Good day my good friend.
This last weekend has been relatively uneventful. Which in my book makes for a good weekend. Whilst the hustle and bustle of getting out, seeing things, doing things, and being places was definitely my thing in my 20s, my 40s is somewhat different. Where sitting in the quiet of my home office and reading pretty much does the same thing (and gives much needed rest following dog walking duties).
I guess that as we go through life, what gives us happiness and energy changes. It might explain why I’ve turned to liking public transport even more as I have gotten older – its less hassle (when it works)!
If you like this newsletter, please share it with someone else who you think will love it. The main way my audience grows is through your recommendations. I will love you forever if you do. 😍
James Gleave
☁ Clean Air Zones Work
Looking at the popular media, you would think that initiatives to tackle air pollution are about as popular as pulling teeth. The likes of The Sun and Daily Telegraph have been taking aim at councils for implementing them, usually with tired cliches like “hard-working motorists” and “town hall zealots” spouted from transport experts who have never done anything meaningful in the field apart from be on the end of the phone whenever a national newspaper needs a quote. Only The Guardian seems to go into bat for the pro-clean air side.
I don’t doubt for a second that things like Clean Air Zones and the Ultra Low Emission Zone are not popular at least in some quarters. But in tackling air pollution in our cities – which results in around 7 million premature deaths globally – what matters is what works. And there appears to be evidence that such initiatives are working in reducing air pollution.
Source: Universe Today
In a report on the first year of the operation of the Bristol Clean Air Zone (CAZ), the results are very interesting indeed. Across all of Bristol, concentrations of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) dropped by nearly 10% in a year on average, and dropped by around 13% within the CAZ area. And this is despite more vehicles entering the CAZ area over the course of the year, caused in part by a higher percentage of vehicles being compliant with the CAZ standard (up from 84% to 89%).
Naturally, the media focussed on how much money the City Council was raking in. They also focus on how some roads have seen increases in traffic, without reporting that air pollution has also improved on those roads. I’m not saying that displacement does not cause issues, including for the most vulnerable, but the overall policy objective of improving air quality is still being met.
The impact of the introduction of the low emission zone in London is well documented. While the report impact of the Inner London expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone has been questioned, the review of academic literature of the low emission zone and congestion charge zone and their impacts on air quality is conclusive. Generally, they lower concentrations of key pollutants.
The often-criticised Birmingham Clean Air Zone even showed some positive results in its first six months of operation, with an average reduction in NO2 levels of 13%. Like Bristol, vehicle compliance jumped from around 80% to 89%.
Collectively, what this shows is that in the short term, Clean Air Zones and similar initiatives appear to reduce levels of pollutants damaging to those who live in and visit cities. It is logical to assume that at least part of this is due to greater compliance with vehicle emission standards within the charging areas, but the impacts due to modal shift or people changing their travel patterns entirely may also play a role.
The long term impacts will be known once these schemes have been in place for some time, and the impacts of any adjustments to the scheme are considered (e.g. increases in vehicle charges). We also do not know what the impact is in terms of equalities.
This may be a case of a series of schemes actually achieving what their stated policy goal is: to reduce levels of harmful pollutants in our cities. I daresay that they actually work. They may be somewhat blunt instruments, but sometimes even a blunt knife can cut it. Maybe more places where air pollution is a problem, and there are many, should start taking this policy idea seriously.
What you can do: If you are looking to make the case for a Clean Air Zone, you should take the impact reports mentioned above, and identify areas where you live where air pollution is an issue. Talk to your local council and their air quality officers about the feasibility of delivering such a zone. And if not, what else can be done to improve air quality.
If you have an existing Clean Air Zone, the Birmingham Clean Air Zone has some excellent resources for initiatives that you can take, like anti-idling campaigns or helping local employers.
👩🎓 From academia
The clever clogs at our universities have published the following excellent research. Where you are unable to access the research, email the author – they may give you a copy of the research paper for free.
Trends in scrappage and survival of U.S. light-duty vehicles
TL:DR – Vehicle fleet turnover will affect the impact of emissions standards and electrification in tackling climate change. The trends are that people are keeping vehicles for longer.
The long journey to equity: A comparative policy analysis of US electric micromobility programs
TL:DR – There is a real chance that new tech perpetuates old inequalities. This paper seeks to take lessons from early delivery of e-scooters.
TL:DR – The policies adopted during COVID-19 have not done good things for the mobility of older people.
Does telecommuting reduce trip-making? Evidence from a U.S. panel during the COVID-19 pandemic
TL:DR – People shift their travel patterns in strange ways.
✊ Awesome people doing awesome things
Many councillors get discretionary funding, which they can use to make improvements to their local area. Before you ask, I don’t get this as a Town Councillor, but I know District Councillors have used this funding to donate to local foodbanks and fund local support groups. Councillor Andrew Bolger (of Fianna Fáil) used his to fund a new pedestrian crossing on Clonattin Road in Gorey, Ireland. Apparently the build outs are there right now, and the rest of the crossing will be there soon. Well done Andrew!.
📺 On the (You)Tube
Yes, this has a tenuous link to transport at best. But I don’t care. Oversimplified is one of the best YouTube channels out there, and its just dropped two videos on the Second Punic War. The one where Hannibal crossed the Alps and went on a rampage through the Roman Empire. As with all of their videos, they are brilliant.
📻 On the Wireless
The often-excellent Well There’s Your Problem podcast released an episode on the De Havilland Comet just before Christmas. Its a funny story of the very first jet airliner, and its issues with breaking apart in flight. I studied at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, where the Comet was built, and the story of the Comet (as well as the De Havilland aerospace company) is everywhere in the town. So this episode was very interesting to me!
📆 See you later
This Friday, I will be hosting the Scottish Rural and Islands Transport Community’s Cafe, starting at 10am (GMT). Taking over from the always-excellent Jenny Milne is no mean feat, but luckily I have Sharon Payne from Transport East and Jeff Pyrah from Rother District Council coming to talk about the excellent work they are doing in rural transport.
Please come along and join in the fun. And bring your own cake!
📚 Random things
These links are meant to make you think about the things that affect our world in transport, and not just think about transport itself. I hope that you enjoy them.
- China Told Women to Have Babies, but Its Population Shrank Again (New York Times)
- You Will Miss the Pizza Delivery Driver (The Atlantic)
- How America accidentally made a free-money machine for banks (The Economist)
- Your Burnout Is Trying to Tell You Something (Harvard Business Review)
- Right-wing populist parties have risen. Populism hasn’t. (Good Authority)
📰 The bottom of the news
Car meets have been doing the rounds on the local Facebook groups recently. They are meetings of people wanting to share and show-off their cars, or marauding gangs of hoodlums depending on who you believe. But there are good people in all groups. And Ciro Ciampi of Bedford set up a car meet focussed on discussing mental health and encouraging men to open up about how they feel and their issues. What a brilliant initiative.
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