Transport Scotland to tackle travel policy and CO2 emissions

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Transport Scotland  is to tighten its travel policy in order to reverse a substantial increase in carbon emissions arising from the organisation’s business travel.

The distance covered by officials from Transport Scotland on business trips increased from 1.46 million kilometres per year in November 2006 to 2.07 million kilometres per year in November 2008. The figures are revealed in the organisation’s 2010-2013 Travel Plan.

Average carbon emissions rose from 480 kg to 638 kg per person over the same period. Overall, there has been a 53% rise in emissions, says Transport Scotland, amounting to an additional 77,000 kg CO2 a year. The report says that the increase is the result of a doubling of emissions relating to staff air travel.

When Transport Scotland published its first ever travel plan in 2007, it set a target to reduce overall carbon emissions by 8%. The new report reveals that it had successfully reduced emissions arising from staff commuting by around 15%, but that emissions from business travel increased over the same period, with the result that the body’s total travel carbon footprint increased by 3%.

A Freedom of Information request made by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that the organisation’s 280 staff took 661 short haul domestic flights in the last 12 months.

The request revealed that civil servants in the organisation also took international flighjts to South Korea, Peru, Venezuela and South Africa, as well as 33 flights to Dusseldorf and 17 to Amsterdam.

Liberal Democrat Transport spokesperson Alison McInnes MSP said: “The number of flights within mainland Britain taken by Transport Scotland is sky high.

“Given that Transport Scotland only employ 280 people I wonder how they can take so many flights.”

“This is Scotland’s transport agency – the body supposed to be helping us reduce our emissions.

“They have produced more than 100 tonnes of CO2 by flying, both at home and abroad.

“Transport Scotland’s target to cut emissions is puny. They plan to cut CO2 by just 20% at a time when many businesses are cutting domestic flights altogether. If they cut all domestic flights they would reduce their emissions by more than 55%.

“The Scottish Government needs to get a grip on its transport agency.

“Transport Scotland should be leading by example and using low carbon modes of transport like the train wherever possible. They have stated that air travel should be used as a last resort, but took nearly two flights a day last year.

“Transport Scotland’s HQ is a ten minute walk from Central train station and Buchanan bus station. There’s really no excuse not to use low carbon alternatives to flying.

“People will find advice from Transport Scotland hard to swallow if they know how much emissions are being produced by their own officials.”

Transport Scotland’s new targets for business travel are challenging. The body wants to reduce annual emissions from business travel by 15% by 2013.

It aims to do this by replacing Glasgow to Edinburgh rail travel with audio and videoconferencing and cutting air journeys between Scotland and London, among other measures. As part of the plan, Transport Scotland directors will have to pre-approve all domestic air travel and a new travel plan coordinator will ask frequent travellers whether their journeys are essential.

Posted on September 12, 2010 · in UK

Tagged as: Carbon Emissions • Carbon Footprint • Carbon Reduction