Creating and evidencing a Sustainable Commuting Index for London, United Kingdom

Objective: The purpose of this research is two-fold: firstly, to understand daily journey-to-work commuting behaviour in London and link this to environmental and health impact, and secondly to devise a replicable framework through which areas can be rated based on low carbon and active travel with this information then used support policy implementation for more sustainable commuting. Method: A composite index is proposed combining data on commuting patterns and carbon footprints of respective transport means to rank each district based on current performance and related environmental and health impacts. The research is evidenced on the city of London, United Kingdom, but is designed such that it could be readily applied elsewhere. Results: The outcome implies a strong distance decay effect whereby active travel is most pronounced in central districts and less so on the city fringes, Westminster and City of London score most favourably with Havering performing worst. Similarly, the central districts also have a lower carbon footprint. Discussion: The product of this research is not only a replicable and transferable framework to measure sustainable commuting given its high political importance but also a means to support decision-making and the implementation of policies to improve opportunities for low carbon and active travel and the directly related impacts on human health and the environment.