What was the challenge?

Temple’s socio-economic and social value team partnered with the Independent Transport Commission (ITC) on a strategic research project examining the distributional impacts of road transport decarbonisation. Funded through a £35,000 grant from the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund, Temple delivered a comprehensive study to uncover the unintended consequences of EV (Electric Vehicle) transition policies and their impacts on different sectors of society.

What was our solution?

Through a detailed research methodology, Temple’s socio-economics team has identified several critical challenges that need addressing. Our literature review uncovered systemic inequalities in the current transport landscape. For example, lower-income areas demonstrate reduced vehicle access and particularly limited EV ownership, while rural communities struggle with high car dependency. We found that vulnerable groups, despite contributing the least to emissions, bear the greatest burden of poor air quality in their communities.

Temple’s research has also highlighted significant accessibility and safety gaps in the current system. Female users face disproportionate harassment and safety risks on public transport, while disabled people encounter substantial barriers including higher costs and physical accessibility challenges. Our work has also revealed how both direct discrimination and systemic racism impact minority ethnic groups’ engagement with transport systems.

How did we add value?

To address these challenges, Temple designed a three-stage methodology including comprehensive desktop research; followed by extensive stakeholder engagement via a 30-person citizens’ panel; and market stalls across four towns. The final output is a 15,000-word report for government officials, synthesising our findings on the winners and losers in the EV transition and providing evidence-based recommendations for creating more equitable decarbonisation policies.

Temple also supported the ITC in analysing large excerpts from the National Travel Survey (NTS). Our analysis highlighted socio-economic trends in large datasets of over 1,500 households, which will provide key stakeholders and decision makers with quantitative evidence to accompany other stakeholder engagement and qualitative insights.