A study led by researchers from the University of Oxford’s Transport Studies Unit has found that taking up cycling, e-biking or walking for daily travel can help tackle the climate crisis. Prof. Regine Gerike, head of the Chair of Integrated Transport Planning and Traffic Engineering at the “Friedrich List” Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences of TU Dresden, was involved in the project as an author.

The findings, published in the journal Global Environmental Change, reveal that increases in active mobility (that is: walking, cycling and e-biking for transport) significantly lower your carbon footprint, even in European urban contexts with already high walking and cycling shares.

"The study is the first of its kind to examine the impact of changes in active mobility and transportation in cities on life-cycle CO2 emissions," said Regine Gerike. "Active mobility (walking or biking) is considered the most sustainable and lowest-carbon way to get from A to B. However, the net impact of changes in active mobility on changes in mobility-related CO2 emissions is complex and little explored. The methodology, metrics and findings are applicable to many cities across Europe and provide much needed empirical evidence for exploring transport and climate futures at the global, national, and local levels," so Regine Gerike on the importance of the study.

Reducing carbon footprint substantially

“By following nearly 2000 urban dwellers over time, we found that those who switch just one trip per day from car driving to cycling reduce their carbon footprint by about 0.5 tonnes over a year, representing a substantial share of average per capita CO2 emissions”, states Dr. Christian Brand, lead researcher from the Transport Studies Unit at Oxford. “If only 10% of the population were to change travel behaviour this way the emissions savings would be around 4% of lifecycle CO2 emissions from all car travel.”

To put this into context, for the seven European cities in this study (Antwerp/Belgium, Barcelona/Spain, London/United Kingdom, Orebro/Sweden, Rome/Italy, Vienna/Austria, Zurich/Switzerland), average per capita CO2 emissions from transport (excl. international aviation and shipping) ranged between 1.8 tonnes of CO2 per person per year in London to 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person per year in Vienna.

The study collected primary data on daily travel behaviour, journey purpose, as well as personal and geospatial characteristics in seven European cities and derived mobility-related lifecycle CO2 emissions over time and space. Statistical modelling of longitudinal panel data of 1,849 study participants was performed to assess how changes in active mobility, the ‘main mode’ of daily travel, and cycling frequency influenced changes in mobility-related lifecycle CO2 emissions.

Call to action for cities worldwide: Radical rethinking of urban planning concepts

Based on their study results, the international team of authors formulates a call to action for cities worldwide: they would have to radically rethink their urban planning concepts, e. g. by strengthening dense structures and mixed land uses. On the transport side, the importance of "carrot-and-stick" approaches as a combination of measures to attract active mobility (carrot) and de-attract trips by car or motorized two-wheelers (stick) is underlined. Continuous and high-quality infrastructures for pedestrians and cyclists are another key success factor for the targeted promotion of active mobility.

Study is part of EU project PASTA – Linking Transport and Health

The study has been developed within the EU-funded project PASTA, the term stands for:  Physical Activity Through Sustainable Transport Approaches. The project aims to link transport and health by promoting active mobility in cities (i. e. walking, cycling or e-biking, also in combination with the use of public transport) as an innovative way of integrating physical activity into our daily lives (study protocol).

Prof Regine Gerike has been involved in the PASTA project from the very beginning - from the preparation of the application draft and coordination tasks to content-related elaborations such as the development of a research and survey concept and the implementation of the large empirical survey at the various locations.