Leicester - Britains First Environment City

• Education and Environmental Responsibility
  • Children and Formal Education
  • Environmental Management Systems
  • Information Sources
  • Lifelong Learning
• Energy, water and resources
  • Energy and Climate Change
  • Food
  • Other Natural Resources
  • Water
• Open spaces and enjoyment
  • Community Ownership
  • Contact With Nature
  • Development of Open Spaces
  • Gardens and Allotments
  • Health and Safety
  • Parks and Open Spaces
• Transport
  • Air Travel and Food Miles
  • Public Transport
  • Reducing Car Use
  • Reducing the Need to Travel
  • Roads
  • Walking and Cycling
• Waste
  • Composting
  • Incineration
  • Minimisation
  • Reuse
  • Zero Waste
• Wildlife
  • Biodiversity in Leicester
  • Enhancement
  • Global Extinction
  • Leicester’s Biodiversity Impact on the Wider World
  • Nature’s Benefits
  • Site Protection

Summary

Increased car use has brought with it high levels of congestion, air pollution and an increase in road traffic accidents. It has also led to the closure of many local shops and amenities – reinforcing the need to travel longer distances and putting non-car owners at a major disadvantage. Increasing local amenities such as shops, healthcare, libraries and recreation facilities will allow people to carry out their everyday business without being forced to travel and will therefore help to reduce pollution.

Increasing the fuel efficiency of vehicles and promoting the use of cleaner and renewable fuels will reduce the amount of polluting emissions. In addition, promoting the use of public transport and encouraging car journey sharing and more walking and cycling, particularly for short journeys and the ‘school run’, are all important solutions.

‘Food miles’ (the distance our food travels from farm to table) is another growing transport problem. Promoting local food that has not had to travel far to reach us has both environmental, social and economic benefits. Local food is typically fresher, healthier and supports the local economy.

Leicester's vision:

Leicester will have widespread local amenities and all residents and workers will have a choice of convenient and non-polluting transport options.

The Issue

Motor vehicle traffic in the UK has increased nearly nine times since 1950 and car traffic in particular has grown almost 15 times. This has brought high levels of congestion, air pollution and an increase in accidents. Transport concerns figure significantly in public quality of life surveys.

At present the most common modes of transport use fuel (petrol, diesel) which is derived from fossil fuels and which is non-renewable. The exhaust emissions released when these fuels are burnt causes direct local pollution (see Pollution section for more detail) and the carbon dioxide released also constitutes a significant contribution to global warming (see Energy section). Significant environmental impact is also caused through the extraction, refining and transport of this fuel even before it is used.