Creating a low carbon transport network in London

David Brown is Transport for London’s Managing Director, Surface Transport. He is responsible for managing London’s bus network, London’s key ‘Red Route’ road network, Congestion Charging, London’s black taxis and private hire vehicles, London River Services, Croydon Tramlink, Victoria Coach Station, Dial-a-Ride and transport policing. Here, he explains what TfL is doing to help London’s transport network cut emissions and tackle climate change.

Tackling climate change is the Mayor of London’s number one priority. He set tough targets in his London Plan for reducing CO2, calling for a 60% reduction on 1990 levels by 2025. TfL has allocated a substantial £25 million over three years to fund new projects aimed at meeting this challenge.

London’s bus fleet is already the cleanest in the UK, but we strive to reduce emissions further. All 8,000 London buses have particulate filters, reducing emissions of fine particles, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons by over 90 per cent. The majority now meet Euro III emission standards and we have already started introducing Euro IV buses.

TfL is also investing in the next generation of clean bus technology, indeed we are helping to drive the market. Hybrid buses are cleaner, quieter and use less fuel than conventional diesel buses, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 40 per cent. In March, the world’s first double deck hybrid bus entered service in London to join the six single deck hybrids in operation since February 2006.

These are diesel-electric hybrids, but in future we could see biofuel-electric hybrids or even hydrogen-electric hybrid vehicles. By the London Olympics in 2012, we intend every new bus entering service to be a hybrid. We’re already seeing manufacturers rise to the challenge, as we seek mass produced hybrid vehicles at a competitive price.

TfL continues to support the development of new technologies, including hydrogen fuel cells which produce no emissions other than water vapour. A successful trial of three hydrogen fuel cell buses led the Mayor to commit to introducing ten new hydrogen buses to the fleet, and sixty other low emission vehicles across the Greater London Authority family.

Although created primarily to address traffic levels, the central London Congestion Charge has delivered important environmental benefits. The original charging zone has seen a 20 per cent drop in traffic, cutting emissions and freeing up road space for additional, more reliable, bus services. The £8-a-day charge was recently extended to include large parts of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea. The Mayor has now asked TfL to take forward work on a policy to charge the most CO2 polluting vehicles £25 to enter the zone.

London is the only major city in the world to have achieved a significant shift from private car use to public transport – the number of bus passengers alone has increased by 40 per cent over the last seven years, bringing the total number of journeys made on London buses to over six million every weekday.

Taxis are getting cleaner and greener too, with older, more polluting black cabs due to be fitted with emissions-reducing technology – paid for through a 20p environmental surcharge added to each fare – to ensure they meet Euro III standards for nitrogen oxides and particulates by June 2008.

The importance of reducing emissions and tackling climate change cannot be overstated. The innovative strategies we’re implementing will make a significant difference to reducing harmful emissions, including cutting CO2, making TfL a beacon for change in the UK and around the world.