There are many groups across the UK campaigning to protect and improve public transport and to make our streets safer and cleaner. Their approaches differ – some campaign for environmental reasons, some are trade union based, some campaign for publicly owned public services.
These are some of the most prominent. The text is taken from the campaigns groups’ websites.
Transport Action Network’s purpose is to help support people and groups press for more sustainable transport in England and Wales. This involves fighting cuts to bus services, particularly in rural areas, and opposing damaging road schemes and large unsustainable developments.
Cycling UK has championed the cause of cycling for more than 140 years. We promote all forms of cycling, protect the interests of existing and would-be cyclists, and inspire people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to discover the joys of cycling.
Action for Rail is a campaign involving the TUC, and its affiliated unions with members working on the railways – ASLEF, RMT, TSSA and Unite. Its aim is to work with passenger groups, rail campaigners and environmentalists to campaign against cuts to rail services and staffing and to promote the case for integrated, national rail under public ownership.
Bus Users UK
Our aim is to ensure that the views of bus and coach users are at the heart of decisions which affect them.
We give passengers a voice and make sure their views are heard by Government, by local authorities, and by bus companies large and small.
Campaign for Better Transport
Our vision is a country where communities have affordable transport that improves quality of life and protects the environment
For 40 years, working with hundreds of thousands of inspiring people, Campaign for Better Transport has fought for better public transport, walking and cycling, for the sake of communities and the environment.
An independent charity, we work by providing well-researched, practical solutions to transport problems, pressuring national and local government to adopt them, and empowering ordinary people up and down the country.
We have had many successes. In recent decades we’ve helped to change the Government’s transport policy radically, away from building big roads and expanding airports and towards much more recognition of environmental and social impacts.
Greener Journeys
Greener Journeys is a campaign dedicated to encouraging people to make more sustainable travel choices. We aim to reduce CO2 emissions from transport by encouraging people to switch some of their car journeys to bus or coach instead. Switching from car to bus for just one journey a month would mean one billion fewer car journeys on our roads and would save 2 million tonnes of CO2 every year.
We commission research on the wider benefits of the bus, present evidence to government and Parliament, build partnerships and run modal switch campaigns. Find out more about who we are, what we do, read our publications, and find out what we have been up to recently.
Living Streets
We want to create a walking nation, free from congested roads and pollution, reducing the risk of preventable illness and social isolation and making walking the natural choice. We believe that a walking nation means progress for everyone.
Our ambition is to get people of all generations to enjoy the benefits that this simple act brings and to ensure all our streets are fit for walking.
Progress starts here: one street, one school, one step at a time. Find out more about the walking nation.
Road Peace
- A road death is not a normal death – it is sudden, violent, unexpected, and premature
- Every day, 5 people die on the roads in the UK and 3900 die worldwide
- 1 in 75 of us is bereaved through a road crash
Losing a loved one in a crash is devastating. Lives are shattered, and some never recover from the trauma. Family breakdown, job loss, depression and even suicide are the unfortunate consequences of losing a loved one in this way.
Despite this
- Crashes are still seen as unfortunate ‘accidents’, instead of preventable collisions
- Society tolerates road death and disability as an acceptable price to pay for increased motorisation and convenience
- Crash victims do not have the same rights or support as other victims of crime or trauma.
We have been campaigning since 1992 to change this.
Sustrans
We’re a leading UK charity enabling people to travel by foot, bike or public transport for more of the journeys we make every day.
We work with families, communities, policy-makers and partner organisations so that people are able to choose healthier, cleaner and cheaper journeys, with better places and spaces to move through and live in.
We have a vision:
By 2020 we want 4 out of 5 local journeys to be made by bike, foot or public transport. That’s double the current figure. It’s a big challenge, but with your help we know we can do it.
We Own It
We love public services. Trains, water, energy, care work, council services, the NHS. We believe they make life better for you, me and everyone. They are super useful and really important, for our children, parents and grandparents, our friends, our colleagues and our communities. We all use public services every day.
But they can’t run properly when they’re privatised. Whenever your services are privatised – whether we’re talking buses or prisons or the Royal Mail – the same things tend to happen. You pay more, you get a worse service and you don’t have a say.
We believe public services should be run for people not profit. The corporations and politicians are selling us a tired old tune on privatisation. It’s time to change the record.
Do you love public services too? Join us.
Bring Back British Rail
We are the collective voice of disgruntled rail passengers and disheartened train employees, demanding a re-unified national rail network run for people not profit.