Plans unveiled for 'Journey Hubs' to make travelling in Plymouth cleaner and greener
The City Council wants to install 50 of them by 2023
New plans have been unveiled to make travelling around Plymouth cleaner and greener.
Plymouth City Council has launched a consultation on a network of 'Journey Hubs'.
The council aims to install up to 50 of them across Plymouth by 2023 in the hope of curbing emissions and encouraging residents and visitors to use low carbon modes of transport.
Each hub will provide electric vehicle charging points, e-bikes, an EV car club and links to public transport.
The scheme also includes plans for the UK’s first sea-going electric ferry.
As part of the consultation, the council wants to ask residents, businesses and commuters how they would use Journey Hubs, what features they should offer and where people think they should be located throughout Plymouth.
The network of hubs will provide 300 EV charging points, 400 e-bikes and a car club, all operated through a smart booking system.
The hubs can also incorporate additional facilities such as live information boards for bus and train times, bike repair equipment and waiting areas.
Local residents, employees, businesses and visitors will be able to use the hubs to plan their journeys on public and shared transportation, both in the city and on the main routes into Devon and Cornwall.
Cllr Mark Coker, Plymouth City Council Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure said:
"Plymouth has already declared a Climate Emergency and is committed to being net zero carbon by 2030 so we need encourage everyone to travel around the city in cleaner and greener ways.
"Creating the new journey hubs ticks off yet another action in our Climate Emergency Action Plan. Our hubs have the potential to revolutionise how we travel, offering the chance to ditch polluting petrol cars and use more sustainable, low carbon electric vehicles and e-bikes, available to hire through a smart booking system.
"We want your feedback on our exciting plans and need your help in deciding what features our network of hubs should offer and where around the city they should be located to encourage maximum take-up."
An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report in 2018 stated that in order to prevent a global temperature rise of more than 1.5 degrees the world must become zero carbon by 2030.
The UK Government has declared a climate emergency, promising to become net zero carbon by 2050. Plymouth has already declared its own Climate Emergency and established an Action Plan setting a target of being net zero carbon by 2030, in line with IPCC targets.
Transport accounts for 27 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK.
Further information on the council’s Journey Hub plans can be found here: https://plymouth-consult.objective.co.uk/portal/climateandenvironment/mobilityhubssurvey2021