Sunday, June 15, 2003

CARS STINK

It looks like open season on the internal combustion engine.

detroit demo

Last week saw this rather impressive banner raising event in Detroit, home of the US car industry. It was organised by the Rainforest Action Network. You can read more about the campaign with a click of the mouse.

Meanwhile, much has been made of the summit held by UK Transport Secretary. It now seems that Alistair Darling has been converted to road pricing after initial scepticism. The current Government has never been overly enthusiastic about what many see as an infringement of personal freedom - the right to move (and stink up the atmosphere at the same time). Darling is now thought to be persuaded by the so far successful London congestion charge scheme (although it's still early days). Darling is looking at a more sophisticated system than London's cameras and database driven charge. He wants to lookat using satellite technology to track cars as they use the road network. The charges would be sophisticated, but based on the simple economic principle of supply and demand. The greater the demand (the worse the congestion) the higher the charge.

This has led to the right wing press bleating on about the school run and, the easy target has been the urban 4 wheel drive (always shining clean, instead of covered in mud, which you would expect an off-road vehicle to be) or Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs). But, it's as well to consider the full package (not fully worked out or decided upon yet). Darling has said he would look at reducing the road fund tax so that drivers are charged more on the basis of using a car rather than just for owning a car. It's quite remarkable how the Labour Party has now signed up to fairly radical economic pricing mechanisms which you would expect to be introduced by a right wing government. Road pricing is fine, if it can finely tuned to be reasonably fair to everyone. Also, I think the public will need to be convinced that the revenue will go towards improving the UK's crumbling public transport system.

There are understandable civil liberties issues with tracking individual cars, but I suggest you check out the detailed Commission for Integrated Transport web site for a full run down on the issues, including civil liberties. The site has some good links to other road pricing schemes around the UK and the world. I've had some experience with the system in Singapore which uses simple sensors on gantries as you enter the city centre. The gantries "talk" to smart cards in the car. The scheme has been very successful in reducing congestion and raising revenue for transport projects.

What it comes down is that we have got to do something to reduce car use. We cannot build more roads. Technology can only go so far as to better utilise what road space we have. Ditto on pollution, though I think the days of the internal combustion engine are numbered - twenty, may be thrity, years. I can see alternative or hybrid systems becoming more prevalent (or am I being too optimistic?) The technology is certainly there for alternative fuels: it's the economics that just don't quite work yet.

On the issue of SUVs/4x4, I'm fed up with these beasts which give security and comfort to the drivers, but are a great risk to car drivers (not to mention cyclists and pedestrians). You can't see over or around the buggers. Who wins in an accident between a car and an SUV? They are also poor when it comes to fuel efficiency. I'm going to start a campaign sticking stickers on these monsters pointing out how dangerous to life they are. I hope Greenpeace are on the case.

:: Posted by pete @ 13:07