Memorandum submitted by Transport 2000
INTRODUCTION
Transport 2000 is the independent national body
concerned with sustainable transport. It looks for answers to
transport problems and aims to reduce the environmental and social
impact of transport by encouraging less use of cars and more use
of public transport, walking and cycling.
The Government has identified climate change
as one of the most serious problems facing the world and has set
a target of reducing UK emissions of greenhouse gases by 20% by
2010. Scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) have concluded that globally emissions should be cut by
60% by 2050, and this implies higher cuts for developed countries
like the UK.
Without action on road and air transport, it
will not be possible to meet such targets. Transport already accounts
for a quarter of UK emissions, and this excludes international
aviation. As other sectors decrease their emissions, transport's
share of total UK emissions is expected to rise. Emissions of
greenhouse gases from the road transport sector are expected to
rise, as growth in road traffic outweighs benefits from adoption
of cleaner technology. Air transport emissions are rising sharply.
To be successful, technological improvements and changes need
to be linked with measures necessary to achieve behavioural change
from the public.
RESPONSES TO
STRATEGIC ISSUES
AS IDENTIFIED
BY THE
COMMITTEE
What progress the DfT is making against key carbon
reduction targets and forecasts
UK Carbon emissions from all road transport
increased by 5.4% between 1990-2000 (DEFRA). During this period
transport was the only sector to increase its share of emissions.
Between 2000 and 2010, transport emissions are set to rise by
7% (DTI)—with road transport emissions rising more rapidly
by 10% (DfT). All transport currently accounts for 24% of carbon
emissions and this will rise to 30% in 2020 (DTI). With these
figures in mind the transport sector is failing to make progress
in meeting carbon reduction targets. A number of key measures
to reduce carbon emissions have either failed or failed to gain
government support.
Freight
Carbon dioxide emissions from freight travelling
by road rose by 48% between 1990 and 2002. There has been a failure
to implement a number of measures to reduce carbon from freight
and to promote awareness raising of consumers concerning the consequences
of their purchasing decisions for the long distance transport
of goods.
European Voluntary Agreement to reduce CO2
from cars in the EU
European car makers have voluntarily committed
to reduce CO2 emissions from new passenger cars to
an average of 140 grams per kilometre by 2008. The average new
car in the UK in 2004 emitted 171.4 grams per kilometre,[5]
with 15.5% of new cars sold in the UK having a CO2
level of 140 grams per kilometre or less. With assumed success
of the European Voluntary Agreement in mind the DfT have assumed
CO2 savings.
Changing travel behaviour
Some progress has been made implanting packages
of small-scale local initiatives designed to stimulate travel
behavioural change, although progress has been delivered incrementally
and not as part of a joined up package. Evidence suggests that
with an ambitious change scenario, car travel demand in peak hours
could be cut by 26%, the impact in a typical urban area could
be 33%, while the national impact could be 10%.[6]
Public Transport
Britain's railways are now more important than
at any period in the last 50 years, although despite sustained
investment by the government little action is being taken to increase
much needed capacity. It is essential that money already being
spent is used more efficiently by bringing unit costs down. To
achieve this, a number of measures are necessary: greater transparency
of rail costs; better procurement; and better planning and management
of works.
Travel by rail produces significantly less carbon
dioxide emissions than road transport. A rail journey from London
to Edinburgh produces over 82% less carbon dioxide emissions than
one taken by road.[7]
Bus services are declining around the country
outside of London. In London bus journeys rose by 25% from 1991-92
and 2001-02, while outside of London bus journeys fell by 21%
between 1982 and 2001-02.[8]
Currently one in three of all bus journeys take place within London
while forthcoming research by Transport 2000 suggest that that
figure could rise to on in two.
Whether the DfT's carbon reduction target is underpinned
by a coherent strategy stretching across the department's entire
range of activities
Meeting the DfT's reduction target relies on
a coherent strategy. Lack of coherence can be seen in a number
of key areas:
Fair analysis of Rail costs
Current appraisal of rail projects does not
include the full benefits while inflating likely costs. The current
system of incremental benefit to cost ratios has been subject
to significant criticism of late. It is essential that rail and
road projects and any rail closures are assessed on the same basis,
and include the full benefits of rail, including carbon reductions.
Road building
Approximately 200 schemes have been approved
in the last five years, with many schemes predicting or experiencing
significant traffic growth after completion. The A34 Newbury Bypass,
for example, has experienced significant traffic growth. Four
years after completion of the scheme, traffic has increased on
the road by 18%,[9]
while national traffic levels rose over the same period by approximately
5%. Although it is now a requirement under New Approach To Appraisal
(NATA) for project appraisal to quantify carbon emissions, there
is very little analysis of the effects of road building of carbon
emissions.
