I. Transport connects people and prosperous societies, and works for them as a system of multiple modes and services.
In order to reach the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement and provide equitable access to transport and mobility for all, the urgent transformation of transport is necessary. This SLOCAT messaging framework articulates the transformations necessary to enable sustainable, low carbon land transport; especially considering the availability of solutions and the urgency with which action must be taken. Under each of the transformations, connections with ongoing wider socio-economic transformations towards a sustainable, low carbon future are outlined.
These transformations focus on land transport with a geographic footprint targeted at the Global South, in alignment with SLOCAT’s mission and focus. Yet these transformations are also relevant to other geographies and the focus on land transport does not imply that the world can afford to disregard the impact of maritime transport and aviation towards sustainable, low carbon development goals. SLOCAT champions frameworks that primarily aim to avoid unnecessary transport, while at the same time shift to low carbon modes and improve vehicle design, fuel efficiency, and energy sources.
For each Transformation, a few relevant facts and figures, supporting visuals and resources by SLOCAT Partners, are offered. To illustrate implementation, a series of Overarching Approaches to apply across transport modes and sub-sectors over time are provided. Moreover, a Toolkit of Catalytic Measures outlines a non-exhaustive list of measures that are catalytic to deliver on the SLOCAT Transformations for Sustainable Low Carbon Land Transport
Developed in co-leadership by the SLOCAT Secretariat, the FIA Foundation, ITDP, MobiliseYourCity and WRI; in the framework of the SLOCAT Task Force for UNFCCC Engagement, and with the financial support of FIA Foundation.
Following extensive open consultation across the SLOCAT Partnership on the drafts elaborated by external consultant Stefanie Sohm, this messaging framework was adopted in October 2021.
Sustainable, low carbon transport is a powerful driver for positive, systemic transformation of our societies.
The SLOCAT Wheel on Transport and the SDGs aims to articulate the breadth of positive interactions between sustainable, low carbon transport and mobility and the 2030 Agenda. We have identified four cross-cutting themes — Equitable, Healthy, Green and Resilient — to present these interactions.
Under each theme, fundamental notions related to socio-economic and environmental systems on which sustainable, low carbon transport can affect positive change are highlighted.
The transformations for sustainable, low carbon land transport: What needs to change
Click on the icons to see the African perspectives of these transformations and showcasing case studies from the continent.
I. Transport connects people and prosperous societies, and works for them as a system of multiple modes and services.
Transport systems are to be designed to maximise access for people and goods. Offering and connecting multiple modes (active and motorised) and services (integrated, shared, on-demand) to an efficient system that serves all users equally, with the largest socio-economic benefit and at the lowest social and environmental cost and becomes the overarching goal of sustainable transport policy.
African perspectives to the Key Transformation
Support the integration of paratransit with public transport systems for feeder and last mile services
Invest in affordable and decarbonised public transport and level of service
Supporting visuals
Facts and figures
Increasing pressure on urban areas: Over 55% of the global population lives in urban areas and the urban population share is expected to reach 68% by 2050. It means that an additional 2.5 billion people will live in cities by 2050. (Read more: UN DESA)
Share of trips by sustainable transport modes: Evidence from countries and cities (Hong Kong, Tokyo, Vienna) where walking and cycling are prioritised and integrated into the transport system demonstrates that a high mode share of walking, cycling and public transport can be ensured. High-density, mixed-use neighbourhoods and cities are particularly favourable for walking and cycling due to shorter trip distances, which also allows for more efficient and viable public transport provision and multimodal trips. (Read more: SLOCAT Transport and Climate Change Global Status Report – 2nd Edition)
Vehicle ownership trends: Private motorisation is rapidly increasing in Africa (where some countries experienced a growth of 250% or more between 2005 and 2015) and other regions. Car ownership is very high in North America (807 vehicles per 1,000 people) and Europe (500 vehicles per 1,000 people). (Read more: SLOCAT Transport and Climate Change Global Status Report – 2nd Edition)
Other resources
II. Cities are compact and managed to maximise access to socio-economic opportunities, health and equity for all.
The way we design and manage cities determines their capacity for social and economic prosperity: compact cities, with mixed land use and short distances to jobs and amenities reduce the need for motorised trips, nourish social cohesion and community living. They make better and more efficient use of space and spending on infrastructure. They reduce road crashes and air pollution, and time and productivity lost in travel and congestion.
