Alternatives to cars need strategy and investment
ONE of the great ironies of life is when people are asked in one survey if they care about the environment they say “of course”, but then when asked in another if they could reduce their use of the car, it is always too difficult or inconvenient.
Another irony is that congested roads and large numbers of cars are the major cause of poor air quality in towns and cities. This is more so in peak morning and afternoon commuter periods or before and after major events. We should therefore compliment many rugby supporters who, on Saturday, chose to travel to the Wales-South Africa game in coaches (I counted 20 in the space of 15 minutes coming from west Wales along the M4 to Cardiff) or trains (which carry up to half the occupants of the Principality Stadium).
In terms of road space and air quality effects, they made the right choice. However, the desire for a pint before and after the game may have been a criterion!
They would also have been applauded by Cardiff council’s air quality task and finish group, in whose deliberations I took part in November. I put several points with which the councillors appeared to concur. The city officers highlighted congestion caused by traffic, poor bus priority and lack of cycling lanes. Measures to reduce car travel may not all be cheap and, for some, non-use of the car is impractical – but it’s often a matter of alternative, transformational travel thinking.
Transport strategies in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and the Wrexham built-up areas are all well thoughtout. They all seek improvements in air quality, though delivery has challenges in terms of funding and the law of unintended policy consequences
However the achievement of low pollution policies is not confined to major urban areas. Out-of-town shopping centres in Wales are largely car-based, despite their negative impact on air quality, and difficult to serve by bus or train. In Llanelli the traditional town centre shopping centre is now overshadowed by two retail parks which are very popular and commercially successful. But there lies the dichotomy in drivers’ environmental view.
Occasionally both are served. Carmarthen is an example where a large successful retail development was constructed adjacent to its traditional centre and bus station, giving an attractive retail offer.
For high-quality, comprehensive transport to enable a city to improve air quality, Cardiff can look to Bordeaux (a city the size of Cardiff) in removing 40% of peak traffic from car
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on to that city’s new tram system. The electrification of existing commuter railways and/or creation of new tram routes (as Nice is currently doing) play a part. Which we receive depends on the successful Wales and Borders rail franchise bidder’s plans.
So too is the creation of charging points for non-polluting car types and encouraging more travellers on to low-pollution urban buses. These all involve large-scale investment.
Cardiff Bus’ “no change given” policy does not make for easy transport for international visitors – a market which Cardiff must attract to enhance its events portfolio. When we travel abroad we rarely have small denomination notes or coins. We expect to have an all-transport services stored value card. Without these, visitors will turn to the car.
We might also reasonably expect a central bus station next to the main train station or clear bus stop location signs. Failure to achieve financial viability in the present economic climate is the reason given for its absence. But this scheme has been under discussion for over 10 years and is core to the improved air quality aspiration of the city’s environmental committee.
This column has also consistently supported strategic bus/tram priority routes to reduce journey times and enhance service reliability, as well as separate walking and cycling ways on roads. This includes what Sustrans refers to as the commuting journey‘s “final mile” between home/work and the bus stop or railway station.
If other small European countries can use these ways of improving air quality, so can Wales.
Stuart Cole CBE is Emeritus Professor of Transport (Economics and Policy) at the University of South Wales.