Access to services for people living and working in rural areas is a key issue. A lack of mobility can cause real hardship.

Ideally, services such as shops and post offices should be available locally but if not, an adequate means of transport can make a big difference to the quality of life for rural communities.

Our work involves researching and gathering evidence on rural transport conditions, recommending policy direction to address the issues identified, with an emphasis on sustainable solutions, and monitoring the execution of policy initiatives.

We've launched the first five in a series of transport think-pieces to raise the profile of rural transport issues and place transport at the heart of the debate on climate change and our work on sustainable rural communities.

The thinkpieces cover a range of topics including accessibility to key services, the likely effects of technological change and implications of road pricing for rural areas.

The 5 thinkpieces are:

• The contribution of transport to sustainable rural communities

• The implications of technological change for rural transport

• Rural life without carbon

• The potential impacts of road pricing on rural areas

• Sustainable rural accessibility – is it really possible?