Widespread adoption of greener modes of transport in the UK is challenging the role of the street, transforming the public realm of our towns and cities on a scale never seen before.

Olympic champion Chris Boardman is leading Active Travel England, a new body that aims to encourage cycling and walking through improved funding and infrastructure. The Department of Transport will fund £3 million to boost cycling infrastructure around railway stations in England and £300,000 to subsidise 250 electric cargo delivery bikes for small businesses. Additionally, £2.2 million is being made available to local authorities to explore making cycling and walking part of NHS ‘social prescribing’ schemes.

However, while these quantities sound impressive, they’re insignificant compared with the £11 billion spent on the UK’s roads in 2020/21.

As we work towards a nation able to travel easily and safely without relying on cars, in London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said he wants to get one in four drivers out of their cars. 

This will be possible through increased legislation to deter usage. Take for example Oxford’s Zero Emission Zone – the first of its kind in the UK – where all petrol and diesel vehicles, including hybrids, are charged while zero emission vehicles can enter the pilot area freely.

It is both a carrot and stick approach and the way we design and build towns and cities will make the transition easier. It’s now commonplace to have dedicated cycling entrances in offices with buildings certified for the quality of cycling facilities through a CyclingScore Certification.

New housing developments outside London have car parking provision sited away from homes, leaving the streets free for children to play. Robotic delivery service pioneer Starship Technologies enables residents in Milton Keynes to have parcels delivered to their homes or places of work according to their own schedules.

Through innovation, a reliance on green modes of transport is possible. With the pace of change, new developments that will take 10+ years to build out need to think about how future transport will look, and how to flexibly accommodate changes to infrastructure to prevent obsolescence

Those who do drive are ever more likely to rely on electric vehicles (EVs) with HeyCar reporting UK EV car sales increased by 76.3 per cent in 2021. More EVs need more charging points. New regulations being introduced this year will mandate that new homes will need to incorporate EV charging, and for existing properties consideration is essential for homes without off-street parking or easy access to private charging infrastructure.

Retail car parks lend themselves to potential charging sites due to longer dwell times. Additional infrastructure on the road network will enable charging on the move. Schemes like GridServe’s Electric Forecourt in Braintree combines charging using renewable energy, retail and workspace, potentially making charging locations destinations in themselves.

A fully automated transport system has wider implications for public realm with sign posts, traffic lights, and so on, no longer required. Mobility as a service (MaaS) will be a big game changer and should be what larger development sites build their transport strategy around. This concept is focussed on providing the easiest means of getting from A to B without owning a vehicle, including walking, cycling, automated vehicles and public transport, to give you the easiest route – think Citymapper but bigger.

Specialist urban mobility applications are also expanding their offerings to enable MaaS, such as Transit, Uber and Lyft. With trials held in Berlin and Gothenburg the concept is still in its infancy but it highlights the scope for change around transport systems. In the UK policy is gradually addressing all transport modes on a more equitable basis but there is room to do much more to prioritise sustainable innovation.

Further information

Contact Dan Jestico 

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