Land Use Planning
Planning policies at local, regional and national
levels have a large impact on setting transport infrastructure
and changing travel behaviour and as such should be used as part
of climate change reduction strategies. Present planning standards
and guidance enable new commercial and residential development
which is both low densities with high levels of parking. As such,
current planning policies minimise walking, cycling and the use
of public transport. "Smarter Growth" programmes currently
in operation in the USA suggest that significant reductions in
emissions can be gained by integrating transport.
Whether the current balance of expenditure between
the DfT's objectives adequately reflects the environmental challenges
it faces
Current DfT expenditure is predominantly based
on reducing congestion and increasing productivity with expenditure
to reduce carbon from the transport sector a distant third.
What realistically the DfT could achieve by 2010
and 2020 in terms of reducing transport related carbon emissions,
and the role that demand management should play in doing so
Changing Travel Behaviour
Through packages of small-scale local initiatives
designed to stimulate travel behavioural change could deliver
significant carbon savings from the transport sector. By 2010,
by implementing such measures 31% of the anticipated carbon savings
from the 10 Year Transport Plan combined together with the European
Voluntary Agreement to reduce CO2 from cars produced
in EU could be achieved.[10]
Road pricing
It is essential that any future road pricing
scheme must have reducing carbon emissions from transport at its
core. The current road pricing scheme in operation in London as
a congestion charge has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 19%
and congestion by 30% in the charging zone.
In addition a number of the measures listed
below will have an impact by 2020.
What specific steps that the Department for Transport
should take to reduce road transport carbon emissions over the
next decade
1. Tax reforms
— Use fuel duty and other taxes
to keep motoring costs constant rather than falling; any money
raised should go into funding transport and local facilities like
post offices to reduce the need for travel.
— Introduce a more steeply graduated
Vehicle Excise Duty system with seven bands and bigger gaps between
them, linked to a labelling system giving clear information to
car buyers (as with fridges etc).
— Introduce a graduated purchase
tax scheme, with purchase taxes on gas guzzlers balanced by grants
or tax rebates for the least polluting vehicles.
— Work with Norwich Union and
other insurers to promote pay-as-you-drive insurance.
2. Incentives for changing travel patterns
The Government is already vigorously promoting
school travel plans and a similar degree of vigour must be applied
to influencing other travel behaviour.
— Influence business and commuter
travel, through corporate tax credits and industrial building
allowance changes as incentives for workplace travel plan measures;
business rate bills showing the true cost of commercial car parking
to businesses and reform of business rates to charge car parking
more and shop frontages less; promoting and funding workplace
travel plans actively through Regional Development Agencies; grants
regimes and business advice; and a loyalty card to give rewards
for less car-based travel to businesses and major leisure providers.
— Influence shopping and leisure
journeys through visitor travel plans for leisure facilities;
support for public transport services for tourist areas; and business
rates supplements for retail and leisure car parking.
— Influence general travel patterns
through programmes of personalised journey planning (shown in
trials to produce significant reductions in car travel); car clubs,
giving people access to cars when they need them, without the
problems of ownership; and car sharing through support for groups
such as Liftshare and through employer schemes, to increase average
vehicle occupancy (which has been falling).
3. Roads and road user charging
We need to see road user charging schemes introduced
on existing roads using existing technology, working towards a
national scheme. Key requirements are to:
— Actively design a national scheme
to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, not just congestion.
— Target schemes at the areas
where traffic growth is highest.
— Grade charges according to emissions
or weight of vehicles.
— Use the money raised to pay
for alternatives to car travel and other incentives.
— Experiment with early adopter
schemes allowing drivers to pay road charges and reduced fuel
duty, as planned for some states in the US and building on the
Norwich Union trials of pay-as-you-drive insurance.
— As part of this, review the
road building programme to remove schemes that will generate increased
traffic and carbon dioxide emissions.
4. Land use planning
Land use planning and the density and layout
of development can have a huge influence on travel patterns and
carbon dioxide emissions from transport. Planning policies at
local, regional and national levels should be used as part of
climate change reduction strategies. National government must:
— Tighten planning standards and
guidance so that new commercial and residential development is
high density (with low levels of parking) and maximises walking
and cycling retain to strengthen controls on out of town retail
and business parks.
— Ensure new residential development
has a wide range of local community facilities and services within
walking or cycling distance to reduce the need to travel. Protect/fund
key local facilities such as shops, post offices, banks, etc.
— Design new development with
good walking, cycling and public transport links as well as well-designed,
secure cycle parking facilities.
— Support car clubs with reserved
parking; implement them as a standard feature of new residential
developments.
— Include climate change targets
as a shared priority in Local Transport Plans.
5. Speed management
Savings in emissions and road casualties from
lower speeds need to be considered together and speed management
needs to be part of the Government's climate change programme.
