Transport ‘systems’

1. Transport ‘systems’ ‘Discuss how transport can be designed to be more sustainable’ 15 mark question from June 2011

2. Sustainability… Sustainable development is …

3. What are problems with road traffic? • Watch the following 2 videos… • The costs of congestion… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyJdfY4d3eM (1 minute 15 to 3 minutes) • Congestion in India/China/Vietnam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4phFYiMGCIY

4. What can be done? • Tax ownership of cars… • Additional registration fee (Singapore) (3’00 – 4’00) • What is this meant to do? Will it always work? • Tax road use • Car tax (UK) http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/the-cost-of-vehicle-tax-for-cars-motorcycles-light-goods-vehicles-and-trade-licences • ERP (Electronic road pricing) (Singapore) • Congestion Charge (London) (see book) • Newcastle??? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYVtvthnJGo • High fuel taxation (UK)

5. Encourage people to car-share • E.g. Multiple occupancy lanes (Leeds) • Reduction in car park spaces • Car-share reward schemes (e.g. Asda) • Invest in new, cleaner technologies… break the power of car companies.. Or… Honda. • Encourage people to cycle • Cycle priority lanes, Cycle paths, employer contributions and loans (cycle to work scheme) • ‘Boris bikes’ in London • Multi-storey cycle parks!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAOLYhPZdZE • Cycle safety classes

6. Adequate and viable alternatives • Public transport – pull factors • Cheap • Safe? • Frequent service • Or…Planning from scratch – China

7. High – speed development http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix7Av9PEa-8 – promotional video, China now media-savvy (for A2 students only)

8. Travel times

9. Suggested answer… • There should be recognition of the links to sustainability and an attempt to define this with regard to the long term nature of transport systems and their ability not to damage the environment. Currently there may be issues with both aspects. • The question seeks to address how the sustainability aspect can be met. • Answers are likely to focus on the use of cars that seek to reduce emissions either via smaller engines or the use of hybrids that run partly on petrol and partly on biofuels – such as Saab BioPower using petrol and biethanol with a 70% reduction in carbon emissions. • There are strategies that seek to give financial reward to motorists driving greener cars – such as reduced congestion charge in London for battery powered cars and larger 4x4s taxed at a higher rate. Road tax also operates a similar sliding scale as do certain types of fuel with less tax on LPG – roughly 30p per litre tax versus 50p per litre in 2007. • There are many attempts to get people cycling and onto public transport so that more people are transported at once. This means the need to increase the efficiency of such systems such as creating a network of cycle lanes and the mayor’s plan for London and improvements to buses, tube, stations, railway stations, DLR etc. This is in conjunction with making the car less attractive via the congestion charge, as is charging large amounts for parking. The use of trams has been adopted in a number of cities such as Manchester and Sheffield. • Ensuring reliability, long hours and appropriate standards of vehicles should seek to ensure sustainability.