Activists have written to Network Rail executives calling for an end to the promotion of carbon-intensive forms of private transport such as cars to help meet key climate-decomposition targets.
The appeal comes from the Badvertising coalition, which includes charity Possible, think tank New Weather Institute and activist network Adfree Cities.
Network Rail’s financial interests depend on revenues derived primarily from passenger travel on its network.
conflict
Advertising cars to public transport passengers would clearly undermine these sources of income, as both the National Travel Survey and the London Travel Demand Survey data show that higher levels of household car ownership are associated with correspondingly lower levels of rail travel and public transport use.
New analysis of national-level official travel data shows that increases in household car ownership are linked to decreases in public transport use. UK public transport use has still not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
New analysis shows that nationally, drivers with average incomes take 38 percent less train journeys than non-drivers, and among households with two or more cars, drivers take 69 percent fewer train journeys.
Even without changing the climate-friendly advertising policy, campaigners stress that Network Rail already has clauses in its existing ad acceptance guidelines that should ban ads that could harm their interests in any way.
Network Rail has also made specific policy commitments to encourage a paradigm shift from road to rail. National statistics released in the summer found that rail travel has only returned to about three-quarters of pre-pandemic levels, so there is a particular conflict of interest for national rail to continue to allow high-carbon advertising.
destroy
Not only would such a restriction have minimal impact on the organization’s revenue stream, but it could be a critical step in deregulating the car and high-carbon culture, encouraging the use of public transport and ultimately increasing much-needed passenger traffic in the future.
Badvertising campaigner Emilie Tricarico said: “There is no point in advertising cars on public transport.
“Network Rail relies on people making sustainable travel choices for their own income, so allowing carmakers to attempt to sell directly to passengers is an extraordinary act of self-sabotage.
“Furthermore, National Rail has made a policy commitment to support the switch from road to rail, yet advertising cars on trains and buses does the opposite.
responsible
“Public transport agencies need to implement policies to clean up their ad space and stop the ubiquitous private car advertising that pushes people to pollute the planet.”
Leo Murray, co-director of climate charity Possible, said: “High carbon advertising is driving climate breakdown and, in the case of car advertising, is draining valuable revenue from public transport networks by driving people to drive instead.
“Ultimately, the advertising of fossil fuels and the products and activities that require them is one of the key ways our society perpetuates a doomed culture that sees climate-destructive behaviors impacting human health globally.
“For the sake of people’s health, the climate and sustainable transport in the UK, we need all public authorities to adopt more responsible advertising policies that reflect the damage caused by high-carbon advertising.”
the author
Brendan Montague is ecologist. This article is based on a press release from the charity Possible.
