A third of greenhouse gas emissions in Enfield come from road transport, and private cars are responsible for a big chunk. If all cars were electric, the figure would obviously drop, but there's still all the carbon emitted when manufactuing such big items. In any case, it will take many years to replace existing fossil fuel cars. The only realistic way to cut emissions as quickly as we need to is much less driving. Which is why the official transport decarbonisation plan - a vital part of the government's climate plan - says that 50 per cent of journeys in towns and cities must be walked or cycled by 2030 - only eight years away.
The problem is that many people who might otherwise make some of their journeys on foot or by bike, or combine walking with public transport, are deterred by the amount of heavy traffic in our cities, making walking, and particularly cycling, much less pleasant and less safe than they should be. Enfield Council has been building cycle lanes and creating low traffic zones precisely for this reason. But is this the best approach? If so, how can the process be speeded up? And what other ways are there to encourage people to use their cars less?
As part of Enfield's Big Green Climate Festival, the group Better Streets for Enfield will be running a webinar - an online event using Zoom - on Tuesday 21st September. The presenter will be Jeremy Leach, chair of London Living Streets. It's free to watch and listen and you can send questions in advance or ask them during the session. Jeremy is also chair of Action Vision Zero, which campaigns for measures to reduce the awful toll of deaths and serious injuries on the UK's roads - five deaths a day on average.