Richard Bruce

An Excellent first part of a Two Part Series by David Gardner providing some facts and figures on the changing world for vehicles and electrification. This first part covers much of the what, the when & the why.... and we'll focus more about the how in Part Two.

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🚆 Rail sector resilience highlighted in the Autumn Budget 2024. Rail is bouncing back with a focus on certainty and long-term investment. Funding for Northern connectivity (from the TransPennine upgrade to Wigan-Bolton electrification) is welcome news, alongside a clear plan for Great British Railways. But the fuel duty freeze poses challenges in encouraging the switch from cars to trains. As Steer supports the rail sector’s growth, these budget allocations will shape transport’s future across the North and beyond. Full article link in the comments below 👇 #Budget2024 #railinvestment #sustainabletransport #wearesteer

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The National Audit Office has today published its assessment on the condition of local roads in England. Suffice it to say it makes for fairly damning reading. The report outlines what has been clear for too long, that local roads funding from central government to local councils has been short-term and fragmented; the way in which it is allocated is now clearly not fit for purpose. There have been 12 different funding pots for road maintenance over the last decade and this has made it virtually impossible for local authorities to plan long term repairs with any certainty. The report also reveals that funding isn't allocated on the basis of road condition, but rather population and traffic volume. This means that areas with roads in critical need of repair are likely to be missing out on funding, leading to more roads being unsafe for HGV journeys. We welcome the NAO recommendation that a long term fairer financial settlement for local authorities is needed for road maintenance and we look forward to making the case to the government that this should be a key plank of their commitment to improve Britain's roads.

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Alison Edwards, CPT Director of Policy and External Relations, discusses the vital role of buses in her blog for Highways UK. She emphasizes that investing in buses not only reduce emissions but also boosts local economies. With a £4.55 return for every £1 invested, buses drive sustainable growth. For full insights, check out Alison Edwards's blog on Highways UK: bit.ly/3YagYzZ

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Is weather on the warpath? How does heat stress the railway? I investigate in my latest rail ramble - https://lnkd.in/eS4UBQgc What ways does heat affect our railway and how do we make it more resilient to climbing temperatures? Hopefully the first in a series of weather/climate change blogs I'd love to know what you think? And what you think I've missed!? #rail #railway #climatechange #infrastructure #resilience #rail101

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A-Z of Transport Economics: T for TAG This week’s edition is a bit of a love letter to TAG, the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom's Transport Analysis Guidance. For appraisal practitioners in the UK, this is the first point of call for all things modelling and appraisal related (not forgetting that Wales and Scotland also have their own versions of appraisal guidance, WelTAG and STAG respectively). TAG contains a comprehensive set of ‘Units’, which are documents each focusing on a separate area of appraisal – e.g. unit A3 deals with environmental appraisal, A4-3 deals with place-based analysis and so on. These units tackle a given topic in depth, outlining how they should be approached when it comes to producing a transport appraisal. It was great to see updated modelling units released recently, developed by Arup along with partners from AECOM and Systra – especially the new Agent-Based Modelling Unit M5-4, an area that our City Modelling Lab has been championing for years. There are also a range of spreadsheets and workbooks intended to assist with estimating impacts – the TAG Data Book contains loads of information about things like values of time, vehicle occupancy, journey purpose and much more, whilst the Active Mode Appraisal Toolkit can be used to appraise active travel schemes. The DfT’s Transport Appraisal and Strategic Modelling division makes refinements over time to keep it up to date and ensure that it captures the latest findings and research. A welcome introduction in the past couple of years has been the TAG Conference (aka ‘TAG Fest’) which includes a range of presentations on topical issues and hopefully will have the same longevity as Glastonbury! TAG is available from here and is very near the top of my bookmarks bar! https://lnkd.in/eN6qfyuF #WeAreArup #TransportEconomicsAtoZ #transporteconomics #TAG #TPSE #transportanalysisguidance

