Targeting Traffic
We’re bringing people together to influence how Scotland will meet its new 20% car traffic reduction target.
We’re exploring which traffic reduction options will be most effective in cutting climate emissions, tackling congestion and ensuring the way we pay for our roads is fair and equitable, whilst supporting communities and encouraging economic development.
Our focus is on ‘demand management’ measures which affect the cost and convenience of driving, including national road user pricing, parking levies and congestion charging. These measures will be essential to reduce traffic, but are often found to be the most controversial.
Working together, we’ll get a better understanding of the pros, cons and mitigations for different traffic demand management measures, leading to recommendations on a way forward for the Scottish Government’s traffic reduction plans.
Why traffic reduction?
Reducing traffic will benefit all of us – lower climate emissions, less congestion, healthier streets.
The Scottish Government has a target to reduce car km by 20% by 2030 as part of its legally binding climate change commitments. The Government’s ‘Route Map’ for meeting the 20% target recognises the need for measures to ‘discourage car use’ such as road user charging.
Although the shift to electric vehicles is helping to bring down climate emissions from transport, it’s not enough on its own to meet Scotland’s climate change targets. Furthermore based on current trends, the shift to electric is expected to lead to a further increase in traffic, with busier roads and slower journeys due to congestion. It will also rapidly deprive the UK Government of an essential source of revenue from fuel duty, unless replaced with an alternative such as road pricing.
Moving to a different pricing system would also give Scotland the opportunity to introduce a more equitable form of motoring taxation that reduces the burden on lower income households.
Our action and impact
Business engagement
We brought Scotland’s business community into the conversation about traffic demand management. By doing so, we’ve shown that there are policies available which both cut congestion and support economic growth, and that business leaders do want to help drive this change.
We commissioned new academic research from Edinburgh Napier University. For the first time, the research provides evidence of how Scottish businesses might be affected by five traffic demand management measures – Low Emission Zones (LEZs), workplace parking levies, congestion charging, national road user charging, and rural tourism measures.
We presented our findings at a Traffic Summit attended by Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth MSP and Scotland’s business leaders.
Read more about our work on business engagement in the presentation below:
Scotland’s Traffic Summit: How can Scottish businesses help shape the traffic reduction agenda?
17 October 2022
How can Scottish businesses help shape the agenda for traffic reduction? That was the question posed at our Traffic Summit, where we brought together Scottish business leaders to discuss what…
Tackling Traffic: Winning Business Support for Traffic Reduction
22 November 2022
Transform Scotland engages with the Scottish business sector on measures to cut traffic by 20% by 2030.
Traffic demand management measures: implications for Scottish business
22 November 2022
A report commissioned from the Transport Research Institute at Edinburgh Napier University to evaluate measures to reduce road traffic in Scotland.
Cross Party Group on Sustainable Transport
We’ve raised awareness and stimulated debate about traffic demand management in the Scottish Parliament.
Transform Scotland provides the secretariat for the Scottish Parliament Cross-Party Group on Sustainable Transport. The Group’s first area of work was traffic demand management.
We published the report ‘Tackling Traffic’ on behalf of the Cross Party Group. It challenges the Scottish Ministers to come forward with a robust plan to deliver on the 20% car km reduction target. Key highlights include the need to cut the cost of bus and rail travel in real terms, in response to the cost-of-living crisis and to provide affordable alternatives to driving.
The report was covered by The Herald, The Scotsman, The National.
Targeting Traffic
1 November 2022
Report of the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on Sustainable Transport’s inquiry into the Scottish Government’s commitment to reduce car mileage by 20% by 2030.
Get involved
If you’d like to find out more or be involved in our traffic reduction work, please contact the Programme Manager, Elspeth Wray, at elspeth.wray@transform.scot.
Related articles/projects/publications
Action needed now to meet traffic reduction deadline
22 August 2023
Targeting Traffic project lead Elspeth Wray reports on the Government’s ambitious commitment to cutting traffic levels by a fifth by 2030.
Tackling Traffic: Winning Business Support for Traffic Reduction
22 November 2022
Transform Scotland engages with the Scottish business sector on measures to cut traffic by 20% by 2030.
Targeting Traffic
1 November 2022
Report of the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on Sustainable Transport’s inquiry into the Scottish Government’s commitment to reduce car mileage by 20% by 2030.