Transport and cities planning and management must be shaped to support each other to provide access, protect health and increase equity of a growing urban population.
African perspectives to the Key Transformation
Integrate land-use with transport demand management to avoid need for travel (e.g. permit commercial activities and public services in all residential areas, supporting the promotion of compact, dense, walkable communities)
Enhance security and service of public transport for women and socio-economic groups in vulnerable situations
Supporting visuals
Facts and figures
Density of people-centred: Cities with higher densities increase the probability of public transport, walking and cycling trips thanks to shorter trips and higher passenger catchment areas for public transport. In the UK context, a doubling of city-regional population density could reduce emissions by 5%, further optimisation with employment density and other access improvements could maximise the emission reductions. (Read more: LSE Cities)
Access in cities of Global South: Half of all urban dwellers in Global South lack adequate access to opportunities, leading to either high travel burdens or exclusion from opportunities. For example, 42% of residents in Johannesburg and 56% in Mexico City have below-average access to jobs. (Read more: WRI)
Air pollution levels in poor areas: Over 80% of urban dwellers are exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO limits. It is an issue in all regions of the world, but inhabitants of low-income cities are the most impacted. 98% of cities in low- and middle income countries with more than 100 000 inhabitants do not meet WHO air quality guidelines. (Read more: WHO)
Access to jobs and cost burden: In South Africa 75% of households with an income of up to ZAR 3,000 (USD 200) per month spend 20% or more of their income on transport to commute to work. (Read more: UNU-WIDER)
Transport emissions in urban areas vs. rural areas: Urban dwellers record 70% less vehicle-kilometre travel and transport CO2 emissions than people living in rural areas. The level of automobile dependency is also overall lower in cities. (Read more: VTPI)
Other resources
III. Rural and interurban mobility services are low in emissions and focus on users’ needs to improve access.
Whereas the Global North has grown a strong car-dependency in rural and interurban mobility, the Global South lacks roads and transport services. For both, rail and coach services should connect rural communities and metropolitan areas through local and sprint connections, responding to different social groups’ travel needs and budgets. On-demand transport services should provide connections to larger transport hubs; safe facilities for walking and cycling that allow people getting around locally have to be deployed. The electrification of light and very light vehicles can well be combined with distributed production of renewables-based electricity.
To foster car-independent rural and interurban access for people, and increase connectivity of goods and markets, systemic approaches need to replace just road building, and be designed with users’ needs in mind.
Supporting visuals
Facts and figures
Vehicle ownership rates: In Africa, the average vehicle ownership rate is 38 vehicles per 1,000 people, while it is 500 vehicles per 1,000 people in Europe and 800 vehicles per 1,000 people in North America. The global average is 173 vehicles per 1,000 people. (SLOCAT Transport and Climate Change Global Status Report – 2nd Edition)
Rural access: 58% of the total population in developing countries and 78% of the extreme poor live in rural areas. It is estimated that over 900 million people live further than two km from an all-season road. (K4D)
Walking in Global South: Walking is the principal mode of transport in most of the Global South, accounting for up to 70% of trips in some cities, particularly in Africa and Asia. In Africa, more than 9 out of 10 walked and cycled streets are below the minimum level of service. (SLOCAT Transport and Climate Change Global Status Report – 2nd Edition)
Other resources
IV. Walking, cycling and public transport get priority
Walking, cycling and public transport are the most efficient modes in terms of use of space, energy consumption and emissions – and have the biggest social value per dollar spent. They provide access that is affordable for everybody, increase local economic activity, promote health and strengthen community living. Investing in public transport and safe and secure spaces for cycling and walking that connect neighbourhoods, commercial centres and suburbs is to be made a priority, particularly for rapid recovery. Modes of micromobility are to be fit into the urban transport system so they can close existing service gaps effectively, and provide additional travel options.
