Environmental Comment
This page contains environmental comment about, or relevant to, PPM technology and developments. See also Industry Comment, Passenger Comment, Political & Government Comment and Media Comment.
| October 2006 |
"Greenhouse-gas emissions can be cut in four ways [including] switching to lower-carbon technologies for power, heat and transport."
"Large-scale uptake of a range of clean power, heat and transport technologies is required for radical [carbon dioxide] emission cuts in the medium to long term. ... Deep cuts in the transport sector are likely to be difficult in the shorter term, but will ultimately be needed. while many of the technologies to achieve this already exist, the priority is to bring down their costs so that they are competitive with fossil-fuel alternatives under a carbon-pricing policy regime."
"Climate change policy can help to root out existing inefficiencies."
"The need for action is urgent: demand for energy and transportation is growing rapidly in many developing countries."
STERN REVIEW: THE ECONOMICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, 30th October 2006 |
| June 2006 |
"Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander is gearing up to put the environment at the top of his political priorities. Senior Whitehall sources say that he is determined to tackle carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from road transport which, if unchecked, will grow by nearly 50% by 2020 compared to their 1995 levels. Traffic already accounts for a quarter of all UK greenhouse gas emissions. It is understood that a large number of proposals are being considered and that future transport funding decisions could be much more closely linked to environmental concerns.
"... In [Mr Alexander's] letter of appointment prime minister Tony Blair stressed that transport was 'critical to our long-term goal of reducing carbon emissions'."
"Alexander refocuses DfT on the environment", Transport Times, 16th June 2006 |
| February 2006 |
"The situation in Stourbridge demonstrates the 'problem' of lightly used rail lines where the provision of a rail link is publicly celebrated yet traffic volumes do not provide sufficient revenue to create a business case. ... The most significant feature of rail as a mode of passenger transport is its costs. High initial costs of infrastructure (stations, track and rolling stock), in addition to the cost of fuels, signalling and staffing, mean that there are barriers to entrepreneurs entering the market, and subsidies mean that the rail network is a burden to central government. The Parry People Mover is able to offer environmental benefits from its fuel use, quoted as a quarter of the fuel that conventional rail vehicles use, and the cost of each vehicle is two-thirds that of the vehicles used at present [PPM NOTE: vehicle cost depends on specification and can be much lower than this]"
"The methods of operating the Parry People Mover are where communities benefit most highly. Through reduced stopping distances crossings can be co-ordinated by traditional traffic light systems while the users of mobility aids are able to cross the track at level. Services can be run more frequently and stations can be closer together."
MATTHEW ALBERY, "National Rail - towards a more 'open' rail network?", Action Briefing (newsletter of Birmingham Friends of the Earth), February-March 2006 |
Specifiers of public
transport systems are aware of the strong appeal of the absence of adverse environmental impacts (noise and pollution) at the point of encounter.
For the passenger this is at the station; for the community, the public spaces
through which the line passes. Until now the environmental advantage has had
to be bought at a very high cost by electrifying the routes of trains and trams. This includes the high level of maintenance
skills and sophisticated central facilities required by electrification.
Over a decade of development
work has led to the PPM technology which addresses the essential requirements
of high quality, modern public transport :
1. No perceived
exhaust emissions in public places.
2. Low
noise inside and outside the vehicle.
3. Vehicles which
can be operated and maintained using resources which are available locally.
4. Ride quality
good enough for passengers to feel secure when standing while the vehicle is
moving.
The result, which
is now available to public transport authorities and operators, is a ready-to-roll
rail-based transport system. This meets all the essential requirements and can
be maintained locally on a railway branch line or small tramway.
To have achieved the attributes and benefits for a modern tramway or suburban rail system without having to confront the high capital cost thresholds of electrification and complex suspension is a major advance in light rail technology.
The high environmental
quality of the Parry People Mover concept resulted in the award to the company
of 'Millennium Product' Status from the Design Council and two 'Smart Award'
for industrial achievement.
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