The Environmental Effects by the Carbon Emissions - Essay Example

Topic Inserts His/her Inserts Grade Inserts 26.11. Introduction In the recent past trafficcongestion has become a major concern to many countries across the globe. This is due to many economic and social costs, which come as a result of the traffic congestion problems. In fact, this is the condition where the volume of traffic surpasses the free flow capacity of a road link or a junction, and any additional motor vehicle causes delays to others, and it is costly in terms of fuel cost, time taken and carbon emission to the air, which causes pollution. Workplace parking charges has seen a specific car space tax being imposed on Private Non-Residential (PNR) car parking at workplaces that in past have been free as a practical fiscal measure to discourage car based transport for the staffs, to and from the workplace. Car based commuting has in the past propelled the level of road congestion. The charges are aimed at discouraging the staff to adopt other modes of transport like walking, cycling or adopting car club strategy which gives people access to vehicles on pay-as-you-go basis. Congestion charging involves levying every vehicle based on the trip length in terms of travel time or travel distance and trip externalities related to a vehicle contribution to congestion and air pollution. Currently the continuous fees charged, based on mileage is best for all vehicles types; ranging from the commercial motor bikes, commercial vans, and trailers to the private cars. Proposal is under way to use a MOBB (Mobile Operated Black Box) that is based on solution which would identity the details of the vehicle and the driver. Implemented as a mobile handset using the UK mobile network and employing the Location Based Service mobile application to locate the coordinates, which help determine whether the vehicle is within the charging zone or just in the entire road network then transmit the data to the congestion charges operational center that is either local or national. It is being proposed to have the smart card in the MOBB system to enable the vehicle charging system be incorporated in the national transport system for effective monitoring. Merits of Workplace and Congestion charges It has seen decrease in the traffic congestion in the charging zones in the various cities of British. Taking London for example employed the London Congestion Charging Scheme (LCCS). From the table below gives the changes in the number of different types of vehicles entering and leaving the charging zones. Table showing Percentage changes of vehicles entering and leaving the charging zone in 2003 and 2004 Change Change Change Change Inbound outbound inbound outbound 2003 vs. 2002 2003 vs. 2002 2004 vs. 2003 2004 vs. 2003 Cars -33% -35% -1% -2% Taxis +17% +8% -1% 0% Buses and coaches +23% +21% +8% +4% Vans -11% -15% -1% -1% Lorries and other -11% -12% -5% -5% Pedal cycles +19% +6% +8% +8% Powered two-wheelers +12% +5% -3% -4% Source: TfL (Jones, 2010, p.25) The large improvement of London bus network has seen people switching to the use of the bus, they have increased the number of the buses with combination of more frequency and good network, this has seen car user avoiding to pay the congestion charges switch to public transport. Taking for example of the data of bus usage in 2003 and 2004, the table below shows that there is a considerable switch to the use of public transport (Brown, 2010, p.85). This has seen the increased investment on the investment on buses, as the average speed of bus movement increased by 7% in the charging zone implying people take lesser time on jam hence low cost of fuel and a better return on investment (Jones, 2010, p.63). In 2004 global climate report it shown that transport represented 13 per cent of global greenhouse gas emission. The road transport by cars and freight trucks account for two-thirds of transport greenhouse gas and are rapidly growing and could account for 15 to 20 per cent of global emissions by 2050 (Lena, 2008, p. 57). By discouraging dependency of car and adopting other modes of transport like cycling, walking to work, public buses and car-club means of transport. This has seen the level of carbon emission in most cities in UK dropped. Motor vehicles cause air and noise pollution resulting in health risks such as heart and respiratory diseases. Also car mobility in related to increasing obesity and risk of injury through accidents, so by walking or cycling one can prevent many chronic diseases as walking and cycling also form part of body exercise other than being a means of transport. Green spaces are important for well-being as it creates a micro climate of clean air and a good urban climate. Study shows that on average 30 per cent of surface in motorized cities is devoted to roads. Introducing workplace parking charges has seen the 20 per cent of land previously covered by off-street parking being put into other uses like planting plants to create a green city, natural