Creating a cleaner, more connected
transport system
Transport plays a key role in everyday life across Cumbria, and it also presents a unique challenge due to the county’s geography and travel patterns. Transport is one of Cumbria’s largest sources of carbon emissions; improving how people move around the county therefore presents a significant opportunity to cut emissions while also bringing benefits to Cumbria’s businesses, residents and visitors. A shift towards more sustainable travel systems will reduce congestion, improve air quality, make roads safer and create healthier, more connected communities.
The Transport and Mobility Sector Group has been formed to create and steer the Transport and Mobility Emissions Reduction Action Plan (ERAP) with the goal of achieving a carbon net zero Cumbria by 2037.
Reducing emissions from transport will require overcoming some key deep rooted challenges when trying to transition to an integrated, low carbon transport system which include:
Key challenges include:
Heavy reliance on private cars, especially in rural areas.
Limited availability of frequent and affordable public transport.
High levels of visitor travel, particularly to the Lake District.
Long travel distances between services, jobs and communities.
Weather events that can also disrupt travel, making the system less reliable.
Tackling emissions from travel will not only play a huge role in reducing Cumbria’s overall carbon footprint, but will also deliver wider benefits for businesses, residents and visitors.
Many communities depend on transport to access employment, education, healthcare and other essential services. By improving public, shared and active travel networks, Cumbria can create a more connected, inclusive and sustainable transport system that provides equitable access to opportunities, supports healthier lifestyles, and enables people to travel more easily and affordably.
Transport emissions come from more than just the vehicles we use. Our ‘scope’ covers the full lifecycle, from manufacture, to maintenance, to end of life.
This includes emissions from buses, trains and other public transport used by residents and visitors, including travel to and from Cumbria.
This includes emissions from cars, vans and other private vehicles used by residents and visitors, including travel to and from Cumbria.
This includes emissions from moving goods in, out of and around Cumbria.
This includes emissions from building and maintaining roads, railways and all other transport infrastructure.
Reducing emissions from transport will require changes across behaviour, infrastructure and technology. The sector group’s suggested approach to tackling these emissions has been split across four strategic priorities, which you can explore below.
AVOID
Substitute
Shift
Improve
You can see the full list of recommendations the Sector Group have put forward for businesses, local authorities, communities and individuals to help achieve each of these priorities in the Transport and Mobility ERAP below. See where you might be able to help!
The Emissions Reduction Pathway document sets out the strategic direction to reduce carbon emissions.
The Emissions Reduction Action Plan (ERAP) document sets out detailed proposed actions for emissions reduction.
Transport and mobility
Success stories from across Cumbria showing how steps are being taken to reduce carbon emissions from travel.
The Transport and Mobility Sector Group brings together organisations involved in planning, delivering and influencing transport across Cumbria.
The group works collaboratively to identify barriers, monitor progress and develop practical solutions that support a low carbon transport system while meeting the needs of residents, businesses and visitors.
Contribute to the local authorities’ consultant review, Enhanced Bus review and future Local Transport Plan development to ensure partner priorities, ambitions and actions are reflected.
Identify the next steps needed to establish Penrith Train Station as a sustainable transport hub and determine how partners can support the project.
Build on previous discussions about fleet decarbonisation, including electric vehicles and shared charging infrastructure, following the McClures summit and subsequent sector engagement.
Sector group members meet frequently throughout the year, usually online. Meeting overviews will be shared below.
WFC updated the group on the Penrith Train station capital project. This is a Borderlands scheme to improve the station to make it more accessible, encourage more public transport use and be a beacon as one of the key entry points for visitors to the County as well as a commuter hub. WFC were keen for thoughts and ideas on what should be considered as part of the brief for developing the project. Elements like improvements to access to and from the station by public or active transport is key, (and not increasing the car parking infrastructure), having alignment and consistency with sustainable onward travel options through capital works at Windermere and Carlisle station. It was also highlighted that supporting works although outside the scope of the capital project should be implemented through linked timetabling to bus services.
