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In this paper, we propose a mixed methods quantitative and qualitative approach to capture fully the measurable and less tangible social impacts of transport projects on local people and communities. The approach was used to assess the potential social impacts of a strategic road by-pass project case study in a deprived region of Wales in the UK. The project specifically aimed to stimulate local economic growth and regeneration in the local areas it serves. In a 'before and after' case study, we combined fine-grained, GIS-based spatial analysis of secondary datasets with qualitative participative exercises with the local residents of the five communities living adjacent to the road, and interviews with professional local stakeholders. This mixed methods approach significantly enhanced understanding of both the social benefits and disbenefits of the road project. It helped to reveal local concerns that would not otherwise have been apparent from secondary dataset analysis alone. The qualitative studies were also successful in bringing to the table new 'hard to reach' voices that had not been heard through the formal consultation and public engagement process. The study revealed that the social benefits accruing to local people from the project could have been significantly enhanced, whilst a number of its locally occurring negative social impacts could have been avoided had social assessment been employed earlier in the decision processes concerning its routing and design. Recommendations to improve the practice and uptake of social assessments at the option appraisal, project design mitigation and post evaluation stages of transport projects are included in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E -bike use in rural and tourist areas is under-researched and has potential to replace car journeys reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other impacts of car use. We studied the rural use of e-bikes in a tourist area (the Lake District National Park, UK) through Covid-19. Mixed methods were used; two waves (2020 & 2021) of a semi-panel quantitative survey; including open responses; supplemented by self-study field trips. Key findings include high levels of e-biking in a wet and hilly area by generally older individuals, including a high proportion of female respondents. Usage was higher in 2020, partly due to lower traffic levels during Covid restrictions, but relatively high usage was maintained in 2021. Users are substituting more car journeys than active travel and public transport trips, and amongst women, more errands than commutes. We found support for restraint of car use in the study area, along with support for secure e-bike parking, e-bike share schemes, and integration with public transport. The implications for planners and policymakers are that policies supporting rural e-biking may be well received if they form part of greener transport plans including e-bike facilities, integration with public transport and car restraint. Promotion of e-bike use needs to shift from an urban commuting focus, to also consider rural areas errands and leisure trips. National parks and other rural tourist areas may confidently assume that hills and weather do not always act as barriers. • E -bikes are being used to reduce car travel in a touristic, rural wet and hilly area and have decarbonisation potential. • There is support for car restraint in a UK National Park and a desire for secure e-bike storage. • E -bikes are being used for errands as well as commuting in a rural National Park. • Relatively high levels of use and support for e-bikes continue after easing of Covid restrictions in 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Transport planning assumptions about housing, employment and transport are outdated. • Precarity in housing and employment systems often mean people have to move. • Uncertainty about when move influences decisions on accessibility and transport. • Implications for sustainable mobility, urban development and social welfare. The importance of the nexus between transport, housing location and employment location has long been identified as important to social welfare. In transport research this has however operated largely at either end of the spectrum of advantage. There exists a strong tradition, with roots in welfare economics, which explores those with choices and how they make trade-offs between where to live and work, the associated wage rate and the commute costs. At the other end is work which recognises the social costs for those that do not have access to transport and struggle to participate in employment. This paper focuses its attention on households that fall between these extremes and for whom the choice/no-choice dichotomy does not work. Through in-depth interviews with 46 people in the UK we find that the interactions between the location and, critically, security of both housing and employment plays a critical role in shaping what 'choices' exist. In particular, the findings explain why some households own cars although, on other metrics, they would not be expected to find ownership affordable, and how the security of housing tenure shapes long-term household trajectories. The literature on planning and travel behaviour has paid little or no attention to the security of housing and employment. This study suggests the importance of addressing this gap and refocussing attention on the different ways in which transport connects to wider planning and social policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CO 2 and NO x emission trends from the van sector in Great Britain are investigated. • Scenarios designed based on phasing out internal combustion engine vans by 2030. • The tailpipe net-zero target will be reached by 2050 under all scenarios. • A rapid transition to electric vans could achieve a substantial emission reduction. As a major emission contributor with significant growth potential, the light goods vehicles (vans) play an important part in achieving net-zero. In 2020 the UK government committed to phasing out sales of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vans by 2030, but the impact of the policy and how far are we to decarbonize the entire van fleet by 2050 is unclear. This paper investigates the CO 2 and NO x emission trends in the van sector in Great Britain under the 2030 ICE phase-out. ECCo model 1 1 http://www.element-energy.co.uk/sectors/low-carbon-transport/project-case-studies/ is used to forecast the future van population by powertrain. The annual van mileage is estimated based on the van activity survey 2 2 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/van-statistics-2019-to-2020. The instantaneous emission model PHEM, NAEI emissions inventory and remote sensing measurements are used to parameterize real-world driving emission factors of CO 2 and NO x. Scenarios have been set out to assess the impact of enablers and barriers affecting the pace of emission reductions. Results suggest vans are on track to reach the tailpipe net-zero target by 2050 under all scenarios, and the speed of NO x reduction is even faster. A rapid transition to battery electric vans in the early to mid-2020s will significantly lower CO 2 , with associated estimated monetary benefits of £1.3 billion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]