How can you advocate for sustainable transportation?

In my experience, having a strong personal story and connection to the topic helps. "Sustainable transportation" is often seen as a less tangible, more lofty goal that fewer people can relate to. Having a personal story allows you as a human being to connect to other human beings. Besides having somewhere to live, work, its something all of us have to do, go from one place to another. Describe how "unsustainable transportation" has negatively impacted you, from there prescribe how sustainable transportation could have prevented this. From there, having data, be it statistics or history, strengthen your arguments. Your personal story is the hook that brings people in to listen to you, makes you compelling. Data makes persuasion even better.

Knowing the benefits is always important, but first of all we need to engage the audience / decision makers by showing how urban mobility impacts in a daily basis. Depending with whom you are speaking urban mobility is not their priority nor a concern. This can be done in several ways. In an audience, you can quickly ask them to form a line from who spend less time commuting to the one who spend the most and after asking their modal choice and make them reflect on the results. In single conversations you can make them reflect on daily commute experiences and which are the factors that influence their modal choice

Sustainable transportation is more than a buzzword; it's a commitment to shaping the future of our cities and communities in a way that safeguards our planet, supports economic vitality, and ensures social equity. This encompasses a wide array of initiatives and policies designed to reduce the environmental impact of transportation while providing efficient, affordable, and accessible mobility options.

Promoting Public Transit: The UK recognises the importance of investing in public transit systems. Initiatives like the "Bus Back Better" program aim to enhance the quality & accessibility of public transportation, encouraging people to choose more sustainable options. Active Transportation: The UK is actively advocating for walking & cycling as viable, eco-friendly means of transportation. Initiatives to create pedestrian-friendly environments, establish cycling lanes, and encourage non-motorized travel are at the forefront of our sustainable transportation efforts. Low-Emission Zones: To combat air pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the UK is implementing low-emission zones in cities.

Sustainable transportation is a journey that requires collective action and a shared vision for a cleaner, more efficient, and equitable future. As transport professionals in the UK, we have a significant role to play in shaping the transportation landscape and advocating for sustainable solutions. Together, we can lead the way in creating transportation systems that benefit our environment, economy, and communities.

The source of unsustainable transport systems is largely explained in the disconnect with the land uses. Therefore, advocating for sustainable transportation has the best results if policies around land use changes are well understood and then to reform policies so that, by design, we remove elements in the system that are likely to become unsustainable. After all, as the old saying goes "What you sow, you reap". Land use control and profoundly understanding it's linkages to Transport holds the key to sustainable transportation.