Evidence on the draft Climate Change Plan to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee

Recommendations

The Transport section of the Climate Change Plan is wholly inadequate, being based on predictions of traffic growth that will never materialise and proposing that little more than technological change will be needed to reduce emissions.

A new version of the Transport section should be produced:

the Transport sector should be aiming to reduce emissions at least twice as fast as in the draft Plan

the input of transport figures to the TIMES model should be recalculated with more realistic assumptions about traffic levels instead of on a fantasy 'predict and provide' basis

the Plan needs to include policies which will help people choose walking and cycling for short journeys, and buses and trains for longer journeys, instead of cars

workplace parking levies and parking charges at large retail car parks should be included as policies, with a commitment to introduce the necessary enabling legislation in a suitable Bill soon

other demand management measures should be modelled and included

Scotland should aim higher on the transition to electric vehicles, as recommended by UKCCC and in line with other leading European nations

in the long term the original plan to equip the TIMES with its own transport modelling component should be delivered, so that TIMES itself can weigh up technological against demand management options rather than leaving this to people who do not wish to even consider demand management.

the Plan should include an overall commentary on potential consequences of Brexit, including on the issue of vehicle emissions standards

the Plan should say how much carbon reduction each proposal and policy is supposed to deliver over time

growing and improving public transport offers a significant jobs growth opportunity, as well as cutting carbon emissions