Words About Things

The chief secretary to the Treasury David Laws has announced that Government Ministers will no longer be given chauffeur driven company cars and will instead be forced to travel by public transport or pay for their own travel. Ministers have previously had the pleasure of “swanning around in chauffeur-driven cars like they’re the royal family” as David Cameron put it.

“In the future, no minister should have a dedicated car or driver other than in exceptional circumstances. Ministers will be expected to walk or take public transport where possible, or use a pooled car.” – David Laws

The ban on governmental company cars is a two birds, one stone measure designed to cut costs and show a little humility. Now ministers will be forced to travel by public transport (like most people in big cities) which will be both cheaper and better for the environment. If they wish to travel by car they must be willing to pay for Taxis or car hire from their own wages. Whilst this is being described as a cost-cutting measure it is surely seen as a way to rehabilitate MP’s image following the expenses scandal.

Former minister Chris Mullin has been cited as the inspiration for the abolition of Chauffeur driven cars. Mullin’s memoirs (A View from the Foothills) contained the following passage:

I am entitled to a car and a driver. Entirely pointless since the 159 and 3 buses will continue to run past my door, even though I am a minister. Jessica [his private secretary], who cycles in from Brixton, was sympathetic but explained that the situation is a little more complicated than I might suppose. For a start, red boxes cannot be transported by public transport.

She also explained that the funding of the government car pool is geared to encourage maximum use of the car. The drivers are on a low basic wage and are heavily dependent on overtime. So, if I accept a driver, he will be hanging around all day doing nothing and hating me for not giving him enough to do.

Mullin was amazed that £864 a week was being paid in order to transport him when he could easily travel by pubic transport. Whilst Chris Mullin, who served under Tony Blair, can be commended for his efforts, David Cameron is clearly less of a role model. Cameron made a big show of cycling to work but was rather embarrassed when it was revealed that a car drove behind him carrying his papers.

Boris Johnson has spoken at the Conservative Conference about his plans to reduce pollution in London by 2011. The capital currently has high levels of dangerous airborne particles referred to as PM10s which need to be reduced in order to avoid fines of up to £300m from the EU. Johnson scrapped previous plans to expand the western edge of the congestion charges zone in order to ‘protect the capital’s small businesses’.

Banning traffic on hot days

Boris announced plans to ban traffic from particular areas of London during hot, still days. Drivers will have limited access to Marble Arch, Euston Road and Tower Hill on days when airborne particles are likely to linger and rise above safe levels. Vans and lorries will be affected although cars could also be subject to the exclusions. Last year pollution rose to unacceptable levels in the capital on at least 100 days. Some have argued that these plans seem to aim to merely meet the EU restrictions rather than combat the pollution problem facing London.

Asthma and traffic fumes

Those with Asthma are most likely to be effected by high levels of PM10s with two thirds of those polled saying that traffic brought about their symptoms.

“Two thirds of people with asthma say that traffic fumes trigger their symptoms and nearly a third say that a reduction in air pollution is the single thing that would make the most difference to their quality of life. Measures to reduce people’s exposure to these substances are therefore very welcome and we hope these measures will help London achieve its regulatory targets for emissions.”

Kate Ravenscroft, Asthma UK

The pollution in the capital is though to have brought about the premature death of more than 3,000 Londoners in 2005 (some put the figure as high as 8,000).

Trees and taxi cabs

The proposed plans include the planting of trees and hedgerows in heavily effected areas. Taxi cabs and minicabs over 15 years old will not be given licences after 2012 to force those with the most polluting vehicles to replacing them in order to work in London. Those with older used vans will have to pay £100 per day to enter the centre of London from 2012.

“By 2012 the eyes of the world will be on our city, and I am determined that we will be a cleaner, greener and less polluted city, that safeguards the health and well being of its citizens. These proposals call for everyone to play their part in curbing pollution but those who contribute more to this problem should be expected to do more to provide the solution.”

Boris Johnson.

Low Emissions Zone

The Mayor’s plans for changes to the Low Emissions Zone are not expected to come into force until 2012, one year after the deadline for reducing airbourne particles. Vehicles that do not meet strict low emission specifications will have to pay a fine of £100 per day to enter London. The scheme currently covers buses, coaches and lorries over 3.5 tonnes but will be extended to include 90,000 smaller vehicles such as vans. Critics have said that waiting until 2012 will put lives at risk.

Are electric vans a viable alternative to the traditional white transit? Electric vans have been used to deliver milk for years but are they up to the job of proper commercial vans yet and how ecologically friendly are electric vehicles anyway? Electric vans offer a clear financial benefit over their diesel guzzling counterparts but so far have lacked the range and power needed by the average white-van-man.

The Modec Van was launched in 2007 and is a certified ZEV or Zero Emissions Vehicle. It claims to offer 15p per mile running costs and will be exempt from congestion charges and road tax.

Most electric vehicles can cover around 100 miles per charge which means that their uses are limited until the technology improves. Small scale delivery is not a problem but longer journeys are out of the question. A 50mph speed limit on the Modec Van makes it ideal in inner cities but not suitable for motorway travel. Most van rental companies would expect their customers to cover more than 100 miles.

Electric vehicles may be emission free but creating the electricity isn’t exactly eco-friendly. Most of our electricity comes from burned natural resources which are finite. There are plenty of emissions related to electricity production so whilst the vehicles may be eco friendly but the electricity is not.

It’s not very often that you hear good news about fuel prices. The normal trend seems to be price rises even when the oil price goes down. This makes sense I suppose, why pass on the saving to the consumer if they are going to buy fuel anyway? Anyway, back to the good news before this deteriorates into a rant…

Fuel costs in mainland Europe are apparently 12% less this year than last and the cost of hiring a car is also falling. This is good news for tourists looking to keep costs down this summer particularly those visiting Switzerland where unleaded petrol is currently at 91p per litre. Everything else in Switzerland is massively over priced (over £4 for a Cappuccino?!) so if you’re not paid Swiss wages you might want to keep on driving.

The cost of renting a car has also fallen across the continent with Portugal seeing a 21% drop in price and french car hire also coming down in price. One place where driving costs are increasing is Florida where ‘gas’ prices and the week pound are affecting British holidaymakers. I would be surprised if it was anymore expensive than driving here though as petrol prices in the US are still much lower than in the UK.

“This year’s report shows more evidence of price cutting activity to boost tourism in popular European summer holiday resorts. The huge drop in costs in both Portugal and Greece is great news for UK tourists and is another factor that should be taken into consideration when choosing a holiday this year.”
Sarah Munro, Post Office head of travel