habitats and community meeting places, which are important for healthy urban life. In North American cities for example, roads and parking spaces account for between 30 and 60 per cent of the total surface that if freed up can be used for other purposes. Social justice is higher in cities where mobility is not car-dependent, as people can participate in society fully as they are able to access facilities relating to employment, education, shopping and recreation. This has relieved those who were fully dependent on car and were facing economic problems especially the low-income people when the fuel become more expensive and could spend so much of their income on transport, in contrast to other alternatives cheap means of transport like foot, bicycle or use of public transport hence improving the quality of life of the inhabitants of that city. Social accessibility also means that transport facilities is available to all, including people with disabilities, elderly people or people with other special needs Other than congestion, vehicles impose on the rest of society cost as a result of accidents, environmental pollution leading to chronic diseases, and road damage leading to high infrastructure cost of maintenance. Transport accidents pose the following impacts on people and the society:- 1. Medical and healthcare, which are borne by the UK’s National Health Service, and the tax papers that are often part of the fees levied on the society members. 2. Lost economic output that could have been pumped to society for development 3. Other cost are the pain and grief, material damage The decrease in road use has seen less cost in maintenance of the roads. The maintenance cost that is catered for by the highway authority is used to repair the damage caused by the passenger vehicles. The UK the highway authority follows a condition-responsive maintenance strategy meaning each road is repaired when its condition reaches a pre-determined state; it is not necessary to charge vehicles for the damage they do to vehicles coming after them, which have to drive on a damaged tarmac, as on average, the condition of the road remains. The resources for repair highways comes ultimately from the Treasury, which receives £31.5 billion in fuel duties receipts, Value Added Tax on fuel duties and Vehicle Excise Duties as per the National Statistics Online, 2004 (Melanie, 2006, p.74). Heavier vehicles pay a more Vehicle Excise Duty. Like in 2005, a goods vehicle not heavier than 7,500 kg pays an annual Vehicle Excise Duty of £165, whereas a goods vehicle between 27,000 and 44,000 kg pays £650, unless it is four or more axle rigid, in which case it pays £1,200 according to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (Santos & Fraser, 2004, p.46). This has ensure good road infrastructure as the Highway authority uses the congestion and parking charges to maintain the road network With decrease in the number of private cars, the heavy commercial vehicles and business motor vehicle are able to move faster in the roads as they are less congested, this leads low cost of fuel and faster delivery of the goods and services to their various stations hence a good return on the business that improves the gross domestic product of the country, contributing positively to the economy. Conclusion The London Congestion Charging Scheme (LCCS) started on February 17, 2003 implemented and operated by Transport for London (TfL), operating by an area licensing system, has seen commendable decrease in road congestion and good road network facilitated by the better maintenance done from the availability of funds from the workplace and congestion charges. The environmental effects by the carbon emissions can be reduced by taxing the fuel. While congestion needs a more detailed system to differentiate between peak and off-peak times, and several principles upon which charges incurred, and the amount of charge in particular based on the following circumstances: 1. Point charges (applied to bridges or tunnels, key links or junctions in the network; either one or two-way); 2. Cordon or boundary charges (either one or two-way, single or multiple), as applied in the Norwegian toll rings; 3. Area charges ( for travelling into and within a prescribed area), as proposed for Central London; 4. Trip length (defined either in terms of travel time or travel distance). References List Brown, M., 2010. Getting More from Less: Low-Cost, High-Value Transport Solutions. McGraw-Hill: Irvine Publishers. Jones, P., 2010. Transport Studies Group: Addressing Equity Concerns in Relation to Road User Charging. United Kingdom, UK: University of Westminster. Lena, T, 2008. A Tool to Tackle Congestion in UK Cities? Congestion Charging: Center for Cities. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Melanie, C., 2006. A Practical Road User Charging System for the UK White Paper. Chicago: Longman Publishers. Santos, G & Fraser, G., 2004. Lessons from London Road Pricing. Cambridge: University of Cambridge. Read More