It summarises ambitious policy and investment plans through to 2014 and proposes a new approach to strategic transport planning for 2014-19 and beyond.

Reflecting the government's commitment to promoting economical and environmentally sustainable travel choice, as part of the action against climate change, two reports from the Department for Transport (DfT) "How to Reduce Costs and Carbon Emissions from Business Related Transport" (July 2008) and "Building Sustainable Transport into New Development: Options for Growth Points and Eco-towns" (April 2008) have highlighted the governments deliver the its 2014-19 objectives.

Agenda

This forum will explore the main issues in developing a transport system that not only provides increased capacity and supports continued economic growth in Britain, but also allows stakeholders to achieve environmental objectives.

09:15	Coffee and Registration
10:10	Opening Remarks by Chair Peter Lipman , Director, Liveable Neighbourhoods & Low Carbon Travel, Sustrans
10:20	Towards a Sustainable Transport System: Supporting Economic Growth in a Low Carbon World Towards a sustainable transport system – supporting economic growth in a low carbon economy Developing cross-departmental sustainability programmes that benefit society, the environment and profitability through leadership; The need for central and local government authorities to develop a shared understanding of the need to tackle climate change Mark Lambirth, Director of Strategy & Support, Department of Transport (DfT)
10:40	Creating Low Carbon Transport Options Reducing transport’s emissions of CO2 with the desired outcome of avoiding dangerous climate change; Achieving low carbon transport options - price, journey time, convenience, service package; Challenges of securing funding for sustainable transport infrastructure; Stakeholder engagement in option-generation process; Councils promoting sustainable transport solutions - bus routes, rail improvement or park and ride facilities, schemes covering a combination of travel modes; Best practice case studies for sustainable transport Jonathan Bray, Director Support Unit, Pteg
11:00	Achieving Low Carbon Transport Solutions Where’s the carbon? Key priorities Greener fuels and vehicles: importance and limits Taxation, charges and incentives Changing travel behaviour Land use planning and parking Stephen Joseph, Executive Director, Campaign for Better Transport
11:20	Motorvate: A Carbon Reduction Strategy Improving service delivery, reducing CO2 emissions Motorvate – cost-effective strategy to reduce mileage Investing in innovative fleet management Achieving specific carbon reduction targets Journey planning Working with employees to transform transport behavior, investing in eco-driving techniques Best practice Graham Telfer, Gateshead Council (invited)
11:40	Coffee and Networking
12:00	Questions and Answers Session
12:45	Lunch and Networking
13:45	Delivering A Sustainable Transport Vision Proposals for a new approach to strategic transport planning for 2014-19 and beyond; Implications of sustainable development for transport - the need for approaches to transport to change; Developing an efficient, green transport system Garrett Emerson, Commissioner, Commission for Integrated Transport & Director of Strategy and Policy, Transport for London
14:05	Engineering the Future in a Changing Climate Climate change, energy and vehicle impact Future car technologies Technology solutions Cost/Benefit analysis Bio-fuels Role of hybrids Market forecasts Richard Folkson, Chairman, Automobile Division, Fellow, The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) & Former Chief Engineer, Ford Motor Company
14:25	Effective Travel Planning: Changing Transport Behaviour Developing travel plans that are both affordable and sustainable Proactively working with organisations to help introduce new travel plans to their staff Making the best use of options available to us for our commute to and from work and trips How businesses can make adjustments and overcome economic demands Best practice Graham Riley, Influencing Travel Behaviour Programme Manager, Highways Agency
14:45	Sustainable Transport: The Business Perspective Balancing the sustainable development of transport with business interests being at the forefront of scheme design; Business requirements – developing a transport system that will support business Overcoming challenges Providing an integrated and coordinated approach Link between transport and the economy Gareth Elliott, Policy Advisor, British Chamber of Commerce
15:05	Coffee and Networking
15:20	Questions and Answers Session
16:00	Close

*programme subject to change without notice

Audience

Key representatives will include transport members from central government departments & bodies, local authorities, trade unions, organisations, science and innovation, think tanks, businesses and employers, regional development agencies, local strategic partnerships, local, NGOs, housing organisations, academia and legal and voluntary and all those interested in the transport debate.

Sustainable Transport

Thursday 29th January 2009, Guoman Charing Cross Hotel, London, 09:15 - 16:00

Sustainable Transport: Balancing the Social, Economical and the Environmental

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