African perspectives to the Key Transformation
Set targets for walking, cycling and public transport
Finance transport investments based on their contribution to low-carbon and sustainable mobility
Allocate more safe space to walking and cycling
Supporting visuals
Facts and figures
Return of investment: Based on a case study for Denmark, society gains DKK 4.79 (USD 0.73) for every kilometre cycled while it costs DKK 5.29 (USD 0.81) for every kilometre driving with a car. (Read more: Cycling Embassy of Denmark)
Contribution of cycling to transport decarbonisation: Cycling is ten times more important than electric cars to achieve net-zero urban transport. People who cycle on a daily basis emit 84% less carbon emissions from their daily travel than those who don’t. (Read more: The Conversation)
Spending on roads vs. on public transport: The US follows a 80-20 split (80% on highways and 20% on public transport) as their general approach on transport funding. This outdated approach makes it impossible for states and local governments to deliver high-quality public transport. (Read more: T4America)
Job creation for sustainable mobility: Investments in walking and cycling infrastructure hold the highest potential to multiply employment opportunities. An investment of USD 1 million in pedestrian and bike infrastructure creates 8 to 22 jobs. In comparison, the same investment in conventional car manufacturing creates 6 to 9 jobs. (Read more: SLOCAT Transport and Climate Change Global Status Report)
Cycling infrastructure expansion: As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic many countries and cities decided to expand cycling infrastructure. In Europe, over 2,500 kilometres of cycling lanes will be added (Read more: ECF). In the Philippines, nearly 500 kilometres of bike lanes in three metropolitan areas. (Read more: BusinessWorld)
Other resources
V. Well-managed transport demand reduces kilometres and car use.
Managing transport demand means shaping mobility behaviour so that transport works best for all people and for the planet. It implies, among others, allocating space, managing flows and pricing modes, roads and parking in ways to discourage inefficient modes, like the use of individual cars. It should be used to free up space for more sustainable modes and for activities with economic and social value, and reduce externalities of a car-dependent mobility system.
Managing transport demand also requires working with actors who can shape transport demand – large employers, centres of social and commercial activities, receivers of freight – towards solutions that allow sharing transport systems’ capacity over time and in the most efficient way.
Facts and figures
Induced transport demand: Road infrastructure development and expansion generates more traffic. In many cases motorised travel demand grows proportionally with road expansion. For example, urban intersection flyovers in Dhaka, Bangladesh, produce 35% increase in vehicles while providing a one-minute time saving. (Read more: VTPI)
Traffic evaporation: It is a phenomenon where traffic disappears once road space is reallocated from private vehicles to more sustainable modes of transport. A global study shows that among 63 urban areas, 51 saw traffic reductions ranging from 147% to 0.1%, with an average decrease of 22%. Only 12 cases saw traffic increases ranging from 0.4% to 25%. (Read more: TheCityFix)
VI. Electrification drives low carbon land transport and puts the most sustainable modes first.
Electrifying transport with renewable sources is essential to decarbonise transport. With the right priorities, benefits go well beyond climate protection: electrification reduces local air and noise pollution; it opens up opportunities to replace and prevent the use of cars and vans with electric bikes and cargo-bikes; it can be powered with locally produced renewable electricity reducing energy dependency; it opens up new opportunities for local production and assembly for adapted vehicles.
As the electrification of different modes and for different uses varies in complexity and costs for society, segments with the highest CO2 reduction potential at the lowest cost are to be put first. These include electric bikes, 2- and 3-wheelers, commercial, corporate and public fleets of high-mileage vehicles, urban delivery fleets, buses for public transport, as well as rail.
