THE LATEST Sustainable Warwickshire Podcast explores cycling and reducing carbon emissions.
The new podcast episode – produced by Warwickshire County Council – discusses the subject of transport, which at 44 per cent, is the biggest cause of carbon emissions in the county.
Reducing this is critical for Warwickshire to reach its net zero emissions by 2050, and one of the ways this could happen is by more residents swapping some of its car journeys for active travel – walking, cycling or scooting.
In the podcast, the two guests – WCC Senior Transport Planner Dan Morris and local community volunteer Hazel Underwood – discuss the challenges of building new cycling infrastructure on Warwickshire’s roads and how to support more people to start using their bikes for some of their journeys to the shops, to work or for socialising.
Hazel is the founder of Warwickshire Cycle Buddies, a scheme that matches inexperienced cyclists with more confident riders. Each buddy will cycle with the novice rider to help them with route planning and cycling skills.
Having initially been set up in Leamington and Warwick with funding from the first round of WCC’s Green Shoots community climate change fund, the scheme is now being expanded in Nuneaton and Bedworth following further investment from the second round of the scheme.
One of the topics discussed is whether cycling infrastructure should be built where there is currently a low take-up of cycling. Given the need to reduce carbon emissions, and the mental and physical health benefits of active travel though, they conclude that the need is to create a space so that people that don’t currently cycle will be encouraged to do so.
Rob Powell, WCC Strategic Director for Resources, said: “It’s good to hear about the work that is being done to support more people to cycle, both by the council and community volunteers. I’m looking forward to hearing more stories of how Warwickshire Cycle Buddies have helped new cyclists to swap some of their car journeys for their bike. The podcast discussion really highlights the importance of cycling infrastructure and behaviour change to go hand-in-hand as we move towards our net zero commitments.”
The Sustainable Warwickshire podcast series is for those people living and working in Warwickshire who care about climate change. It features conversations with people from across the county who are taking action to reduce carbon emissions and support biodiversity. It covers subjects such as energy, waste and recycling, transport, infrastructure and the green economy, while also giving residents ideas on how to get involved and play their part.
The Sustainable Warwickshire podcast is available on Spotify or Apple by searching for “Sustainable Warwickshire”.
