Green transport week
Friday, 13 June 2008 12:00 AM
Spanish truckers blockading their country's border with France, while in Bordeaux drivers slow traffic to demand lower fuel prices. Portuguese drivers block roads in protests which left one demonstrator dead. In Belgium thousands of trade union members demonstrate in Liege, while in Asia protest erupts in India, Nepal, Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia.
Green transport week could not have come at a more appropriate time. The price of oil has ramifications which are felt across the globe, and the UK is not immune to the effects. Gordon Brown's press conference on Thursday was dominated by the topic and environmental concerns are gradually working their way onto the front pages.
The mainstay of this year's green transport week is the launch of the Environmental Transport Association's (ETA) 2008 Car Buyers' Guide, a free online directory of the environmental performance of over 1,300 cars.
Consumers would do well to pay it attention. Motorists are warned to expect record petrol prices for up to eight years and research has revealed that 84 per cent of British drivers are unprepared for the radical changes to road tax rates which will see a million people pay more than double over two years.
These continuing high prices will in 2009 come on top of the graduated rates of revised emissions-based vehicle excise duty. Research by the ETA reveals that only 16 per cent of people know the current tax band into which their vehicle falls.
The new system of 'road tax' aims to encourage drivers to choose the least polluting car, but millions of drivers are likely to get a shock as tax bills land on doorsteps next April.
Prices sustained at this level are likely to alter not only people's driving habits, but also the type of vehicle they choose. Many people will decide they need to be more flexible about the way they travel - the four million people who currently use their cars to drive less than three miles to work may decide to occasionally cycle.
The research into drivers' attitudes reveals that some regions are 'greener' than others. The environmentally least-well-informed drivers are in the south, and particularly London, with 67 per cent and 68 per cent respectively not having any idea how much CO2 is being emitted by their car. Drivers in other areas of Britain are slightly more aware; 56 per cent of drivers in Scotland have no idea how much CO2 their car produces. The figure rises to 64 per cent in the north of England.
Another key finding of the survey is that 33 per cent of drivers in London do not feel that their car produces an unreasonable amount of pollution, a figure which drops to 25 per cent in Wales, the midlands and the north. The figure for the south of England is 32 per cent.
Over the last few years environmental concerns have gained weight in the eyes of both the media and the general public, and the idea that worrying about your lifestyle is both environmentally friendly and good for your pocket has become something of a cliché. But that doesn't make it any less true. Watching out for the environmental performance of your car is a key step towards saving the world, and saving some money.
Go to Green Car Awards for the results of the awards and Car Buyers Guide to see the environmental performance of a particular model of car.
To find out more about the ETA and Green Transport Week click on the link.
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