PA Media Wed 28 Apr 2021
The Treasury cannot explain how it will manage declines in tax revenues worth £37bn from fossil fuels as the UK shifts to a clean economy, MPs have warned.
Meeting the net zero goal to curb global temperature rises and tackle the climate crisis requires cutting emissions as close to zero as possible and offsetting any remaining pollution with steps such as planting trees.
It will mean significant shifts in how people live their lives in the next few years, including ending sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and shifting to electric vehicles – which will eat into the £28bn a year in fuel duty revenues.
The committee said the Treasury had told the MPs the government did not have a plan for the reduction in tax revenue on fossil fuels and greenhouse gases, which, in addition to fuel duty, includes £9bn of other taxes.
Paymile scheme ‘should be mandatory by 2030’ – future Net Zero
A new report discussed by MPs considers road pricing as the most effective way to tackle air pollution and congestion
A new report submitted to the Transport Select Committee by academic group Greener Transport Solutions suggests a pay-per-mile scheme should be mandatory by as early as 2030.
The report suggests road pricing could be an effective way to offset lost revenues from the switch to electric vehicles (EVs).
It adds the scheme could also hold the key to issues such as congestion and low air quality.
It also notes policymakers should consider allowing EV drivers to opt into the scheme from 2023 to incentivise electrification of transport and encourage more motorists to ditch petrol and diesel cars.
London reviews ways of EV charging procurement – transportxtra
30 April 2021
Thousands of London’s EV chargepoints have been delivered through two procurement frameworks but a more open marketplace is now being explored.
The capital’s approach to chargepoint provision is explained in a joint submission to the CMA from London Councils, Transport for London, the Greater London Authority, and the Local Government Technical Advisers Group.
The capital currently has circa 6,000 public charge points, of which about 75 per cent have been funded with public…
City may make Covid measures permanent – transportxtra
Traffic Management
19 April 2021
The City of London Corporation is proposing to make permanent many of the temporary traffic management measures implemented during Covid-19.
The Corporation plans to retain a number of the traffic restrictions that operate between 07.00 to 19.00 Monday to Friday. These permit access to only emergency vehicles, refuse collection, and local authority services vehicles.
Cycling UK unveils new 150-mile off-road route for Cornwall | road.cc
West Kernow Way is fourth long-distance trail devised by the charity and will be ready to ride in September
Starting and finishing in Penzance, the West Kernow Way is designed to be ridden over three or four days and celebrates Cornwall’s landscape, culture and history.
PM and DfT set out plans for more bus lanes – transportxtra
The UK government has unveiled a £3bn transport strategy for England that it claims will lead to the creation of hundreds of miles of new bus lanes, fares with daily price caps and more evening and weekend services
The DfT said the government’s new bus strategy envisages passengers across England benefiting from bus services that are more frequent, reliable, easier to use and understand, better coordinated and cheaper.
Calls for investigation into ‘insidious cover-up culture’ at Highways England | New Civil Engineer
Internal emails sent between senior Highways England officials and members of the organisation’s Freedom of Information (FOI) team show deliberate attempts to obfuscate the FOI process, according to MPs and campaign groups.
In the emails – released to MPs and seen by NCE – Highways England officials discuss ways of “closing down the FOI/EIR [environmental information request] route in the future”.
The emails relate to an FOI request submitted by MP for Sefton Central Bill Esterson and campaign group Rimrose Valley Friends (RVF) in relation to the controversial A5036 Port of Liverpool access scheme that would demolish the 3.5km Rimrose Valley Country Park in Merseyside.
Specifically, Esterson had requested meeting notes between Highways England and stakeholders involved in the Port of Liverpool scheme.
Jan 2021) Clear Majority of New York City Voters Support Removing Car Parking to Build Streets for People — Transportation Alternatives
Results are a wake-up call to 2021 candidates: Reimagining streets isn’t just good policy, it’s good politics too.
January 26, 2021
Taken together, streets are the largest public space in New York City, adding up to an acreage nearly twice the size of the Bronx. More than three-quarters of that streetscape is dedicated to moving and storing vehicles. But for all the space given over to cars, only a minority of New Yorkers own one, and less than one in three trips citywide involve a car. This inequity is stark. The status quo must end.
A new poll, commissioned by Transportation Alternatives and conducted by the Siena College Research Institute, details New York City voters’ wide support for addressing that inequity and converting street space for more safe, equitable, and vibrant neighborhood use. The survey reveals that a majority of voters from households that own cars broadly support many of these street improvements too. With the 2021 elections approach, it’s clear that candidates running with a strong vision to reimagine New York City’s streetscape will have public opinion on their side.
Motorway bus lanes for west Edinburgh – transportxtra
9 April 2021
The citybound hard shoulder on part of the M8 and M9 in west Edinburgh are to be converted into bus lanes.
The lanes will run for four miles from a point south of junction 1 of the M9 to the Hermiston Gait roundabout (junction 1 of the M8).
Transport Scotland says the lanes should reduce bus journey times and improve reliability, particularly at junction 2 of the M8 and on the approach to Hermiston Gate where peak period congestion is a problem.
N Somerset drops plan to close rural roads to through traffic – transportxtra
19 April 2021
On 31 March the council published an order to prohibit through traffic from a network of 34 lanes between Clevedon, Yatton, Nailsea, Claverham and Backwell.
The intention of the ‘quiet rural lanes’ plan was to create a recreation space for cyclists and walkers and continue to give access to residents and businesses.
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