Agenda: Steps to take for leaving the car at home and making the journey by a greener route

Driving is not the easiest or most environmentally conscious choice, yet often it feels like there is little alternative. In Scotland, more than two-thirds of people get to work by car, compared with just three per cent who cycle.

The “Car is King” culture is harming us and the planet. It causes air pollution and is responsible for more than 2,000 early deaths in a year. The transport sector pours out almost as much carbon dioxide today as in 1990 and is the second largest single source of climate change emissions in the country.

If we had fewer cars on the roads and a system with cheap, accessible and environmentally sustainable transport options, the sector would be more socially just, would cut carbon emissions and our journey times would be quicker.

There are a few transport solutions the next Scottish Government could implement to persuade more people to leave the car at home and take a greener route to their destination.

First, it could make 20mph the default speed limit in towns and cities. A review of the first 200 such zones across the UK saw average speed reductions of 9mph, and traffic flow within the zones falling by 27 per cent. The annual number of accidents also fell by 60 per cent.

By fostering a safer road culture, 20mph zones can lead to higher rates of walking and cycling. Edinburgh Council has already decided that "twenty is plenty" and, with Glasgow and Dundee councils looking at these zones, the Government should set a new standard for safer streets.

Secondly, the Government should encourage parking levies for workplaces and other destinations such as supermarkets, to be negotiated with trade unions. The UK’s first workplace parking levy in Nottingham has cut the number of people driving to work. The scheme has raised more than £25 million in its first three years, which is being ploughed back into upgrading the city’s train station and expanding the tram network.

Congestion charging is another idea that has found success. London’s charge has seen traffic levels inside the charging zone drop by 75,000 vehicles a day, equivalent to a 20 per cent decrease, with the level of congestion on roads around the zone also down. Transport for London predicts that the number of cyclists entering the city at rush hour will surpass the number of car drivers.

Local businesses in the zone continue to thrive, with central London’s retail sector producing year-on-year growth. The £122m generated annually by the charge is spent on providing more bus services, improving road safety and implementing energy efficiency measures in transport.

The incoming Government should examine smart ticketing and ways to cut the costs of public transport to reverse the worrying trend whereby usage has fallen by six per cent over the past decade.

Smart ticketing systems like the Oyster card in London reduce queuing times, can cut fares for card holders and make public transport handier.

Finally, our rates of cycling are growing but not rapidly enough. Some people are braving the roads but a bigger number feel cycling is too risky. By increasing its spending on active travel year on year, Edinburgh has seen levels of cycling soar, with almost 12 per cent of trips to work by bike in the city.

If, in the next Parliament, the Scottish Government were to increase its investment in walking and cycling from 1.9 per cent to 10 per cent of total transport budget, this would go a long way to boosting cycling levels.

Measures such as these stand to benefit the climate, our economy, and our health so it is time for the Scottish Government to introduce the shake-up in transport that is urgently needed.

Emilia Hanna is Friends of the Earth Scotland’s air pollution campaigner. FoES is part of the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland coalition.