Glasgow Green Deal – CTA’s Response

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After proudly hosting COP26 in November 2020, Glasgow is now looking towards 2030, when it aims to become the UK’s first net zero city.

Glasgow City Council’s target is highly ambitious and even more stretching than Scotland’s national target of net zero by 2045.

To get there, and to Glasgow’s contribution to climate change by the end of the decade, Glasgow City Council is developing what it calls the ‘Glasgow Green Deal’ – a ‘nine-year mission’ which ask citizens, communities and businesses to work together to ‘fundamentally reshape the city’s economy’.

The Glasgow Green Deal will, it says, ‘bridge the gap between aspirations and action’ and ‘deliver equitable, Net Zero carbon, climate resilient living’. As 2020 came to an end, Glasgow City Council published its ‘roadmap’ to 2030 and issued a ‘call for ideas’ which could be included as part of a package of new policies, interventions and investments under the Glasgow Green Deal banner.

Our response – which you can download and read in full here – sets out how we believe Glasgow can support its community transport sector to deliver accessible, inclusive and sustainable transport for all as part of a net zero city. We also suggest how Glasgow can learn from innovation and best practice around the world, from Athens to Denmark to Paris.

In summary, our response argues:

• Community transport can play a key role in decarbonising Glasgow’s transport system. The sector is leading the way to net zero by delivering shared transport services, facilitating active travel and modal shift and transitioning to zero-emissions vehicles
• The Glasgow Green Deal should harness the potential of community transport to close the ‘implementation gap’ and deliver accessible, inclusive and sustainable transport for all Glaswegians
• Community transport operators are not-for-profit, community-led projects for a social purpose. They can support bottom-up solutions to and citywide participation in Glasgow’s net zero mission, especially through co-design of services and facilitating modal shift
• Transparent reporting of progress and new mechanisms to ensure robust screening of decisions and policies are compatible with net zero will be required
• The Glasgow Green Deal should consider how to support electric car share and shared e-bike schemes across the city as new community transport collaborations or projects by existing operators, or potentially as new operators if necessary
• Mobility as a Service should be developed in Glasgow to align, integrate and improve transport services information and services across all public and community transport operators in the city

We look forward to working with CTA members in the Glasgow City Region and with Glasgow City Council to help deliver some of these big ideas.

What do you think of our proposals? How could you help Glasgow get to net zero? Get in touch via david.kelly@ctauk.org.