According to a report, electric cars will not solve the problem of transport



[ad_1]

A small electric car charging in London

According to one report, the use of the car will still have to be reduced even when all vehicles are powered by clean electricity.

He warns that electrifying cars will not solve congestion, urban sprawl and wasted parking spaces.

The report from the Research Center for Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS) urges the government to develop a strategy allowing people to have a good standard of living without the need for a car.

The government said it was spending 2 billion pounds to promote walking and cycling.

He also announced plans to spend £ 50 billion to improve the roads. However, critics accuse the government of not having a serious plan to deal with the social problems badociated with mbadive car ownership.

CREDS is an academic consortium of more than 80 academics from the UK.

"The use of the car is a huge blind spot on government policy," said Professor Jillian Anable, one of the report's authors.

She added, "For many years, ministers have adopted the principle of trying to meet demand by increasing road space.

"They must reduce the demand."

But what about people who depend on their cars?

The authors say that there will always be people who depend on the car, especially in the countryside or in the suburbs.

But, they point out that many young people in cities choose not to buy cars.

Instead, they use public transportation, walk, cycle, take minicabs and rent cars when they need them.

Multimedia playback is not supported on your device

Legend of the mediaSome common concerns about electric cars have been explained.

This more active lifestyle means less obesity, pollution and danger of the road – and greater sociability when people meet their neighbors on the way to work.

It also frees up parking spaces for more homes or gardens.

The authors say that the government should encourage others to follow the example of young people.

"It's a happy accident that car ownership is static in all age groups, with the exception of over 60s," says Professor Anable. "The government should take advantage of it."

How could we help people to live without a car?

She estimates that owning a car is a source of waste because cars are parked for 98% of their lifetime, with one-third of cars not going out every day.

"Once you own a car," she says, "the temptation is strong to use it even for single journeys.

"But it's a very expensive investment. If people do not have a car, they can spend money for something else.

"Often, once people start to live without a car, they wonder why they want one: a car is a mess."

According to her, ministers should prioritize walking, cycling, public transit and vehicle sharing as much as possible.

They should also encourage local councils to build residential complexes that are easy to access without a car.

This would also benefit the 25% of households without a car.

Will not electric cars be a good thing?

The report supports the government's efforts to phase out gasoline and diesel cars in the direction of net zero emissions.

But he says the schedule is too slow and may not be achieved anyway.

Copyright of the image
Getty Images

Legend

Sales of low-emission cars declined in the UK for the first time in two years, the industry said

Vehicle loading is a huge challenge, especially in urban areas where there is no off-street parking.

What's more, drivers tend to choose hybrid vehicles rather than pure electric cars – and this will limit the use of fossil fuels in the future.

People are also buying iconic SUVs that clutter the narrow streets of the city. According to the report, denying them access from certain areas could be a solution.

Will driverless cars be useful?

The other major technological change underway on the roads concerns driverless cars.

The report warns that this dream could also escalate, as car owners may choose to live miles away from their workplace, using their car as a mobile office while remaining in the traffic jams they helped create.

AA President Edmund King acknowledges that electric driverless cars could worsen congestion.

He told us: "The hell is that a driverless car comes in the city center, where there is no parking.

"The occupants come out to do their business, while the car continues to drive for hours until the user signals him to come back."

He suggests perhaps reducing taxes on vehicles from taxes on gasoline and diesel and replacing them with Road Miles – a fee for the miles you are traveling, imposed electronically.

How do people react to the report?

A spokesman for the Ministry of Transport said: "We are committed to ensuring the sustainability of our cities for routes that reduce traffic, promote healthy exercise, reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality. .

"This year, we launched the largest regulatory review in a generation to ensure we can take advantage of new technologies that can help us achieve this goal.

"We are also helping more people to choose less polluting and greener modes of transport by investing around £ 2 billion in active travel during the legislature".

Copyright of the image
British Parliament

Legend

Labor MP Lilian Greenwood called on the government to set goals to "get people out of cars"

However, Lilian Greenwood of Labor, chair of the House of Commons Transportation Committee, says ministers need to do more.

She said: "The move to electric vehicles is certainly not a panacea and does not address broader concerns about public health and the type of places we want to live.

"Congestion is a costly scourge in many urban areas and there is a real risk that we will end up swapping dirty and polluting traffic jams for clean, green traffic jams."

"Inactivity and obesity are increasingly serious public health problems. It is essential to get people out of their car, but the government has no goal for such a change – my committee asked that this change. "

Follow Roger on Twitter

[ad_2]
Source link