Campaigners have called on ministers to accelerate the shift to sustainable transport by introducing new charges for drivers and improving public transport, walking and cycling.

The Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT) said that while the effect of COVID-19 on transport has been vast, the need for sustainable transport has only strengthened.

In a new report, COVID-19 Recovery: Renewing the Transport System, CfBT set out its ideas as to how the transport system can be ‘transformed as part of a recovery programme to create jobs, tackle social exclusion, improve the environment and people’s health, and aid economic recovery’. T

he report calls for a ‘world-leading public transport network’ with improved connectivity; 100% zero-emission road transport and railway; permanent improvements to sustain greater levels of walking and cycling; and changes to the way transport is paid for, including new means to raise revenue.

CfBT chief executive, Darren Shirley, said: ‘As the UK begins the process of recovery, the Government must now focus its ambition on accelerating the shift to sustainable transport and the delivery of infrastructure improvements that facilitate this to ensure that transport better serves communities across the country.

‘By focusing its financial support and policy improvements on public transport, walking and cycling, the Government can transform our transport system to facilitate economic growth, meet legal obligations around carbon emissions and air quality, and tackle social exclusion.’

This article first appeared on Transport Network.