From the Chamber: A journey to the future of local travel

Cars are great.  Drivers can travel when and where they want and access work and leisure in areas not served by public transport. People with restricted mobility, and in areas with limited public transport, can benefit more than most. For decades, we have built our community around an assumption that everything can be done by car, and that everyone benefits.

Of course, this ignores the fact that not everyone has a car. Around one in ten households in our borough do not, rising to almost one in two in some areas. With car ownership being a substantial household expense, this is hardly a surprise. More than one-third of households overall have access to only one car, which isn’t available to other family members when used for a daily commute.

And car dependency is not without its downsides. When we drive, we put further pressure on our fragile environment. Climate change, at the front of most people’s minds currently, is mostly caused by CO2 emissions, one sixth of which in the UK come from private car use. Land in our towns and housing areas is given over to car parking at the expense of green space, which could otherwise contribute to environmental cooling, drainage, biodiversity and air quality.

Health is also affected. Around a fifth of the harmful pollutants in our air come from vehicle use, mostly now coming from tyres, brakes and road surfaces rather than exhausts. Disadvantaged communities, already typically experiencing poor health outcomes, aren’t helped by a local transport system dominated by unaffordable car ownership. Then, sadly, there is the risk of road safety, with around five people being injured every week on Wokingham’s roads, overwhelmingly in incidents involving cars.

The UK Chief Medical Officer recommends 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week for a healthy life. That could be 15 minutes a day walking or cycling each way to an existing destination, five days a week, as a part of an existing schedule and without the cost of a gym membership. As well improving our individual health, the potential benefits to society are enormous. NHS England estimates that preventing serious physical and mental health conditions through physical activity generates £5.2 billion a year in healthcare savings and £1.7 billion in social-care savings, as part of £9.5 billion benefit in economic value.

Nobody is suggesting we shouldn’t own cars – for the foreseeable future they will be an important part of most people’s lives - but local travel is about much more. It isn’t about valuing cars less, but about a local transport system that works for everyone and promotes wellbeing.

With around half of all local trips under five miles currently being driven, the potential for change is clear. Using public transport when it is available and walking or cycling shorter trips for those who can, will reduce harm to our environment, improve our health, boost the economy and strengthen our community.  The opportunity is there if we have a transport system that offers real choice beyond the car.

That’s what Wokingham Borough Council is working on – better bus services and safer and easier ways to walk, cycle or wheel. Investing in the future, helping those who need help the most and protecting our precious environment. Join us on the journey.

- Councillor Adrian Betteridge, Executive Councillor for Active Travel, Transport and Highways