On 10 May 2021 Edward Leigh from Smarter Cambridge Transport gave us a talk and answered questions via Zoom. Just a few summary points here; it is well worth reading the fuller notes linked below.
He began the talk by outlining why we need better bus services:
- They provide affordable mobility for people who cannot drive, or do not have access to a car
- They make car-free living viable for more people
- They reduce congestion: one bus travelling at 20mph can replace 1km of car traffic (as car space includes the safe distance between each car)
- Modern Euro VI buses emit less air pollution than a typical diesel car
- Buses emit less CO2 per passenger-mile than cars.
He concluded by summarising his main points:
- The carbon budget for road transport requires large and rapid reductions in vehicle-mileage
- Vehicle electrification alone is not sufficient
- A National Road User Charge (NRUC) can:
- Replace fuel taxes
- Raise additional funding for sustainable transport
- Incentivise modal shift and efficient use of vehicles
- Deliberative democracy has a crucial role in smoothing the way to introduce an NRUC.
For a full report of the meeting, including details of the Q and A which followed, see here (thanks to Claire for these excellent and comprehensive notes)
To see the slides Edward used, go here
Many thanks to Edward for an interesting and important talk.