Heavy duty vehicles for specific applications are already available and their use must be made mandatory. The electrification of long-distance road freight that cannot be shifted to more sustainable modes must be incentivised and regulated with more ambition to set this segment onto a low-carbon pathway now.
African perspectives to the Key Transformation
Combine paratransit professionalisation and fleet renewal for electrification
Subsidise electric vehicles based on their contribution to access, safety, and use of space
Supporting visuals
Facts and figures
EV fleet growth: By 2020, the global stock of electric passenger cars (battery and plug-in electric hybrids) surpassed 10 million vehicles (up from more than 7.2 million in 2019). There were more than 600,000 electric buses in operation, 290 million electric two- and three-wheelers (excluding electric-assisted bicycles) and 170,000 electric freight vehicles (three-wheelers, light trucks and company cars). (Read more: SLOCAT Transport and Climate Change Global Status Report – 2nd Edition)
Subsidies of electric bicycles compared to electric cars: Electric bicycle subsidies are seen as more than twice as effective as electric car subsidies. It costs less than half the cost of electric car subsidies of saving a kilogram of CO2 via schemes to boost e-bikes. (Read more: Bikebiz)
Total cost of ownership: Electric passenger cars and buses are already more competitive than diesel or gasoline vehicles in many markets if accounted for the total cost of ownership (combination of purchase and maintenance). (Read more: SLOCAT Transport and Climate Change Global Status Report – 2nd Edition)
National and subnational electric mobility targets: Over 80 countries and 100 subnational entities set e-mobility targets. Most importantly, around 27 entities announced to phase out the sales of fossil fuel-powered vehicles. (Read more; SLOCAT’s e-mobility trends and targets overview)
Other resources
VII. Digital technologies increase access and transport efficiency.
Digital technologies outside transport should be used to provide access to jobs and services without the necessity to travel, such as teleworking, digital public services, medical consultations and education. Inside transport, they are to be deployed for greater efficiency through smarter planning and integration, and sharing of capacities and vehicles for people and goods, and for more inclusive services, better information user experiences.
Yet, some applications bear the risk of adverse effects, such as adding vehicle kilometres, increasing energy demand and excluding certain socio-economic groups. The transport and the digital community must ensure that technologies are put to work in support of sustainable and low-carbon mobility systems.
Facts and figures
Teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic: During major lockdowns in 2020, the rate of teleworking reached 47% in Australia, France and the United Kingdom. Even in Japan, where no strict lockdown happened, the teleworking rate increased from 10% to 28% (OECD). In all regions, the percentage of trips to workplaces decreased by at least 40% by mid-April 2020. (Read more: SLOCAT COVID-19 Impacts)
VIII. Pricing and fiscal policy guide market forces and, together with finance, channel public and private funds towards the most sustainable transport services.
Financial instruments and policies have to be realigned so they set the right frameworks that enable investors and users to provide and request the most sustainable transport services. Their timely adaptation will prevent lock-in into soon-to-be-obsolete and carbon-intensive infrastructure and technologies; as well as avoid sunk cost for industry and society. Financial institutions must focus on green investments, shift their portfolios accordingly, and define lending and grant policies based on sustainability criteria. Public finance is to leverage innovative financing mechanisms and to de-risk private investments. Subsidies to fossil fuels in transport need to be phased-out urgently and funds collected from inefficient and polluting modes be used to support people-centred and low-emission mobility solutions.
African perspectives to the Key Transformation
Regulate the export and import of second-hand ICE and EV vehicles through emission, safety, and recycling standards
Facts and figures
Fossil fuel subsidies: Globally, fossil fuel subsidies were USD 5.9 trillion in 2020 or about 6.8% of GDP, and are expected to rise to 7.4% of GDP in 2025. (Read more: IMF)
Transport stimulus packages: WRI study finds that 44% of global recovery funds (USD 130 billion) announced between March 2020 and February 2021 support sustainable transport. (Read more: WRI)
Externalities of road transport: Negative externalities from road transport include automobile dependency, crashes, road damage, environmental damage, congestion and oil dependence. (Read more: Santos et al.)
