The bid to make Bristol a Zero Emission Transport City

Last mile delivery services, rolling out 250 electric buses and installing 1,000 cycle hangars will all be explored in Bristol’s plan to decarbonise transport.

Bristol City Council has pledged to get the city to net zero carbon emissions by 2030 to tackle climate change, and a big part of that push will be changing how people move around the city.

The council is set to receive a £500,000 boost from the Department for Transport, which will be used to commission several studies looking at how plans to decarbonise the city’s transport network can be accelerated.

According to the latest government data, a third of the city’s carbon emissions come from driving.

Transport emissions in Bristol have reduced by less than ten per cent over the past decade, much slower than other sectors like industry, commercial and domestic energy use. In 2019, 494,100 tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted from Bristol’s transport network.

Bristol Cycling launched a campaign to get 1,000 bike hangars installed in March 2021 – photo: Bristol Cycling

By 2027, council bosses hope to have installed 1,000 cycle hangars and introduced 250 electric buses to Bristol as part of a bid to tackle carbon emissions by encouraging people not to use cars.

A ‘zero emission zone’ could be created in the city centre, covering the Old City, Broadmead, Cabot and Queen Square.

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Read more: Call for 1,000 bike hangars in Bristol to meet huge demand

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Freight consolidation hubs could see deliveries initially sent to buildings outside the city centre, with the last mile of the delivery then made on a cargo bike or a small electric van.

In a recent cabinet report, Jacob Bryer, team manager of transport policy, bidding and strategic projects, said: “The transport sector is the largest source of emissions in the city and nationally. For the city to be carbon neutral by 2030, it’s estimated we will need a 40 per cent reduction in vehicle miles and 90 per cent of our vehicles will need to be ultra-low emission by 2030.”

Zedify operates a hub in St Jude’s and uses cargo bikes to deliver to businesses across the city centre – photo: EDd Cope

Bristol City Council’s cabinet is expected to accept the government grant at a meeting on Tuesday.

The money will be used to commission studies and council transport planners would then work with the Department for Transport on how to roll out the schemes, making Bristol one of three pilot areas as a ‘Zero Emission Transport City’.

Bryer added: “In our most deprived communities, a significant proportion of residents cannot afford the costs associated with purchasing, operating and maintaining a vehicle.

“Promoting walking, cycling and public transport has been well evidenced to be hugely beneficial to health and wellbeing. This is particularly relevant in deprived communities with poor physical activity rates and ill health.”

A third of the grant will be spent studying how to decarbonise freight. A huge part of this is expected to be freight consolidation hubs.

The council is already backing one in Bristol, green logistics service Zedify, which operates a hub in St Jude’s, and uses cargo bikes to deliver to businesses across the city centre. The company received a £100,000 grant from the council last year, and similar ‘last mile delivery’ services could soon be rolled out across the city.

Alex Seabrook is a local democracy reporter for Bristol 

Main photo: Ellie Pipe

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