Abstract
Active travel (walking, cycling or scooting for transport) is considered a healthy and sustainable form of getting from A to B. The net effects of active travel on mobility-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are complex and remarkably under-researched across a wide range of settings. This paper seeks to provide a summary of research on active travel as a low carbon mobility option in the context of the climate emergency. Key gaps are identified and discussed. The paper concludes with a projection of future research.
Highlights
It is well understood that active travel can have significant carbon reduction benefits for short to medium length trips across a range of urban settings
Competing Interests The author has no competing interests to declare
Summary
Where the evidence is ‘weak’ 3.1 The effects of active travel policy measures and interventions on CO2 emissions. There is a need for smaller evaluation studies to learn what kind of policy interventions “work” and which “don’t work” in promoting active travel (Bird et al, 2018) and reducing mobility-related carbon emissions. These should ideally have a control design and include a thorough evaluation of the context (circumstances), the mechanisms (methods) and the outcomes using the realist evaluation approach (Brown, Moodie and Carter, 2015; Ogilvie et al, 2011; Pawson and Tilley, 1997). Competing Interests The author has no competing interests to declare
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