Blog | Getting moving on climate justice

At the heart of climate justice are systemic problems, but what of the systemic solutions? For the largest contributor to carbon emissions in the UK, transport, we have a systemic solution: active travel.

Active travel covers walking, wheeling* and cycling, and can be used on its own or in combination with public transport. Low in CO2 emissions, active travel is also comparatively low in resources and maintenance.

Where a car journey must start and end in a parking space, which at scale requires vast amounts of land, active travel is highly efficient in its use of space and infrastructure. Take a moment to think about what else we could do with that land!

Similarly, the resources and energy required to build and maintain a bicycle or mobility scooter are significantly less than those for a petrol or electric car. So the emissions reductions aren’t just at the point of use, they are reduced during extraction, manufacture, use and maintenance. Lower resource requirements also significantly reduce the demand for mining on the planet, which benefits nature and indigenous communities.

With these emissions and impact reductions also come huge personal and community gains. Active travel has been described as a “miracle pill” for physical and mental wellbeing. The risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression and dementia are all reduced by active travel, in some cases by 40%.

People benefit financially too, making active travel accessible to a far greater percentage of the population, especially at a time of high living costs.

Where the shift to active travel is achieved, the air is cleaner, streets are quieter and there are wider benefits including safer streets, stronger communities and better educational outcomes for children. By improving wellbeing, safety and air quality, with minimal impact on nature and the global majority, active travel represents the kind of system change called for by climate justice.

So how can museums support active travel?

First and foremost, museums can be exceptional communicators and have the power to shape our culture, as well as reflect it. Within our exhibitions we can challenge the narratives, language and myths around transport.

We can invite questions like “how are women, children and people on lower incomes affected by the current transport hierarchy”? Museums can also celebrate movements already working on change. Museum of Edinburgh’s recent exhibition, Pedal Power, was co-curated with local campaign groups.

There are also practical changes museums can make to support active travel. We can observe how visitors who walk and cycle are greeted at the museum’s entrance. Is there a safe path to the front door? Are there secure bike parking facilities and do these cater for non-standard bicycles? Could a parking space be converted into bike parking to create a better balance?

When looking at audience development, we can include how some demographics travel. 25% of UK households don’t have access to a car, with that percentage rising to 40% of Black households. All teenagers are reliant on walking, cycling and public transport to travel independently. Meanwhile people over 75 are more likely to have stopped driving.

We can familiarise ourselves with local bus and train timetables, then plan start and end times of workshops around public transport. By promoting the fact on event details, visitors can see that sustainable travel is prioritised and it provides them with accurate information to choose the sustainable option.

Increasingly, museums are offering discounts or other incentives to visitors who arrive sustainably. For ideas, you can check out Good Journey who promote visitor attractions encouraging active travel.  

We can also take inspiration from the sector. National Galleries Scotland’s Art in the Open uses a cargo bike to transport all the materials needed for a pop-up creative art studio. Rosslyn Chapel, in Midlothian, displays live bus times on a screen at its reception so visitors can time their departure with the next bus – a useful feature in wet and cold weather! You can find more ideas in Museum Galleries Scotland’s Making Your Museum Cycle-Friendly blog post.

The changes you make will be supporting council and national priorities, and can be useful advocacy for the museum, so research local commitments to active travel and don’t forget to highlight your work to local representatives. Showing how museums contribute to the future, as well as the past, helps build new audiences and champions for the sector.

*wheeling includes wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and adapted bicycles.

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24 September 2024