Active & Sustainable Travel Choices
Capturing the Carbon Footprint from Visitor Travel
Image : UK House Sustainability & Events panel , 2 / 08 / 22 , ( left to right ): Dr Russel Seymour , Chief Exec .; British Association for Sustainable Sport ; Pippa Ganderton , Product Director at ATPI Halo ; Clair O ’ Neil , Co-founder & Director at A Greener Festival ; Chris Thompson , panel chair , CEO , ‘ You . Smart . Thing .’
Historically over 80 % of a major event ’ s carbon footprint comes from travel . According to industry experts on a UK House Commonwealth Business Hub Sustainability & Events panel that took place during the Games , getting audiences to travel sustainably is still by far the greatest challenge .
Anne Shaw , executive director for Transport for West Midlands , said :
“ The transport system played a crucial part in what was a hugely successful Commonwealth Games for Birmingham and the wider region . Our many partners , including ‘ You . Smart . Thing .’, pulled together to ensure that spectators and visitors arrived to their events on time using sustainable transport and that our networks , by and large , kept moving throughout . It also showed what modal shift can be achieved with affordable public transport and up to the minute travel information .”
A Step-change in Vistor Travel Behaviour
Chart : ‘ You . Smart . Thing .’ West Midlands travel assistant deployments , visitor travel forecast by mode , 21 / 07 / 22 .
In the lead-up to this year ’ s West Midlands events , travel forecast data from the YST platform showed that they were likely to have one of the lowest uses of private cars compared to previous major events , with under 16 % of visitors suggesting they would use their car to get to venues . This represents a step-change in visitor travel behaviour .
Despite UK rail strikes and rail disruption , the same data set , taken from visitor travel plans also showed over 65 % of audiences opting for public transport , including dedicated shuttlebus services , and over 13 % simply opting to walk or cycle . Perhaps it was the nature of the events themselves , combined with Transport for West Midlands ’ walking and cycling plan , bike hire and new cycle lane infrastructure , that inspired people to opt for more active and sustainable travel choices .
Chart : ‘ You . Smart . Thing .’ West Midlands travel assistant deployments , travel plan forecast by modal share of CO2e , 08 / 08 / 22 .
By mid 2022 , over three quarters of a million travel plans had been created using WMCA deployments of the YST travel assistant , which gave visitors the option to subscribe to travel plan updates as well as just planning their trip . “ This has been key in managing rail disruption .”, advises Thompson , “ In advance of the strikes the platform was able to redirect people to specially commissioned coach services rather than travelling by private car .”
Data identifying the mode-of-transport selected by people subscribing to travel plan updates has allowed YST to estimate the total travel carbon footprint from visitors using its service to plan a trip to West Midlands events to be just under 2,921 CO2e tonnes , calculated using the UK government ’ s Department for Transport journey emissions comparisons methodology and guidance .
Whilst indicating an overall carbon footprint significantly less than that generated by visitor travel to previous major events , the data clearly illustrates the impact of private car use – even with driving comprising less than 16 % of the modal split , and the importance of incentivising people to switch to less polluting modes of transport . The YST dataset will be used to help calculate the overall carbon footprint for regional events , offsetting activity and carbon credits in line with the UK ’ s Paris Agreement commitments , and emerging carbon credit trading initiatives .
It ’ s clear that the YST travel assistant service will continue to deliver world-class visitor experiences for destinations , venues and events globally , bringing legacy value to host cities , residents and businesses . More locally , it can help catalyse an events-driven economic boost to the West Midlands region of the UK , estimated at over £ 1.2 billion . A major impact of the service will be in helping the cultural sector to address climate change by monitoring and reducing the impact of visitor travel . Wider adoption of the YST travel assistant service by venues and events will deliver legacy value , not just for the regional economies , but for future generations around the world .
Andrew Steele , Chief Operating Officer at YST and principal architect of the platform concludes :
“ Hosting major events has given the West Midlands region , and the UK as a whole , the opportunity to trailblaze in the delivery of suwe are experiencing the emergence of a new low-carbon travel industry which we are proud to be part of , driving long-term investment , job creation and regional economic growth .”
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