For a long time the UK as a whole has lagged behind in a sector where other regions and countries have set out to establish real and lasting change.
So stark is the contrast when it comes to sustainable public transport, it’s as though we’ve opted for a fleet of coal-fired rickshaws, while everyone else races ahead in jet packs powered only by gentle daydreams.
This despite the fact, as Great Uncle Shug will be quick to tell you, Scots were instrumental in pioneering modern transport, from McAdam with his smooth roads to Robert Anderson, the Scot who designed the world’s first electric car in the 1830s.
As communities in Europe, the Far East and across the world forge ahead in establishing more affordable, eco-friendly and, heaven forbid!, punctual public transport systems, what are engineers doing closer to home to try to keep up and minimise our environmental impact through transport?
Engineers needed more than ever as Scotland’s sustainable public transport takes another wrong turn.
In the UAE, sustainable public transport is one of the bedrocks of their smart cities. Japan has some of the fastest and most punctual public transport infrastructures, and in Europe many major cities minimise car traffic and maximise fluidity through investing in smart transport systems and promoting cycling, walking and the use of sustainable public transport such as tramways.
The Scottish Government’s draft carbon reduction strategy has shown that transport is the only sector where carbon emissions have actually increased since the 1990s. But we are peddling hard to catch up.
Holyrood’s wannabe heroes and heroines are introducing benefits to a new market for low-carbon emission vehicles and looking to introduce a large-scale charging network for electric cars in major cities.
They also hope that by 2020, 10% of all journeys will be made by cycling – with the nightmare scenario of one in ten of us having thighs like Sir Chris Hoy’s leading to a nationwide trousers shortage.
They also want to make changes by introducing cleaner fuels, improving public transport efficiency and improving the sustainability of freight movements.
Seven regional transport partnerships have also established themselves throughout Scotland, with their sat navs programmed on arriving at destination where public transport services match a long-overdue change in our attitudes to travel.
SEStran (South East Scotland transport partnership) is the most prominent of these, and is aiming to build a sustainable transport system for the South-East and Edinburgh to tackle the problem.
It has implemented the bustrack SEStran project with the help of government funding to give real-time updates to people in the south-east, with the help of more than 350 public transport vehicles using the technology in the region and the installation of screens in especially busy areas. The aim is to put people back in control of their public transport planning.
There is also the One Ticket initiative in Edinburgh and the central-East, to help establish the hop-on hop-off mentality of other countries. There are also numerous “trip share” programmes. Nothing whatsoever to do with Amsterdam tours, these are designed to help eliminate city centre traffic congestion by passengers going to the same place taking turns to ferry each other to their destination.
All of these are signs that we have recognised the need for change and that Scotland is now openly tackling the problem on many fronts and in many sectors,
Moving forward, however, it is engineering that is going to play a pivotal role in any major changes in transport infrastructue.
In many ways, we’re ride on time for the next generation of thosre pioneering Scots to come up with safer, more efficient and greener travel systems.
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