A new report has revealed how behavioural change can significantly accelerate decarbonisation across the UK’s local roads.
The news comes from the £30m ADEPT Live Labs 2 programme, which has published a Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) report, recommending how changes in behaviour can drive decarbonisation of local road networks across the UK.
The report found solutions could include:
- Reducing the use of competitive bidding for funds.
- A strategic spatial plan for UK local highways and infrastructure.
- Better communicating of funding availability and provision of tailored support.
- Creation of a local highways’ expertise hub.
- Incorporating decarbonisation requirements into contracts.
- Building psychological safety, whilst encouraging risk taking and experimentation.
Additional solutions are recommended, including guaranteed funding for extended periods rather than short-term grants; supporting public-private partnerships; creating an “appetite” for green materials; a skills audit; and offering government subsidies for low carbon discounts in tenders.
The report stresses that, given its strategic position, ADEPT can also play an important role as a catalyst for change across the highways infrastructure sector.
At present, the UK spends around £4bn on road maintenance, creating 1.5 million tonnes of CO2e each year or 1.4% of the UK’s domestic transport carbon footprint.
While more than 80% of local authorities have declared a climate emergency, this impact is largely uncalculated, it said, and is not yet done so consistently.
The BIT report concludes that there is no ‘quick fix,’ emphasising that time, investment and commitment from various organisations are required for a low carbon, transport future.
Neil Gibson, Chair of the Live Labs 2 Commissioning Board, said:
“This vital work on organisational behaviour explores some of the upstream and downstream change that is necessary to embed asset based decarbonisation across all activities in the local roads industry and continues the conversation around whether we can afford not to do anything.
“The findings from the report are currently being reviewed by the Commissioning Board, ADEPT and the Department for Transport to determine the next steps in how shifts in behaviour can be monitored.
“I’d like to encourage everyone invested in the future of sustainable infrastructure to join us at the upcoming online mini Expo, where we will share further insights from this report and demonstrate how action can accelerate our journey towards decarbonised local roads”.
