AtoB Challenge raises awareness of low-carbon transport choices | Western Cape Government

News

News

AtoB Challenge raises awareness of low-carbon transport choices

1 November 2016

On 30 October 2016, Minister of Transport and Public Works Donald Grant and his #ZeroEmissions team participated in the AtoB Challenge organised by Open Streets Cape Town and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Teams had to use four low-carbon modes of transport to travel to their destinations. The winning team was the one able to travel from the Cape Town city centre to Langa with the smallest carbon footprint. The event was a call to action for people with their own vehicles to use public transport where possible.

Private motor vehicles are a major contributor to the emissions that drive global climate change. Our actions now will have a direct impact on the lives of current and future generations, positive or negative. It is tempting to think that the climate change challenge is so immense that we as individuals cannot make a difference. But the many individual choices that millions of people make every day do make a difference. By choosing to use public transport where possible, people with private means of transport can help mitigate their personal impact on climate change.

Danielle Manuel, Director: Infrastructure Policies and Strategies at the Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW), says “we should lead by example as public servants to actively promote the use of public transport to reduce congestion and mitigate climate change. The Department seeks to influence and design effective urban transport systems that consider intermodal links between public and non-motorised transport.”

DTPW’s actions to mitigate climate change include: 1) supporting improved public transport; 2) supporting non-motorised transport; 3) including green features in new buildings; and 4) supporting more integrated models of development that reduce the need to travel long distances. 

Media Enquiries: 

Byron la Hoe
Communication Officer
Department of Transport and Public Works
Tel: 021 483 9813
Cell: 079 281 8570
Email: byron.lahoe@westerncape.gov.za