Transport

About a third of journeys in London are work related, a third are for leisure and a quarter are for shopping or personal business.

Cars account for nearly half of the total CO2 emissions of all transport in London. But why drive in London, when you have a high quality public transport system at your disposal?

Transport is a significant source of CO2 in London. Londoners currently undertake 24 million trips per day, resulting in emissions of around 10 million tonnes of CO2 per year, which is 22 percent of London’s total emissions (45 million tonnes of CO2 each year).

With around 2.6 million cars in London, private road transport accounts for almost half of these emissions, with cars and motorcycles contributing just under half and road freight around a fifth.

Around 81% of people who work in Central London take public transport to work.

How can we reduce our impact?

If every car driver in outer London performed ecodriving/drove more efficiently, we could save around 700,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. Take the ecodriving test and see how eco-friendly your driving is.

The average person could also reduce their new car emissions by about a third through choosing a lower emission model.

Thinking of buying a new car? Get advice on choosing one that’s kinder to the environment:

Walk it

Many Londoners are choosing to make their journeys around London on foot. Not only is this great for the environment, it’s great for your health too! Check out the walkit.com website for helpful journey planners on walking around London. You’ll also find stats on how much CO2 will be avoided with each journey and how many calories you’ll burn off.

How are we tackling the impact of transport in London?

London is the only major city in the world to have achieved a shift from private car usage to public transport, cycling and walking since 2000. Around 400,000 cycling trips are already taken each day in London.

As a result transport emissions per capita in London are 45 per cent lower than the UK average. But as London grows – increased pressure on the public transport network could increase emissions by up to 20% by 2025.

To keep London on track as a UK leader on per capita transport emissions – we need to reduce our CO2 emissions across all modes of transport.

In addition to saving an estimated 1.7 million tonnes of CO2each year driving less, and relying more on public transport will help London improve its air quality, ambient noise and road congestion.

For every 1,000 miles travelled in the average car, you will generate around 330kg of CO2. But if you travelled those 1,000 miles by:

• London Underground – you would generate 90kg of CO2, saving 240kg
• bus – you would generate 165kg of CO2, saving 165kg
• walking – you would generate 0kg of CO2, saving 330kg

London’s transport network is doing its bit to deliver CO2 reductions but you need to do your bit too.

Private vehicles account for nearly half of London’s transport emissions. If possible – use a more environmentally friendly mode. But if you have to drive – consider the following guide on how to reduce your impact.

If I have to drive, how do I reduce the impact?

Ecodriving is the answer, and aside from the environmental benefits, we’ve calculated that this easy driving method could save you up to £120 a year in petrol or diesel. And with fuel prices rising all the time, ecodriving could save you even more in the future.

Put simply, ecodriving means driving your car more efficiently. Doing this means your car will produce less CO2.

Follow the ecodriving steps below and you’ll soon be saving money and reducing your car’s impact on the environment:

• Check you revs: change up before 2,500rpm (petrol) and 2,000rpm (diesel).

• Drive smoothly, avoiding sharp acceleration and heavy braking.

• Use air conditioning sparingly as it significantly increases fuel consumption.

• Remove roof racks, bike carriers and roof boxes as these affect the aerodynamics and reduce fuel efficiency.

• Avoid short journeys a cold engine use almost as twice much fuel.

• Plan your journeys to avoid congestion, road works and getting lost.

• Check your tyre pressure regularly as under-inflated tyres are dangerous and increase fuel consumption by up to 3%.

• If you are stuck in a jam, switch off the engine if you expect to be there for a minute or two.