Scotland 'unlikely' to meet 2030 target on reducing car use due to 'lack of leadership'
Scotland 'unlikely' to meet 2030 target on reducing car use due to 'lack of leadership'
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The Scottish government is "unlikely" to meet its 2030 climate change target to reduce car use due to a "lack of leadership", according to public spending watchdogs. Stephen Boyle, auditor general for Scotland, and the Accounts Commission said "minimal progress" had been made to cut kilometres driven by 20% since the pledge in 2020.
The report - prepared by Audit Scotland - blamed a "lack of leadership" and said the government had yet to produce a delivery plan for achieving the goal. First Minister John Swinney last year insisted the target could still be met, but Transport Scotland admitted the nation "has still got some way to go".
Mr Boyle said: "The Scottish government set an ambitious and very challenging target to reduce car use by 20% by 2030. "But there has been a lack of leadership around delivering this goal. "It's now unlikely the government will achieve its ambition, so it needs to be clear how this will affect its wider ambitions to achieve net zero emissions by 2045.".
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The target was introduced during the COVID pandemic when levels of car traffic had decreased significantly. Audit Scotland said since 2020, vehicle traffic has increased to near pre-pandemic levels, public transport use has reduced, and there has been no significant change in how much people walk and cycle.
