The context: Efforts to reduce emissions in the transport sector often focus on vehicles and tailpipe emissions. However, the construction, maintenance and management of highways infrastructure also generate significant carbon. Decarbonising this part of the system requires not only technical solutions but also changes in the way organisations operate and make decisions. BIT were commissioned by The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) to investigate the behavioural and systemic barriers that Local Highways Authorities face in adopting low-carbon practices, and to develop practical, scalable recommendations.
What did we do? Using seven Live Labs 2 demonstrator projects as case studies, we conducted in-depth interviews with authorities and delivery partners to understand the barriers to change, such as financial pressures, siloed working, risk aversion and limited incentives.
We then worked with stakeholders to identify and prioritise a set of behaviourally informed solutions. These range from legislative and funding reforms to shift incentives, to creating new forms of support for authorities to enhance their capability to act, as well as strategies to embed innovation within their organisational culture.
What next? Achieving change will require coordinated action from central government, industry, and Combined and Local Highways Authorities. Further impact and feasibility assessments of the priority solutions will help refine which are most promising, followed by pilot testing and evaluation to understand what works in practice.
Read the full report on ADEPT’s website
