Green cities: Keep public transport public

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Published Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 11:30
by Editor (1226 views and 1 comments)

Sometimes it takes old technologies to solve the problems of modern life! This is the case in the Greater Manchester Region, United Kingdom, where good old-fashioned rail helped the regions out of its problems with traffic congestion and pollution.

Dave Quayle from Labour is a member of the Trafford Borough Council for the last 17 years and Member of the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions. He is a strong supporter of the ‘Metrolink’ project and helped reintroduce trams in his region:

"50 years ago Greater Manchester abandoned its tram system and in the 1980s the area faced major congestion problems. With the introduction of ‘Metrolink’ in 1992 a lot of these problems were solved," explains Dave Quayle.

40 million car journeys off
‘Metrolink’ is unusual because the vehicles are running on both ‘traditional’, heavy rail lines and tram tracks. This makes public transport in the Greater Manchester Region efficient and eco-friendly at the same time.

"In the last 12 years Metrolink has taken 40 million car journeys off. This is why the network is now due to be expanded four-fold over the next years," says Dave Quayle.

Not a capitalist venture
What is the best thing local government can do for the environment? If you ask Dave Quayle the answer is to invest in public transport:

"The way Metrolink is owned and financed is not ideal – it’s partly a capitalist venture: the trains are owned by private companies which expect to make a profit. This set-up has, among other things, led to high fares and a network that is not expanding fast enough," he explains and continues:

"I’m not against private sector involvement, but it’s important to consider both the environmental and social dimensions of transport projects like Metrolink. Public transport needs subsidies to be affordable to people. My suggestion for the PES manifesto is to keep public transport public."

Green cities
On 15 May 2008 the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions will host a conference on ‘Save our Planet’ in Turin, Italy. Leading up to the event Yourspace invites local and regional politicians to give their view on what the PES manifesto should say about the environment. This article is the fourth in the ‘Green Cities’ series, offering a local perspective on global challenges.

Tags: environment, green cities, transport

Comments

1. What about Trolley Buses ? by Duncan Anderson Join PES activists on Thursday, April 24, 2008 at 23:06

I fully support green, public transport and I'm a great believer in trams. But please don't forget about Trolley Buses.

Trolley Buses have the advantage of requiring less infrastructure modifications, namely you don't have to dig up the roads to implement them, which makes them greener. And as there is less construction, there is less disturbance to communities.

Furthermore, as Trolley Buses can run on normal roads and if equipped with dual power - electric motor and diesel engine - they can run between rural communities where there isn't always the necessary power cables.

 

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