Tax breaks for company cars: Company cars cost Europe’s taxpayers EUR 32 billion a year in subsidies (T&E). Company cars represent over half of new cars sold every year in Europe and they are responsible for 73% of new-car emissions. (Read more: T&E)
Other resources
IX. Freight systems efficiently combine different low-carbon modes, share capacities
and rely on sustainable first and last mile delivery.
A freight system’s capacity to connect goods, markets and consumers determines the socio-economic development of countries and regions; and it is closely linked with industry and trade policies. For long-distance freight, modes of high and shared capacity are to be prioritized to bring down energy consumption per unit. Policies must encourage the use of the most efficient low-carbon energy carrier, and an efficient integration of operations across modes and borders. As transport will have to cater for the arising needs of an industry 4.0, investments in smart logistics should now be aligned with sustainable, low-carbon transport.
First and last mile delivery has the biggest potential to reduce energy consumption, cost and overall the negative effects of transport, particularly in urban environments. Smart logistic operations and low-emission light vehicles that consume little space are to become the new normal of urban deliveries.
African perspectives to the Key Transformation
Promote the restructuring of supply chains to reduce freight transport (e.g. nearshoring)
Optimise freight movement through proven measures (e.g. promote load optimisation, reduce packaging, reduce empty moves, load consolidation and asset sharing, vehicle maintenance practices, aerodynamic requirements, etc.)
Facts and figures
Pledges to decarbonise value chains: For example, the CDP Supply Chain program, representing 115 members, reported the avoidance of 633 Mt CO2eq and USD 19.3 billion in supplier annual monetary savings. (Read more: CDP)
Emissions per tonne-kilometre: In comparison, aviation freight emits highly 500 to 1,000 g CO2eq per tonne kilometre, maritime transport emits around 5 to 30 g CO2eq per tonne kilometre. (Read more: CLECAT)
Other resources
X. Industry, trade and transport are shaped to support a circular economy, local value creation, and short and resilient logistic chains.
The transport sector’s ability to reduce its consumption of energy and resources, and to curb emissions is conditioned by the transport demand it has to satisfy. Industry and trade policies are to promote more circular and local economies, less de-fragmented value chains and dispersed production sites that allow transport to operate more efficiently.
The transport industry itself should operate its value chain more sustainably by using resources efficiently and designing components, vehicles and infrastructure for easy and local production, maintenance and recycling. Trade of polluting and unsafe second hand vehicles and components, often exported from the Global North to the Global South, is an irresponsible transfer of negative effects and must be terminated.
Facts and figures
Reduction in material usage: Introducing a circular system could reduce material used in vehicles by 70% by 2050 and avoid 285 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. (Read more: Ellen MacArthur Foundation)
Other resources
XI. Transport systems and services are resilient in extreme weather events and other shocks.
Transport systems have to stay operational in moments of disaster and under changing climate conditions. Priority for adaptation must be given to the most critical, most sustainable systems. Design of new transport systems must be updated for resilience. Critical value chains and mobility services should be identified and dependency on single modes and single points of access, e.g., a single road, be eliminated. National and cross-border coordination must work towards ensuring connectivity of critical value chains and functionality of infrastructure and services.
The Global South, where many transport systems still have to be developed, now has the opportunity to adopt new, resilient and low-carbon transport systems design, and avoid sunk investments and costly retro-fitting in the near future.
