Transports of delight

The mayor wants Londoners to travel lighter. Cue hybrid buses, solar stations and yet more cycling...

Some people think of us just as a provider of transport services, like buses,” says Transport for London’s Helen Woolston. “But we’re responsible for sustainable transport inits entirety.”

As one of the delivery bodies for Ken Livingstone’s Climate Change Action Plan, that means helping meet the tough target of slashing carbon dioxide output by a massive 60% by 2025, across the 33 Londonboroughs. To help TfL deliver the transport element of this, it has agreed a cool £25 million Climate Change Fund for the next three years, to help pump prime carbon reduction projects. How does the organisation plan to do it?

Techno-fixes

Investment in technology will be key: by 2012, every London bus is to have a hybrid diesel- electric engine that saves around 30% of fuel consumption. In the future, some may run on hydrogen or ethanol. On the Underground, new trains are on their way, with ‘regenerative braking’ which returns energy to the track, saving energy demand by up to 25%. The rails are likely to be different, too, to minimise energy loss and allow for more efficient voltage management. London Underground is even looking into equipping some stations with solar panels.

There’s a lot going on inside stations and offices as well. Staff are competing in a friendly battle to deliver the best energy savings through building management, improvementsin heating and lighting, and by reducing escalator energy consumption. Charing Cross was the proud winner of the Station Energy Challenge this year, but the initiative hasbrought a 14% cut in stations’ energy consumption since 2000. “They get really competitive,” admits Woolston. She used to be an environmental management advisor for blue chip companies before moving into local government and then TfL, and sees this sort of project as vital in motivating staff.

Out of their cars

She’s heartened at how far TfL has come in its work so far: “We’ve already achieved an 83% increase in cycling since 2000 and we’re the only city to have achieved a 4% modal shift from private cars to more sustainable transport.” With 27 million journeys a day in London, almost half of them by car, 4% is hugely significant. But there’s a lot more to do if the 60% carbon dioxide reduction target is to be reached.

"With 27 million journeys a day in London, almost half of them by private car, bringing a 4% modal shift from cars to sustainable transport is good going"

Progress would be limited without the sophisticated mix of carrots and sticks to drive behavioural change among passengers. The Legible London project will be pointing out that feet are more efficient (and faster) than wheels for getting from A to a variety of Bs. TfL is also currently consulting on whether or not to vary the congestion charge according to the CO2 output of cars, as well as providing tips to help drivers make essential car journeys in a more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly way.

Behaviour change is at the heart of a £5 million investment in the borough of Sutton [see above, right]. “Sutton was selected because it had already shown the political will to help its citizens live more sustainably,” says Helen. “My hope is that one day, every day will feel like a school holiday on London’s roads, with far less traffic than we see today.” –Trevor Lawson

Transport for London is a Forum for the Future partner.

20 September 2007

Trevor Lawson