— Reduce the single carriageway
limit from 60 to 50 mph.
— Enforce motorway limits and
roll out variable lower limits, which can tackle emissions (by
ensuring smoother traffic flows) as well as reducing congestion.
— Progress in-car adaptive speed
limiters (linked to "early adopter" scheme for road
user charging and pay-as-you-drive insurance).
— Change car designs to adapt
them to have a limited top speed of 70 mph while generally working
more efficiently at lower speeds.
— Introduce a programme of driver
training to encourage more responsible driving behaviour.
— Reduce speed limits in towns
and villages to promote walking and cycling.
6. Freight
Carbon dioxide emissions from freight travelling
by road rose by 48% between 1990 and 2002. More efficient use
of freight transport, better road freight management and transfer
from road and air to rail and water all need to be part of any
serious climate change strategy. The Government should:
— Promote regional sourcing, for
food and construction materials especially, with grants for appropriate
infrastructure (eg local abattoirs) and regulation (eg on maximum
journey limits for live animals).
— Promote collaboration and shared
infrastructure along the whole of the supply chain, with targets
and strategies to increase the use of capacity in lorries and
vans, reduce empty running and in particular support smaller businesses.
— Promote investment in rail and
inland/coastal water freight infrastructure through grants and
planning frameworks that encourage alternatives to the lorry.
— Review airport expansion plans
based on increased air freight.
— Strengthen requirements for
new industrial development to be sited with links to rail/water
for the movement of freight.
— Promote awareness raising of
consumers of the consequences of their purchasing decisions for
the long distance transport of goods.
7. Public transport
There is an urgent need to develop the quality
and quantity of public transport networks so they become an attractive
alternative for car journeys and improve accessibility for those
without cars. The Government should:
— Promote more travelcards and
multi-operator tickets, and change the Competition Act to give
a presumption in favour of operator co-operation on tickets and
timetables.
— Set up national programmes to
improve interchanges (between different services and between public
transport and other modes) and connections, and to increase accessibility
and actual and perceived personal security for public transport
users (all of these are key to persuading car users to use public
transport more).
— Increase the density of the
public transport network (ie make services serve more places at
a wider range of times) by increased grants and funding, incentivising
operators to grow business and setting minimum standards/levels
of service.
— Review taxi licensing so as
to integrate taxis fully within public transport networks.
— Promote bus priority schemes
to increase bus efficiencies (for example by giving strategic
highway powers to PTAs).
— Fund rail capacity enhancements
such as passing loops and longer platforms/trains and also (cost-effective)
tram schemes.
8. Walking and cycling
Switching journeys from cars to walking and
cycling offers significant potential savings in transport greenhouse
gas emissions (as well as reducing obesity and heart disease),
because they offer an alternative to the 60% of car journeys under
five miles.
— Provide better conditions for
walking and cycling, creating national, regional and local safe
routes and networks, including lower speed limits (with a 20 mph
default limit for most urban roads), Home Zones/Quiet Lanes etc
where pedestrians and cyclists have priority and feel safer, links
to (and cycle parking provision at) key destinations, redesigned
junctions and roundabouts, and proper enforcement of road traffic
law.
— Better integrate walking/cycling
and wider transport and planning activity, including investing
in integrating cycling with public transport, links with school
and employer travel plans, town centre access, etc, as well as
road safety awareness campaigns that encourage increased cycling
and walking.
— Provide more funding for cycle
training and promotion, including removing VAT from cycles, cycling
equipment and services like cycle training, and more revenue resources
for promotional activities (Bike Week, Walk to School Week, etc),
individualised marketing and travel awareness campaigns.
9. Cleaner vehicles and fuels
As well as graduated VED and a graduated purchase
tax, further action is needed to promote cleaner vehicles and
fuels:
— Increase grants for clean vehicles.
— Work towards legally binding
and extended EU agreements to improve fuel economy and promote
carbon dioxide reductions.
— Promote alternative fuels using
tax breaks and capital allowances and specifying standards through
the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to promote the development
and deployment of advanced biofuels. Environmental certification
is necessary to avoid undue environmental consequences within
the production cycle, to ensure overall carbon dioxide emissions
savings, and to continue to protect land for food production given
future shifts brought by climate change, and the need to minimise
food miles.
— Support research and development
on hydrogen and fuel cell technology (though this is a long term
prospect).
In all these areas, the Government needs to
review appraisal of transport schemes to ensure that it gives
full priority to reducing carbon emissions.
March 2006
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DfT/National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory 2004. Back
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W S Atkins, Movement Framework for Newbury 2005. Back
10
Anable J, Cairns S, Sloman L, Kirkbride A, Newson C, Goodwin
P (2205) "Smarter Choices and Carbon Emissions". Back
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