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📣🚚 Boost to uptake of zero emission vans urgently needed! The coalition behind the Zero Emission Van Plan, including ourselves, has written to the new Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh MP to urge her to take action to get electric van usage on track. The letter to the Transport Secretary from the coalition has been undersigned by the UK’s leading van manufacturer, Stellantis, and FN200 Fleet News, which represents the nation’s 200 largest fleet operators. Together, they are calling for the new Secretary of State to implement the Zero Emission Van Plan, to overcome the barriers to introducing electric vans in the UK and boost the electric van market. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eJiFkPUF Logistics UK REA Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) The EV Café #ElectricVans #ZeroEmission #RoadtoZero #Decarbonisation #Fleet #CommercialVehicles

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TRL survey will assess if bus cab designs are inclusive for all drivers. A major new survey is being carried out at bus garages across the country to ensure that bus cab designs are inclusive for all drivers. Researchers from TRL, working with Transport for London (TfL) and Women in Bus and Coach, will visit a number of sites including in London, Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester, and Belfast. They will talk to drivers about the current design of cabs in order to understand what modifications may be required in future design briefs. With a shortage of bus drivers in the industry, a review into the bus cab design is vital in order to appeal to as many different people as possible to consider bus driving as a career. The study follows suggestions that traditionally cabs have been designed around an average-sized man, leading to some people being put off choosing bus driving as a career because the cab environment does not physically meet their workplace needs... Find out more 👉 https://buff.ly/4ezTKtu #buses #busindustry #WomenInBus #research #publictransport #transport

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The British Regional Transport Association (BRTA) is a voluntary-based association and relies on a growing local-nationwide membership able to take local-regional responsibility to work together flexibly and compliantly with us to make progress with this much needed local rail link. Nationwide and regionally, we should reasonably expect councils, regional bodies and central government to pick up on these opportunities and make progress and lead from the front. Instead we are highlighting them in the hope that key bodies and individuals can see the opportunity on and off the rail and work with us to bring it about. Good ideas and observation is not enough, we need collaboration and a joint effort to build the necessary coalitions, gather support and share the load and responsibility. BRTA has the power to facilitate, but it is local people upwards who have the ability to determine and push the railway through! The following may be observed: 1. BRTA is focusing on Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham with an Arundel Curve for South Coast access to and from. If our effort is superseded by a larger body or campaign, they may do phases or a wide gamut with a new direct bridge over the Horsham-Arundel line and a new-build to Shoreham serving growing towns and populations between the two via the old route in addition to a curve for direct running into Horsham and on to the Arundel direction. 2. Local commute and visitorship from and to Guildford, Cranleigh and Horsham as a local focus would be advantageous given our precious few resources. 3. Regionally Reading and beyond to Brighton and Portsmouth respectively and a shuttle linking Gatwick-Three Bridges-Horsham-Guildford-Heathrow from the south, gives more flexibility. 4. North Downs Line is not undermined, it is doing a roaring trade, but needs infill third rail electrification and Thameslinks from East Croydon to run semi-fast into Guildford and maybe extended to Reading as well. That in turn frees diesel units for strengthening and additional services elsewhere. 5. Our AGM in July 2025 will be held at Guildford and we aim to have 2 principal speakers and all will be welcome to it. 6. It is naïve to think ‘instant’ for such projects as this, they are incremental in a context of some hostility to notions of reopenings both within and outside the rail industry and government itself. For example the Office for Road and Rail (ORR) have a policy against local level crossings for reopenings, demanding expensive bridges and duck-unders for new-build. That puts costs up and is disproportionate when evidence exists to indicate that as long as roadside abuse and proper maintenance is done, level crossings 98% are a safe, cheap and useful alternative. Bridges get bashed and concrete can erode over time with concrete cancer. 7. Please write/email to your MP’s and ask them to support BRTA where you live. https://lnkd.in/dyDcHUQF [email protected]

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Facsinating in terms of the key players at the time who went on to influence policy, but a very useful "way forward" with the axioms. We need this debate to start asap and at least recognition of that need from Government. In the early 2000s we have also made a lot of progress on HGV weight/distance pricing which could be implemented first and gain useful experience for a wider scheme. I also agree we should add distributional issues to the 4th axiom - especially for rural car users. On Iven's point the idea of a national travelcard which was multi-modal and could be used to put credit into from pollution/congestion charging is worth a look!

