December 2002, pages 382-83 Sustainable development was a common theme running through this year's NSCA conference in Glasgow. Focusing on cleaner transport, Nick Warburton looks at the support available to local authorities and reports on two examples of best practice

"Climate change is probably the single most significant environmental, social and economic challenge facing the world today. In that respect, it is a good test of how far individual countries are rising to the challenge of sustainable development." - Brian Hanna, CIEH president, speaking at the NSCA conference, 8 October 2002

Promoting clean air through the reduction of air, water and land pollution, noise and other contaminants lies at the heart of the National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection's (NSCA) thinking. This year's conference in October re-emphasised the importance of tackling poor air quality and its impact on the local, national and global environment.

There was also recognition that environmental policy needs to be placed into a broader social and economic context. One of the many thought-provoking sessions looked at how local action in cleaner transport can contribute to a sustainable future.

A local authority role

Among the many challenges facing local authorities, one of the toughest is reducing traffic emissions to help meet national air quality objectives. This is particularly problematic in the capital, where air pollution is higher than elsewhere in the UK.

However, there is a growing recognition that alternative fuels offer a cost-effective solution, for not only do they reduce the urban pollutants that contribute to climate change, they also bring additional benefits, such as a reduction in running costs due to lower duty on fuels/road tax. Furthermore, in the capital, some cleaner fuel vehicles will be eligible for a 100 per cent discount from the London congestion charge when it is introduced in February 2003.

Anna Rickard, public sector marketing manager at the Energy Saving Trust, told delegates about the support available to local authorities interested in switching to cleaner transport. Below, EHJ provides a brief summary of the assistance available and reports on two local authorities and the action each has taken to improve the local environment.

TransportEnergy (formerly TransportAction), a division of the Energy Saving Trust, provides a number of incentives for local authorities to switch to cleaner fuel vehicles such as electric, petrol-electric hybrids, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas. Many local authorities are already familiar with TransportEnergy's PowerShift and CleanUp programmes (EHJ, June 2001, page 172), which offer grants to offset the additional purchase cost of cleaner fuel vehicles and to cover the capital cost of fitting emission control technologies. However, TransportEnergy has recently established a "best practice" programme, which aims to create more sustainable transport solutions through independent advice on green fleet management and travel plans.

Local authorities can "lead by example" in a number of ways, for instance by adopting a clean fleet strategy, introducing a travel plan and signing up to the Motorvate scheme, a government-backed award scheme designed to help organisations cut their fleet travel costs. Local authorities can also encourage the local community to participate, for instance, by:

• encouraging the installation of refuelling and recharging points for cleaner vehicles;
• encouraging car free or low-car housing;
• encouraging city car clubs and freight quality partnerships; and
• providing free on-street parking for electric vehicles.

Further information about TransportEnergy programmes and grants, can be found by visiting the TransportEnergy website at: www.transportenergy.org.uk or by telephoning: 0845 602 1425.

To find out more about the Motorvate scheme visit: www.greenerfleet.org.uk/

Newcastle City Council

Following the Government's decision in 1999 to reduce the tax levy on LPG vehicles by 29 per cent (and to freeze it until 2004), a number of councils have taken steps to convert their fleets to LPG. As well as reduced tax, there are other financial incentives for adopting this policy, eg it has been estimated that vehicle-running costs can be reduced by as much as 20 per cent through a conversion to LPG.

Newcastle City Council has been at the forefront of developing cleaner transport for a number of years. The council's Green Transport Plan, drawn up in February 2000, set a target of running 360 of its 800 vehicles (about 45 per cent of its fleet) on LPG by 2004. With 312 on fleet today the target will be achieved before the date set.

The council's fleet provider, City Transport, entered a partnership agreement with Springfield Citroen, a commercial vehicle specialist dealer. This provided the mechanism by which vehicles would be converted to run on LPG at the council's City Transport depot.

The service is recognised as the first council operation of its type in the UK to receive Energy Saving Trust approval to carry out LPG conversions and has attracted the interest of many councils which now run LPG converted vehicles on their streets.

