Global Warming - how are we doing on call for urgent action 18 years ago?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Looking for an "On this day" event for today, I find in Brittanica:

October 30, 2006

A British report commissioned by the government and compiled by Sir Nicholas Stern, head of the government economic service, predicts cataclysmic effects from global warming and indicates the need for urgent action to forestall disaster.

Transport is a major contributor to global warming. How do members think we are doing on travelling around in such a way that we have only a sustainable / recoverable effect on our planet?

[broadgage]

I would say that the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) has made SOME progress, but very little, and far short of that required.

Road transport is still almost all fossil fuel powered.  Road fuel has remained at about the same price for many years, whilst greener alternatives are ever increasing in price.
Traffic continues to increase not only to the detriment of the climate, but also taking many lives each year.

Rail transport is preferable to driving, but remains expensive, complex, unreliable, and often uncomfortable.

Progress on rail electrification has been  very limited indeed.

Progress on HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) has been very limited.

Buses are still virtually all diesel powered, no significant progress regarding either battery or overhead electric powered buses.

Trams are often talked about, but seldom achieved.

[IndustryInsider]

Buses are still virtually all diesel powered, no significant progress regarding either battery or overhead electric powered buses.

I'm not sure how true that statement is:

https://www.electrive.com/2024/02/23/whats-behind-the-success-of-electric-buses-in-the-uk/

https://www.route-one.net/news/uk-leads-europe-in-battery-electric-buses-figures-show/

[broadgage]

I stand by my remark that NO SIGIFICANT progress has made regarding electric buses, battery or overhead powered.
To me, significant progress would be10% of total UK^▸ (United Kingdom) bus miles being electrically powered.
AFAIK^▸ ('as far as I know') the actual figure is well under 1%

Whilst I would not expect such progress to be made overnight, they have had 18 + years !

[IndustryInsider]

Have you got a link to the well under 1% figure?

I know very little about electric bus mileage percentage, but given these figures for London, which of course makes up a disproportionally high percentage of the total fleet, it would surprise me if it was so low nationally:

"There are 3,826 hybrid buses, 1,397 battery electric buses, and 20 hydrogen fuel cell buses operating in London, as of March 2024, out of a total bus fleet of 8,776 – this is around 60% of the bus fleet"

Taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_emission_buses_in_London

[broadgage]

In my view hybrid buses do not count, they make slightly better use of fuel but are still 100% fossil fuel powered.

Considering only fully electric buses, I suspect that less than 1% of bus miles are electric. Happy to be corrected if anyone has reliable figures.

[IndustryInsider]

In my view hybrid buses do not count, they make slightly better use of fuel but are still 100% fossil fuel powered.

Considering only fully electric buses, I suspect that less than 1% of bus miles are electric. Happy to be corrected if anyone has reliable figures.

I’ve found some figures.  4.2% of buses were battery electric in England as of March 2023.  I expect that’s risen in the last 18 months and not fallen.  I appreciate the percentage of buses doesn’t equal ‘bus miles’, but that will still surely be more than ‘well under 1%’.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-bus-statistics-year-ending-march-2023/annual-bus-statistics-year-ending-march-2023

[broadgage]

Thanks for that update.
4.2% of vehicles does not of course equal 4.2% of vehicle miles, but might be broadly similar.

4.2% is more than I expected, but still not "significant" by my arbitrary definition of at least 10%. Still better than nothing though. Hopefully we will see more in the future, and possibly a return to trolleybuses also.

[IndustryInsider]

Thanks for that update.
4.2% of vehicles does not of course equal 4.2% of vehicle miles, but might be broadly similar.

4.2% is more than I expected, but still not "significant" by my arbitrary definition of at least 10%. Still better than nothing though. Hopefully we will see more in the future, and possibly a return to trolleybuses also.

Has risen to 7.4% in the latest figures covering up to March.

[broadgage]

Thanks for that update.
4.2% of vehicles does not of course equal 4.2% of vehicle miles, but might be broadly similar.

4.2% is more than I expected, but still not "significant" by my arbitrary definition of at least 10%. Still better than nothing though. Hopefully we will see more in the future, and possibly a return to trolleybuses also.

Has risen to 7.4% in the latest figures covering up to March.

Glad to hear that, it is now approaching my admittedly arbitrary definition of "significant" as being 10% or more.
For longer routes, I would hope to see trolley wires installed in order that the vehicles may charge in use.
There is nothing that hard or expensive in installing trolley wires on straight or gently curving roads. It is tight curves, crossroads, roundabouts, and railway crossings that are more challenging. The same infrastructure could power electric delivery trucks.