Newington's Christine Quigley analyses the Government's "Road to Zero" strategy.

You might have missed it in the general political kerfuffle this week, but on Monday the Government launched its much-anticipated Road to Zero strategy. As air pollution has risen in the public consciousness and political agenda in recent years, there has been an increasing need for national-level strategy and leadership on how to tackle carbon dioxide, particulate and NOx emissions from road transport. This week’s strategy is the first attempt to pull together a variety of existing projects and programmes to cut pollution in domestic and commercial vehicles.

Has it been a success? That depends on how you measure it - but it's fair to say that there isn’t much new in the strategy.

Stakeholder responses have centred on the criticism that the strategy doesn’t go far or fast enough. Labour’s shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald MP called on Government to set a more ambitious target to remove polluting vehicles, and to provide more support for Britain’s automotive sector. The Campaign for Better Transport decried the strategy as failing to match the urgency of the situation. While plans for more electric car chargepoints were broadly welcomed, the RAC Foundation emphasised the need for better rapid electric charging infrastructure, with appropriate support from government as well as the private sector.

However, criticism also came, albeit indirectly, from more surprising quarters. On Tuesday, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) published its first National Infrastructure Assessment. The NIC wants to see further and faster action on electric and other low-carbon transport, urging Government to prepare for "close to" 100% of new car and van sales to be electric by 2030, ahead of the Government’s 2040 deadline.

More than this, the NIC raised the important point that neither electric nor connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) will solve the problems facing urban transport. While low- and zero-emission vehicles will make a significant contribution to improving air quality, these technologies are likely to increase the numbers of vehicles on the roads, leading to more congestion and competition for road space in cities across the country.

This congestion is a theme that Sadiq Khan’s administration in London has focused on in recent months. Congestion features 84 times in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, published in March this year, which is explicit in its aim to reduce car usage in London and switch as many journeys as possible to walking, cycling and public transport. London isn’t alone; Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham released a Congestion Deal in March, promising new funding for road upgrades, alongside support for active travel and specific schemes for air pollution hotspots.

It’s clear that the new Road to Zero strategy is a step in the right direction, but tackling air pollution alone won’t fix the challenges that our roads face. Plans to deal with congestion in urban areas would be a good start, but sooner or later government will have to tackle the thorny issue of road pricing. We should also expect ever more emphasis on modal shift in the coming years, moving commuters and leisure travellers to public transport, and freight to rail and canals. Right now, motor transport is at a fork in the road – stakeholders and industry will be hoping that the Government doesn’t take a wrong turn.