African perspectives to the Key Transformation
Adapt construction and maintenance of critical infrastructure for extreme weather events
Facts and figures
Transport adaptation in NDCs: While climate adaptation has received greater attention in second-generation NDCs, adaptation measures for the transport sector are limited and focus largely on infrastructure resilience. More efforts are needed to include these important measures and supporting institutional frameworks in climate strategies. (Read more: Climate Strategies for Transport)
Other resources
Overarching Approaches to apply across transport modes and sub-sectors overtime
The Overarching Approaches provide general guidance to help deliver on the Transformations. They can be applied to many areas within transport, as well as to other sectors
Transport policy must always put people first, both in the passenger and freight sectors. While some technologies can be tempting for their ingenuity, they may be expensive, not match societies’ needs, and lead to increased inequity and inequality. Sound policy-making should therefore not ask what is technologically possible, but how technology can improve equity in access to sustainable low-carbon transport and mobility.
A compelling vision of the future is a strong driver for mobilising and aligning stakeholders around a common objective. It gives coherence to different measures; links action in the present to specific positive outcomes in the future, and illustrates the benefits of an equitable, healthy, green, and resilient transport system. To inform, engage and inspire people and to develop a shared sense of ownership, participatory approaches and discussion among a broad community of stakeholders is necessary. Breaking the vision down into intermediate targets enables progress to be achieved and measured, while demonstrating determination.
Stakeholders and investors require clarity to plan their actions and investments accordingly. Therefore, policy must send clear market signals and provide a reliable and stable framework to support the evolution of a sustainable mobility sector. For example, changes in pricing, regulation, and political priorities need to be communicated ahead of time, and transitory phases need to be defined. With clarity and coherence, businesses can contribute to and benefit from new sustainable transport solutions.
Efficient transport systems should have a coherent set of policies across sub-sectors and modes, benefit from complementarity of policies in other sectors. Transport policy impacts and is impacted by policies in many other sectors, coordinated policy means lower costs and more and faster impact. Priority areas include health, urban planning and rural development, energy, among others and should be aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (see SDG Wheel above).
The overall shift towards sustainable and inclusive societies requires a broader perspective than the traditional cost-benefit analyses of the past. Accounting for social and environmental externalities (both positive and negative) in economic appraisals is crucial to overcoming short-termism and one-sided decision-making. Looking at investments through this lens will enable funds to flow to solutions that have the biggest return in terms of social and environmental development – now and for future generations – and deliver the greatest benefit at the lowest cost for society as a whole.
Governments’ responsibilities for the transport sector are spread across the national, regional and local levels. While transport decisions are often made at the local level, the legal framework for local decision-making is many times defined at the national level or even international level. Transport services and policies must be compatible and strategically integrated from the local to the national, in some cases even international level. Therefore, a large number of stakeholders, both public and private, need to be engaged and aligned vertically and horizontally, and empowered with the capacities and resources needed to take the right action.
Sustainable, low carbon transport requires new capacities and knowledge to act and data to support good decision-making. The transformation of the sector must therefore be accompanied by support for enhanced capacity in the public, private and academic sectors, through activities such as professional training, decision making support and adapted curricula. International support, for example, can contribute to building capacity and knowledge at the national and sub-national levels in streamlining approaches to collect, share and analyse data. Together, capacity, knowledge and data can serve as a solid basis to inform decision-makers and catalyse the transformation of transport.
Pilots are a great way to test new ideas, learn through experience and adapt solutions to the local context. At a relatively low cost through temporal measures (e.g. tactical urbanism), decision-makers and users can see their effects and act accordingly. With increasing support and acceptance, new solutions can then be rolled out at scale more easily. It is crucial, however, to choose and design pilots that have the potential for scaling up, and prepare a plan accordingly.
Catalytic Measures Toolkit
This Catalytic Measures Toolkit provides a non-exhaustive list of measures that are catalytic to deliver on the SLOCAT Transformations for Sustainable Low Carbon Land Transport.
A catalytic measure is understood to:
The Toolkit indicates the Transformation that is impacted by each measure, the level of action at which the measure is expected to be implemented, and the type of stakeholders who have a role in each measure. A filter can be applied to facilitate navigation.
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