Environment & Climate

Transport campaigners urge UK government to expand walking and cycling initiatives following extreme summer heat

A coalition of 54 civil society groups is demanding concrete targets to reduce car reliance as transport emissions rise.

Updated Aug 26, 2026 · 07:27 UTC1 reports

The short version

A coalition of 54 civil society organisations, led by the Campaign for Better Transport, called on the UK government to set national targets to shift travel away from private vehicles toward walking, cycling, public transport, and rail freight.
Campaigners stated that domestic transport accounts for nearly a third of the UK's net greenhouse gas emissions and noted that sector emissions rose 2% last year.
The Department for Transport countered that it is providing alternative travel options through investments such as a lowered £2 bus fare cap, frozen rail tariffs, £4.5 billion for active travel, and £7.5 billion backing zero-emission vehicles.

A total of 54 civil society groups signed an intervention led by the Campaign for Better Transport urging the UK government to encourage walking, cycling, and public transit.[The Guardian]
Domestic transport produced almost one-third of net UK greenhouse gas emissions last year, with emissions from the sector increasing by 2% year-over-year.[The Guardian]
Campaigners reported that Labour appeared to drop pre-election commitments to set explicit targets for reducing private vehicle trips and increasing public transport use.[The Guardian]
The Department for Transport stated it has allocated £4.5 billion toward cycling and walking and £7.5 billion to support a zero-emission vehicle mandate.[The Guardian]

It remains uncertain whether the UK government will adopt explicit central target figures to reduce private vehicle trips in future revisions of its transport strategy.[The Guardian]