MPs say people will have to get out of their cars

[fastpedaller]

And we continue to build more roads, and car manufacturers continue to promote more product with lease sales and scrappage deals.
What we need are a few more CYCLISTS & WALKERS ONLY cafe's (no motorists allowed )

[poetd]

Agree totally on more cyclists, but electric cars will make a massive difference - especially in many countries where a "short" journey is measured in the tens if not hundreds of miles and cycling isn't a sensible option.

The timely emergence of electric cars reminds of a previous time when every city and major town had a huge environmental problem that no-one had a solution to: horse crap.
It was everywhere as everything was delivered and transported by horses. It piled up faster than it could be cleared.
When it rained it would wash into peoples houses, spreading filth and disease.

No-one had any idea what to do to solve it, until the invention of the motor car which saved us from that impending environmental disaster.

Resourceful bunch us humans.

[Samuel D]

Interesting. It shows me a picture of a crowded motorway in flickering low sun. Targetted media at the BBC?

Scroll down? I see that picture too.

[mjr]

Agree totally on more cyclists, but electric cars will make a massive difference - especially in many countries where a "short" journey is measured in the tens if not hundreds of miles and cycling isn't a sensible option.

How might we head that off and have more e-bikes and e-motorbikes instead of a headlong plunge into oversize private one-per-person electric cars? Especially in many countries where a short journey is really short.

[mjr]

Interesting. It shows me a picture of a crowded motorway in flickering low sun. Targetted media at the BBC?

Scroll down? I see that picture too.

Nope, only the motorway shown to me!

[Samuel D]

Interesting. It shows me a picture of a crowded motorway in flickering low sun. Targetted media at the BBC?

Scroll down? I see that picture too.

Nope, only the motorway shown to me!

Huh. It’s not the point of this discussion, but here’s how it looks at my end. Not a very relatable image of cycling to go with the caption, “The report says we should be cycling more”.

[mjr]

Partly answering myself, it seems from the 2018 Climate Change Committee Progress Report to Parliament that power generation industries have lowered emissions much more than individuals. Industrial uses have made modest reductions but Transport is the biggest contributor not reducing at all. So is it fair to expect individuals to do some stuff now too?

Those stats don't tell the whole story.

Sure, the power industry have made the biggest cuts, but when they are the largest contributors by a LONG way ( example https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... nteractive ) - then they still need to do more and more pressure needs applying.

That link dates from 2013 when power was just starting its nosedive on the graph but was still the biggest UK contributor. As far as I see on the 2018 report graphs, by 2017, Transport was the biggest UK contributor and increasing, then Industry (falling slightly), then Buildings (almost flat), then Power, followed by Agriculture (almost flat). Does anything you have in your bookmarks say that power is still the largest contributor now?

I'm sure this isn't the whole story, but old data and mentioning "some estimates" in passing without saying what surely isn't the whole story either.

[poetd]

Agreed.
And the likes of you and I will never know the true figures anyway, about any of this, so it's as much emotive as it is fact based.

I have no issue doing my part, we've made a mess and I'm happy to help with the clear up.
I just hate being made to feel like it's ALL my fault when we all know perfectly well that industry can buy a blind eye from those supposed to oversee them and get away with literally murdering entire species, habitats, countries, and who knows maybe an entire planet.

[mikeonabike]

According to "No Planet B", using 2018 UK statistics, the biggest use of energy is transport: 38% of the total.

Truth is of course that we need to use less energy in all sectors.

[atlas_shrugged]

Yes the MP select group did say the public should get out of their cars.

Irresponsibly the MPs did not put forward a realistic alternative for the public to use. They mentioned public transport which is one of the most serious polluters of our cities, not to mention the expense, and the unreliable service. Stagecoach themselves acknowledge that bus usage is falling by 7% each year and this is with 100% subsidy for the over 60's.

Irresponsibly MPs themselves use chauffer driven limousines with darkened windows to transport themselves in London when they could use the heavily subsidised public transport which is much better in London than other areas of the country.

To find out how bad public transport is in the UK I did a test during LEL. Knowing the fondness of one of the cycle mechanics preference for pringles I bought two tubes and in Cambs gave these to two different cyclists to pass on at Lough (Lincs). Both cyclists delivered (one at 00:30 and one at 04:00) before public transport would have been able to deliver. The hapless public transport courier would have been shivering in his bus shelter at 7:00am before the first bus to take him the last 10 miles to Lough.

The public need to make point-to-point journeys which are fast, comfortable, and provide some protection from extreme weather. We have sustainable vehicles that can do this but we do not have safe, uninterrupted infrastructure. In NL, D, B, A they have already started to build this infrastructure that connects cities and towns. So this is possible. We need to prioritise Active travel before Slovenly travel.

[Oldjohnw]

It's hard to fault the views expressed in this report whilst deploring the lack of action at government level - without which progress is limited. But we also need to reduce our demands in pretty well every aspect of life: new this and that, meat, flights, cars, electric stuff, milk, restaurants, domestic energy consumption.

Btw, only ministers, not MPs, get chauffeur driven limos, unless they have private means.

[atlas_shrugged]

Nope.

Diane Abbot was picked up outside Westminster by a chauffeur driven limousine with darkened windows. She was not a minister and labour were not in power at the time.

Remember they are very important and we are nobodies.

Last time I crossed London was on a Brompton and it was brilliant. I did 8 miles around the south circular and saw 2 urban foxes. It was at 4:00am and no way would I do this journey at day time.

[Tangled Metal]

What about carbon / pollution making electric cars? Is it a lot less than ICE cars? I only ask because I thought a high proportion of the carbon footprint of ICE cars is in production. Has this carbon footprint and pollution in the manufacture of electric cars reduced significantly from ICE production? If not then are electric cars really the solution?

Serious question. Electric cars are better than ICE cars definitely but are they really a long term solution? What percentage of the ICE car's lifetime pollution is the level of pollution of the electric car? Anyone seen such figures?

Electric bikes, mopeds and motorbikes might be a better option. Or electric mass transportation systems.

[Tangled Metal]

Or even better, reduced travel demand. Home working where possible. End people commuting halfway across the south east or down the country each day. Or tele-conferencing instead of actually visiting clients (whether across the world, across Europe, across the country or even next town).

[reohn2]

What about carbon / pollution making electric cars? Is it a lot less than ICE cars? I only ask because I thought a high proportion of the carbon footprint of ICE cars is in production. Has this carbon footprint and pollution in the manufacture of electric cars reduced significantly from ICE production? If not then are electric cars really the solution?

Serious question. Electric cars are better than ICE cars definitely but are they really a long term solution? What percentage of the ICE car's lifetime pollution is the level of pollution of the electric car? Anyone seen such figures?

Electric bikes, mopeds and motorbikes might be a better option. Or electric mass transportation systems.

The answer isn't electric cars other than for some journeys,the answer is public transport along with active travel.
The problem is capitalism in it's present unbridled free rein form,which means it's a political problem,government won't put the necessary restrictions on private car use because they're afraid they'll be voted out next GE and the present stupid government of the past decade is being funded by the companies causing the problems!
What's needed is a cross party agreement on a sustainable transport system,which we know won't happen so things will only get worse until such times we're all choking,by then it'll be too late.
Mean while Europe is streets ahead of this backward and stupid nation.