Sustainable Transport and the Environment Guide - Unite the Union

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The only way we can be sure of measurable successes in redirecting society towards a more sustainable transport policy is to see government actually deliver what it is already supposedly committed to. When we see “quantified reductions in greenhouse gas emissions” arising from the enactment of such policies are set out here, then the public can know that progress is under way. When we hear the government say that it seeks to “enhance social inclusion and regeneration”, we need to know that such laudable aims are accompanied by clear and measurable means to prove their accomplishment. Unite would like to see the creation and expansion of low carbon, coach and train, transport hubs on the edge of cities. Better and more widespread traffic calming that favours public transport and better regulation of drivers hours. Creating a sustainable transport system needs to take into account those issues that affect the people working within transport, such as roadside facilities. It has long been an aim for transport trade unions to achieve a genuinely integrated transport policy for both goods and people. We believe that this is more than ever essential, if we are to have a sustainable transport system. If we are to encourage a model shift from the car to public transport then considerations has to be given to both to the price charged for public transport and the ease of use, especially in regard to through ticketing. The Stern Report made clear that the cost of tackling climate change is only one twentieth of the financial cost of NOT tackling climate change, not to mention the human costs. These human costs impact most of all on the poorest in society, both at home and abroad. As with climate change, so other environmental and social costs – from pollution to exhaustion – impact most heavily on our members, some of whom live in poorer communities nearest to the major transport routes. Therefore, tackling climate change and environmental and social damage from the transport system, is a matter of social justice and of intense concern to our members The DfT’s own statistics show that 81% of people are ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ concerned about climate change and these figures are consistent across all social groups. We are also aware that the transport system itself is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and that many of our members have already been affected by increased flooding and extreme heat waves in recent years. Currently all our transport systems are vulnerable to dislocation due to the increasing volatility of the weather. In the future we will have to invest more in our transport infrastructure so that they can deal with extreme weather events which will now occur every 10 years rather then every 50 years as used to be the case. The history of a shift towards privatised, high carbon modes of transport since the early 80s has been disastrous for both the environment and for social inclusion and must be reversed. To this end it is also important to ensure that social inclusion is enhanced for all in the most speedy and sustainable cost effective way possible, and not just for those labelled as ‘disadvantaged’ or living in ‘deprived or remote areas’. 7
There are some sustainable transport initiatives that can be easily promoted at the workplace level by trade union activists, such as: car-sharing; travel planning; and training for drivers in fuel efficiency. These are all areas that trade union activists in any workplace should be encouraged to pursue, to reduce congestion and pollution. But above all, both central and local government need to take a far more interventionist approach to tackle climate change which Gordon Brown has referred to as ‘the greatest market failure in history’. We believe that the government will fail to meet its environmental and social targets without both stricter environmental standards and regulations to drive demand in the transport sector, and greater, more accountable direct state investment in public transport infrastructure and services. The deregulation of buses since 1986 (along with the later privatisation of the railways) has been a disaster for public transport and the environment, leading to low wages, high fares, fewer routes and declining passengers numbers, and increased congestions and overcrowding. Improving the quality and quantity of public transport is critical to any serious sustainable transport strategy. More immediate regulation through quality contracts in the short term, and re-nationalisation and increased municipal ownership in the longer term is needed to deliver more services, higher staffing levels, better trained and rewarded staff, more integration with other modes of transport, and lower fares. Such measures would contribute to making public transport a genuinely realistic, comfortable and safe alternative to private car use. The European Commission’s proposals to force tendering of bus contracts have been fiercely resisted by the European trade unions. We will continue to fight to protect the rights of local authorities to provide bus services themselves, and to negotiate Quality Contracts which specify high standards of labour relations, service provisions and improve environmental standards. There is also a need to retrofit and produce newer buses with less polluting engines, as well as using lower emission fuel. Greater subsidy is needed but ultimately as the European Transport Workers’ Federation says, ‘the role of the state cannot be limited to ensuring (fair) competition between companies and probably providing an infrastructure, where it is too expensive for the market to invest. The market has severe side effects on social and ecological sustainability and does not provide sustainable infrastructure and public transport’. Nowhere is this clearer than on the buses and in the ‘Cinderella sector’ of the national coach network. It is clear that railways make up only a small amount of the total emissions in the UK and that has only increased marginally in the last 17 years, and at a slower rate that the rest of transport which has increased considerably. Railways are an energyefficient carrier of people and goods and hence produce relatively less CO 2 emissions per passenger than other modes. Emissions of CO 2 per passenger/Km are, on average, approximately half that of travel by car. The UK is a crowded island with a high population density. Rail makes more efficient use of space. A double track railway can carry up to 10 times the number of people per hour than a 2-lane road. Railways can’t always get people or freight to the desired 8
Page 1 and 2: SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT AND THE ENVIR
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Page Acknowledgem
Page 5 and 6: emissions of CO2 from UK aviation..
Page 7: might bring about economic efficien
Page 11 and 12: contribution from Unite is hopefull
Page 13 and 14: taking action, would, he said, lead
Page 15 and 16: 2003 30,000 older people across Eur
Page 17 and 18: Greater fuel economy that reduces C
Page 19 and 20: 2.6 Sustainability and economic imp
Page 21 and 22: as electric and hybrid electric veh
Page 23 and 24: Air to rail Six out of ten flights
Page 25 and 26: Technological solutions: Technology
Page 27 and 28: contributing to rainforest destruct
Page 29 and 30: Currently all corporations are lega
Page 31 and 32: projected by the DfT’s 2003 white
Page 33 and 34: Between 1987 and 2007 the UK market
Page 35 and 36: Dependant on the message you wish t
Page 37 and 38: The move reflects a decision by the
Page 39 and 40: are concerns that biofuels actually
Page 41 and 42: Unite is currently campaigning to r
Page 43 and 44: overall effects of contrails and th
Page 45 and 46: turboprop will burn 35% less fuel t
Page 47 and 48: The CAT National Committee calls on
Page 49 and 50: unaccustomed portion of the famousl
Page 51 and 52: lorries but do not operated in the
Page 53 and 54: aspect is crucial for ports, which,
Page 55 and 56: Look to new technology to provide l
Page 57 and 58: From Table we can although waterbor
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4.7: Shipping The problem shipping
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oil contains high concentrations of
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The majority of container shipping
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CO 2 emissions in 2007 to 15 per ce
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5 Passenger Services Trade Group: T
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has an important part to play in en
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Total Greenhouse Gases by Buses & C
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enormously punitive but that would
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Percentage of the Total Greenhouse
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More than two thirds of journeys ma
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6 Road Transport Commercial 6.1 Int
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The intra-EU freight transport, whi
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During the 1990s, there was a signi
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Light Duty Vehicles Carbon Dioxide
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Tackling the sectors’ environment
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Taxi drivers more affected by trans
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the European Court of Justice - the
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CPC training - all drivers have 5 d
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Appendices Appendix 1 Input-based m
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Appendix 3 GREENING YOUR WORKPLACE
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language, and has a good section on
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