We must be wary of spin about Zero Emission transport city

BRISTOL, along with Oxford and Norwich, was recently awarded a Zero Emission Transport City grant by the Department of transport for 500,000 to draft business cases for policies to cut transport carbon emissions in the city.

The policies under consideration include reduced emissions for transport in the city centre; electrification of a large proportion of the city’s bus fleet; installation across the city of on-street cycle hangars; greater use of freight consolidation centres and investment in last mile solutions such as e-cargo bikes.

It should be pointed out that the grant is to cover the cost of producing feasibilty studies. WECA, under its constantly publicity-seeking metro-mayor, offers a rather inflated spin on its web site.

‘Bristolians, commuters and visitors to this great city can now look forward to cleaner air and a healthier environment thanks to a £500,000 investment to make Bristol a Zero Emission Transport City.’ The bid was co-ordinated by the West of England Combined Authority led by Metro Mayor Dan Norris.

The cash secured from the Government will develop plans for installing 1,000 cycle hangars, increasing electric charging units and introducing 250 electric buses across the city.

West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “Working in close collaboration with Mayor Marvin Rees I am delighted that Bristol has won funding to become a Zero Emission Transport City. This is important to enable us to reach our ambitious net-zero targets and will mean more local people breathe cleaner air and lead healthier lives.”

I guess it depends on how one interprets ‘will develop plans for installing...’ but the £500,000 will certainly not cover the cost of delivering what Bristol City proposes – only the drafting of business cases for it. Whether and where the full funding for delivery will come from is another matter entirely.

Norwich, one of the other zero emission zone cities, has secured 15 electric buses at the cost of £3.2 million from the government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas Scheme. Its funding pot for the entire UK is £120 million. The cost of one large electric bus, which I could only find on a US online site, converted to pounds is £559,700. This is more than the Department of Transport zero emission city grant. The cost of 250 buses would hardly fit in the ZEBRA budget.

Bristol has, therefore, not ‘won funding to become a Zero Emission Transport City’ only to develop paper plans for it.

We need to beware of politicians’ spin. Chris Lamb

Bristol