Green goals outlined for transport
INVESTMENT AND RECOVERY TALKS
ACTIVISTS and politicians have debated how to achieve a green recovery from the pandemic.
Greenpeace Leicester hosted an online event to discuss the improvements needed to transport and investing in zero-carbon public transport, walking and cycling.
It was attended by more than 30 people, with speakers including North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen, Labour city councillor Ross Willmott, Alan Simpson, a former MP and policy adviser, and representatives of environmental groups Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire and Friends of the Earth.
Richard Trigg, an organiser from Greenpeace Leicester, said: “We held this event to call on the government to invest £10 billion more every year to transform public transport, walking and cycling and to redirect the £27 billion it has committed to road building.
“Here in Leicestershire we need to make sure we have a transport network that discourages car use. However, the current system and policy favours more road building, which only encourages more emissions from car ownership, and leaves those who don’t own cars behind.”
Zina Zelter, of Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire, said a third of people in Leicester do not own a car, therefore the city needs a system that gives options to these people.
“Currently our strategic growth plan is built around car dependency,” she said, which makes the system a “complete nightmare for people and the environment”.
Zina also called for a rethink of Leicestershire’s logistics network.
A recent YouGov poll asked people in the East Midlands to choose their top two from a range of seven proposed transport improvements. More frequent train services and new roads were the least popular choices, featuring in 7 per cent and 9 per cent of residents’ picks for what they would like to see.
In contrast, 59 per cent want existing roads to be better maintained, 32 per cent want less traffic on the roads, and 30 per cent want cheaper bus and train tickets. Almost two-thirds were in favour of low traffic neighbourhoods.
Coun Willmott said: “It’s important to change our thinking and this is what we did in Leicester over 10 years ago with our policy of ‘a city for people not cars’. Giving priority to pedestrians, public transport and cyclists changed the thinking of 50 years, resulting in improvements in air quality and the environment and will have a positive impact on climate change.”
Strong support was also voiced for bringing back the Ivanhoe railway line, a subject discussed in detail by Bruce Wakley of Leicester Friends of the Earth.
Mr Bridgen, who also spoke at the event in support of restoring the Ivanhoe line, said: ‘While the government is protecting lives and livelihoods in the outbreak, never has the Conservative Party and the Prime Minister’s agenda to level up and invest in infrastructure been so important. I am delighted we will now receive government funding to develop proposals for reopening the Ivanhoe Line in more detail.
“Good transport links are essential.”