Greener Vision TKH Page 7

We must think outside the delivery box before it’s too late

Published on: 10th November 2020 by Oliver Lord.

Most of us are breathing toxic fumes the minute we step outside our front door. With a rise in e-commerce, we need a concerted effort to decarbonise our transport system and clean up our air. Polluting diesel vans are rattling around the country more than ever before. Last year, annual van traffic rose to a…

Veterans of the railways want fair fares for all

Published on: 5th November 2020 by Simon Jones.

Waiting for a rail review to conclude can take as long as the wait for the trains to arrive. In 2019 we were expecting change to our daily commute with more integration, so things were sorted out quicker when things went wrong. And after several false dawns, Covid hit, and recommendations in an unpublished review,…

Meeting the challenge for a healthier future

Published on: 3rd November 2020 by Katy Taylor.

Coronavirus has caused myriad problems that will be with us for many years to come. We shouldn’t allow rising pollution and poorer air quality to add to that list. But the numbers speak for themselves. Go-Ahead’s train services on GTR and Southeastern are only carrying around one-third of passengers compared to last year. Bus passenger numbers are better but still only 55%. Meanwhile car use has been on the rise and is now over 90%, despite recession and increased…

The new transport agenda – the new normal

Published on: 29th October 2020 by David Davies.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had terrible consequences, for people and the economy. We may have a vaccine soon but and the crisis is far from over and more restrictions and adaptation seem inevitable. How will this impact decarbonisation of transport? The pandemic has changed the transport realities, perhaps irreversibly. Now, more than at any stage…

Climate change respects no boundaries

Published on: 26th October 2020 by Claire Haigh.

In this moment of acute crisis for the UK, with Covid raging and Brexit threatening to tear the four nations apart, the concept of the Union will need to be completely rethought. At the same time, a crisis of unimaginable scale is coming down the line which the UK will have a critical role to…

Home Truths: Why we must end our dependance on home deliveries for online shopping

Published on: 22nd October 2020 by Tim Robinson.

The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted us all to think about new and innovative ways to improve health, space and the way we move around. It has also encouraged us to think differently about how we shop, including the increased use of click and collect services as a way to reduce our exposure to others during…

Getting on track for the decarbonisation of UK rail

Published on: 19th October 2020 by Phil Bulman.

In April this year, the Department for Transport published a policy paper, setting out its intentions for decarbonising UK transport. However, with Government’s much-needed rail electrification programme recently put on hold due to a lack of funding, is it serious about achieving net zero transport emissions by 2050? And what needs to be done to reach…

Imagine: A Transport System Based Around People

Published on: 15th October 2020 by Jamie Driscoll.

Imagine public transport so good that you’d rather not use your car. Imagine a system that was designed to move people rather than vehicles. Imagine a system that allows people to get wherever they want, whenever they want, without having to adapt their work & leisure to suit the availability or cost of transport. In…

The Journey to Zero Carbon

Published on: 13th October 2020 by Joan Walley.

This month the Leopard pub in my hometown of Burslem closed its doors and was put up for sale by the brewery. Calling last orders on a much loved local hostelry in a town that drove the industrial revolution with its ceramic manufacturers, its coal and its clay is seen locally as much as a…

Decarbonising access through supply-led demand

Published on: 8th October 2020 by Glenn Lyons.

Climate emergency declarations are like a rash. There was a pre-COVID sense of urgency developing, energised by the movement led by Greta Thunberg. According to a 2019 survey, 79% of EU citizens saw climate change as a very serious problem (up from 74% in 2017). The transport sector is the tough nut to crack if…

We must act now, even if it is already too late

Published on: 6th October 2020 by Rt Hon Norman Baker.

Sometimes it is hard not to be fatalistic. Climate change is gathering pace, a trend that can only increase as the poles melt and the frozen permafrost of the tundra releases its massive store of methane. Our oceans are full of plastic, including microplastics in vast quantities that are killing aquatic life and entering the…

The importance of active travel to economic and environmental recovery

Published on: 1st October 2020 by Hannah Bartram.

Earlier this year, the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) published its policy position on active travel and a further policy position on e-scooters. Hannah Bartram, Chief Operating Officer for ADEPT talks about the importance of active travel and argues that it is key to economic and environmental recovery. Active travel…