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So this could be quite interesting. Analysis I have done (if slightly rudimentary) seems to indicate that successful parking and traffic policy interventions need buy in across the board, so politically, media and sector. See Scotland for a good example of this and 20mph as a bad version. So this Bristol intervention is one to watch. It’s local so allows the rest of England to have a contrary opinion. Politically should be ok, Greens support it, Labour and the Lib Dems probably do too. But messaging worries me. Telling people to reconsider having a car or ‘just walk a bit further’ could easily alienate people. I would urge them to speak to councils in Scotland who have implemented pavement parking recently. They have some great example of how they have managed to implement it and keep residents onside. Oh and if anyone can tell me the mechanism Bristol will use to implement this please do, if successful seems it would negate the need for a centrally legislated order.

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Like it or lump it, after 2030 you won’t be able to legally buy a new pure petrol or diesel car in the U.K. in the intervening years till then, many expect government will hit fossil fuelled cars with increasing restrictions or penalties to encourage faster EV adoption.

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Here is a case study of TfW's Climate Change Adaptation Plan. A year on from the plan's first publication, we are now working on our annual update providing progress against our strategic objectives stated within the plan. #climateadaptation #transport #climatechange

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Britain has made significant strides in transitioning to zero-emission public transportation, particularly in the electric vehicle (EV) bus market. The latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows a promising surge in the sector, with 4,932 new units registered in 2023, marking a substantial 44.6% increase from the previous year. A major driver of this growth has been the strong investment in single and double-decker buses, which saw registrations soar by 52.5% and 173.6%, respectively. Additionally, there has been an 18.3% increase in minibuses, reflecting widespread efforts to renew the fleet across the UK. Electric or hydrogen vehicles accounted for an impressive 45.1% of new single and double-decker bus registrations, nearly tripling the market share of new cars. With 1,159 zero-emission buses entering service last year, the UK stands as Europe's largest zero-emission bus market by volume. Initiatives like the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) funding have facilitated this progress by incentivising the adoption of clean transportation solutions. However, swift approval and allocation of funds for subsequent rounds of investment are imperative to maintain momentum and achieve national net zero goals. The success in decarbonising bus fleets underscores the feasibility and benefits of transitioning to zero-emission mass mobility. Challenges persist, particularly in the minibus market, where licensing restrictions hinder the widespread adoption of zero-emission options. Accelerating the timeline for license derogations would catalyse investment in zero-emission minibuses, ensuring equitable access to sustainable transportation while mitigating environmental and public health concerns. Mike Hawes, Chief Executive of SMMT, emphasizes the urgency of continued support and innovation in the sector, stating, "Speeding up license derogations could unleash demand in the minibus market, helping provide zero-emission mass mobility for all with the air quality, carbon emission, and wider economic benefits that come with this transition." As Britain leads the way in zero-emission public transportation, it serves as a compelling example for other nations to follow. Prioritizing sustainability and embracing innovative solutions can help accelerate the journey towards a greener, more resilient future. Let's follow Britain's lead and work towards a cleaner, brighter tomorrow. #europe #zeroemissio #mobility #uk

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A critical lever to reduce road miles and emissions is a modal shift to rail. Rail is already the least emissions-intensive mode of transport, contributing just 1.4% of the UK's domestic transport emissions, with rail freight emitting c. 25% of the equivalent emissions of HGVs, per tonne.  Exhibitors at the Decarbonising Logistics Showcase, Freightliner Group Ltd and The Malcolm Group are working together to deliver daily seamless #rail services connecting The Midlands to Central Scotland with ease. Discover more about the opportunity of rail at the showcase, register here: https://lnkd.in/ev4Ckyti #netzero #decarbonisinglogistics #railfreight #supplychain

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👇 Interesting insights on the Better Buses Bill 👇 We'll be keeping an eye on the impacts of this new opportunity for English councils to control and run their own bus services 🚌 It's an exciting policy move, but as Silviya Barrett highlights, councils could face expertise and funding barriers.

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