The group also discussed the current engagement taking place around the Bus Reform Pilot (more info found here), of which Cumbria is one of a handful of places with funding to see how the bus network might be done differently, to improve public transport outcomes and meet the needs of the people in Cumbria. Some of the group were at an initial workshop to put forward thoughts on potential alternative delivery options and consider the role of other models and mobility solutions. Those who were there, felt like the options put forward felt abit restrictive and didn’t cover the whole spectrum of opportunity for discussion. There may be a valid reason for this, so the group took away an action to find out more.
The ZCC have some resource to support some work in the transport policy space, collating and analysing transport related strategies, policies and plans, with a particular focus on how sustainable transport activity can support improved health, wellbeing, economic and environmental outcomes. The group discussed some of the key areas of focus for this piece of work, which included understanding the current context we’re working in, where does the Integrated National Transport strategy fit, refreshed LTPs, the local Bus Reform, Active Travel plans, Local plans and of course the role of the MCA in transport planning. The piece of work should highlight what’s coming down the line, where there are gaps, and where there are opportunities to influence change.
Finally, the group went back to the priorities and looking at the deliverability v impact of the ERAP actions to try and guide the focus, the next step is to consider the feasibility against political, social, environmental readiness, and not just the resource and financial readiness, which is an action the ZCC took from the meeting.
The group was presented with transport figures from the Landscape Carbon Tracker, developed by Small World Consulting for ZCC and its partners to help track progress against the 2037 trajectory. Overall, the figures show that transport emissions in Cumbria reduced slightly between the 2019 baseline and the 2023 data set, which is the latest full year available. More work is being done to understand this, as it appears to be driven mainly by fuel manufacturing emissions and costs rather than by a reduction in demand for fossil-fuel travel. We hope to have the 2024 data by the autumn, which should tell us more.
The group also heard presentations on three different approaches to local, community-based transport planning in Cumbria, each exploring how sustainable transport can help address congestion, improve access to employment, and create more equitable travel opportunities:
SITU also held a Cumbria Community Transport event in March, and the two local authorities are exploring what a strong refreshed public transport offer for Cumbria could look like. There is real momentum here, and the group wants to engage more communities in thinking about their own transport needs and opportunities. SITU also has follow-up plans in development, so we will watch this space and consider how we can support this work.
Priorities:
It should be noted that although the group have set the above priorities, they have asked for a matrix of deliverability versus impact from the actions in the emission reduction action plan, so the list above may change based on the outcomes of that piece of work.
Presentation from Owain Roberts, Regional Stakeholder Manager from Northern Trains on their new trains programme.
Graeme Innes from Cumberland Council gave a summary of the work they’re doing which supports the development and uptake of low carbon transport. The presentation covered:
The group have reflected on the comments from the Summit held in early March, and have been working on amendments to the asks to Government and the recommendations from the SOB to bring more clarity around what the barrier is that is needing overcome. This group has had a particular focus on clarification of what level asks should be targeting i.e. Local Authority or national government and what the next steps are for local government asks. The group are also looking at building on the work in the Emission reduction pathway to develop a Building sector profile to sit alongside the asks of Government to outline why some of the asks are specifically (more) challenging to Cumbria. You can find a report from the sector group workshops at the summit here.
The group starting to think about an offer from Cumbria Education Development Centre (CDEC) about involvement of young people in sector group plan communication, including “public proofing” elements of the actions plans/asks, meeting with a Sector Group representative to talk about emission reduction and the sector plans or having a young person join the group if logistically possible and the Sector Group being involved in young people running events in schools around transport and mobility.
Highlighted upcoming publication of the Cumbria Climate Assembly recommendations which the group will start to think about.
Reviewing the ERAP actions regarding progress for a Year 1 Progress Report which is being prepared. It was encouraging to see how much was going on around Strategic Priority 2 – Reducing the need to travel which was discussed in detail at the July meeting. Other priorities will be picked up over the next couple of meetings.
The group have been asked to think about potential topics for the Summit in 2026.
If you feel you’d have something to contribute to a sector group meeting, get in touch to request an invite.
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The Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership is driving change through the work of its four Sector Groups, which focus on the main sources of emissions in Cumbria.
To get involved and find out more about the Partnership, please contact Partnership Manager, Michael Robinson.
