While in Germany I was able to observe how much better public transport works there than here. It is perhaps because I am dependent on public transport that I am particularly interested in this subject as a translator. However, if we want to promote public transport, it will take a massive investment of not just financial, but also of political capital over many years. The most important and most difficult step will be to persuade people to consider forms of transport other than the private car. We will have to do this anyway, if we want to stay on course to meet our obligations under the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
Reducing Car Use – A personal passion
Under the Paris Agreement, all the signatory countries, which includes the UK, are committed to keeping global warming over the next century to well below 2 %, and if possible, to just 1.5 %. With CO2 emissions being one of the primary causes of global warming, it is worth noting that the Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that cars and trucks account for nearly one fifth of all CO2 emissions in the US.1 So, what can be done to turn this around? First of all, here are a few statistics to bear in mind:2
- A bus with as few as seven passengers is more fuel efficient than a car carrying one person.
- A fully occupied train is on average fifteen times more fuel efficient than a car.
- Buses produce just 20 % of the carbon monoxide per passenger mile of a single occupant car.
This is all quite apart from the negative impact of more road building, which in turn takes its toll on the environment. On the other hand the positive benefits (from a safety and noise point of view) of having fewer cars on the streets is undeniable. It would therefore seem like a no-brainer to invest more money in public transport, and hey presto, problem solved. However, it’s not as simple as that.
Firstly, it is unacceptable that private bus companies perform public service functions. First Aberdeen is a prime example of how NOT to run a service for the benefit of the public, and if you want to convert car owners to bus use, then forget it! And understandably so. I could write a book about its failings; suffice to say that some of its fleet are twenty years out of date, with most at least eleven or twelve years old.
Secondly, there is the practically non-existent rail network. The damage started with Lord Beeching in the 1960s, who, in the name of progress, decided that a third of the country’s rail system needed to be ripped up because it wasn’t profitable. One such line was the Royal Deeside Line. At the time of its closure, the trip from the outskirts of Aberdeen into the city centre took just 18 minutes. Today, the same trip, in the rush hour, by bus, on a congested main road takes nearly an hour! Even today, for longer journeys, prices are likely to be so prohibitively expensive that no-one could reasonably criticise anyone for making a long-distance journey in the comfort of a car instead of forking out the cost of a train fare. (It beggars belief that a return flight from Aberdeen to Hanover is about £80 cheaper than a return train journey from Aberdeen to Bristol).
So, what to do? It goes without saying that massive investment in all forms of public transport is required. Bus and rail networks are perhaps the most important in terms of getting people away from the use of the private car. However, if we are serious about getting cars off the road, we need to make buses and trains not only more attractive but also more affordable.
We also need to look at cycling and walking. Cycle paths are protected in Germany, as they are in most European countries. It would be unthinkable for a bike to use the same dedicated lane as the city’s buses in Germany, yet this is Aberdeen City Council’s idea of how cyclists should get around the city centre! Don’t you feel the health benefits as you breathe in all that bus exhaust, fellow cyclists? I think not! We need the pedestrianisation of city centres on a major scale as part of a plan to make walking more attractive. But if you want to get any benefits from walking or cycling, you need to address the dangers from traffic, which can only be done by reducing the volume of traffic on the road, which de facto means private car usage, as well as moving freight from HGVs onto trains.
There’s a massive amount we could do, but it takes money and a change of mindset by everyone – politicians, the public, the press, everyone – to make it a reality. It needs massive investment backed up by political commitment to stay the course. Otherwise the planet will continue to fry.
About Alastair (anaughton02@gmail.com)
Alastair Naughton is a freelance translator working from German into English with a particular interest in the environment, including sustainable development. He lives and works in Aberdeen in the North East of Scotland and has a total of six years’ translation experience.
References:
1 Union of Concerned Scientists Website https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-vehicles/car-emissions-and-global-warming
2 State of Delaware Government Website http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/dwhs/info/Pages/OzonePublicTrans.aspx
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