Further recognition came in May this year when the council's fleet received TransportAction's 2002 Green Fleet awards for improving the environmental performance of its fleet. Besides the expansion of the council's fleet, Newcastle CC has also encouraged its own council staff to have their vehicles converted to run on LPG.

The environmental benefits of switching to an alternative fuel such as LPG has not been lost on the council, which has noticed a 20 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions since its inception. As councillor Linda Wright, the council's cabinet member for environment, public health and safety points out, "given the size of the council's fleet, any large-scale conversion to LPG will mean enormous benefits for the city's environment". Newcastle's fleet has just introduced 162 Ford Transit LPG vans further demonstrating its commitment to the environment.

For more information, contact Carl Lavin on, tel: 0191 211 5074

Westminster City Council

Situated in the heart of London, Westminster City Council experiences the highest pollution levels in the UK. As a result, Westminster CC took an early lead in tackling air pollution by setting up its own green fleet strategy in 1996. According to Joy Thompson, environment policy manager, the aim was to reduce the fleet's particulate emissions by 95 per cent and nitrogen oxides by 15 per cent over four years. Through a hierarchical use of alternative fuels and by retrofitting diesel vehicles, the council succeeded in meeting these targets before the strategy came under review in 2000.

Besides cleaning up its own fleet, the council has worked in partnership with other organisations, local businesses and the public to raise awareness of cleaner transport. In 1997, Westminster CC introduced a Green Pennant award in the form of a vehicle sticker, in recognition of the efforts made by transport operators to reduce emissions from their vehicles and to raise public awareness of anti-pollution initiatives. Last month, the council updated the Green Pennant award and launched the Eco Mark - a special branding that is given to vehicles that run on alternative fuels and meet Energy Trust Saving approval as listed on the PowerShift register.

Westminster offers a range of incentives to encourage a switch to cleaner vehicles. In November 2001, a LPG refuelling site was opened at Royal Oak taxi depot near Paddington with the purpose of encouraging taxis to switch to LPG. In another initiative, the council provides free parking for electric vehicles during controlled hours on meter and pay and display bays throughout the City, as long as the vehicles comply with the time limit regulation for the parking bay.

The council's long-term objective however, is to work in partnership with others to develop a low emission zone for Greater London, which will ban the most polluting vehicles. The council's own feasibility study into a low emission zone, led to a London-wide steering group being set up in 2000. The group is due to make public its findings this month.

To find out more about Westminster CC's policies, contact Joy Thompson on tel: 020 7641 2236

Travel plans: Assistance for LAs

Local authorities are being encouraged to develop travel plans to reduce the impact of travel and transport on the environment. While the primary aim of a travel plan is to promote a greener, cleaner travel choice and reduce reliance on the car, they can also bring a number of benefits to a local authority, both as an employer and to staff. There are potential cost savings to be had for instance by freeing up land that is being used for car parking, and in terms of staff recruitment, encouraging alternative travel options can lead to increase productivity, as workforces become healthier and more motivated.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has recently published two new guides, which help local authorities develop successful travel plans. Making travel plans work: Lessons from UK case studies benefits from the experience of 20 UK organisations that have changed the way their staff travel. The guide highlights the key factors in achieving success and focuses on good practice for setting up an effective plan. The second guide, Using the planning system to secure travel plans, identifies the most efficient and effective ways to meet planning requirements for travel plans. Both guides come with supporting research and case studies.

The Association for Commuter Transport (ACT), a non-profit organisation that works closely with the DfT, also provides support in developing travel plans. Members of the ACT can access a wide range of benefits, including specialist advice, information on the latest legislation and best practice, and training and networking.

To obtain copies of the DfT's guides, tel: 0870 1226 236 or visit:
www.local-transport.dft.gov.uk/travelplans/guides/

For more information about becoming a member of the Association for Commuter Transport and the benefits available, visit: www.act-uk.com