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Hear more about the challenges we are facing here in Dorset from Dorset Council’s Transport Planning Manager:
Due to its dependency on fossil fuels the transport sector is a major contributor to our nation’s carbon footprint. Decarbonising this sector will be a key challenge in moving towards a zero-carbon future.
Here in Dorset transport alone is responsible for an estimated 765 kilotons of CO2e each year, making it the single biggest contributor to our county’s footprint. To reach zero carbon, fossil fuel use in the transport sector will need to be eliminated. This will not be as simple as just switching to different fuels or energy sources. It will require significant changes in attitudes, planning and infrastructure, economic incentives and political and institutional changes.
In rural areas like Dorset, car ownership is amongst the highest in the country. And in 2018 just over 2,500 million vehicle miles were travelled in Dorset Council area. A significant shift will be needed to make active travel and public transport the first transport mode of choice. This will be a significant challenge, in 2018 only 1% of UK passenger journeys were made on public transport.
Transport will also need to be a key focus for Dorset Council in its own ambitions to eliminate emissions from its activities and services. Change will be required in the way staff commute to work, workplace practices, fleet operations and business travel.
Over 9,000 Dorset Council employees currently commute to work. Changing commuter travel behaviour and achieving a shift from cars to more sustainable modes of transport will be required.
Mileage undertaken by council staff on work business will also need to be significantly reduced, last year this amounted to 5.3million miles, costing the council £1.6m and emitting 1,496 tonnes of CO2e.
The council’s fleet vehicle emissions will also need to be eliminated, this will require a staged renewal programme to replace the existing fleet with electric or best possible alternative.
To support the move to electric vehicles in both the Council fleet and the county there will need to be an increase in the provision of electric vehicle charging points. This will require significant action from both public and private sectors in Dorset.
Decarbonising Dorset’s transport sector will be a major step towards a net zero future, and significant action will be required from the Council to eliminate associated emissions from its own activities and services, as well as working with partners and using its influence to facilitate change on a county-wide level.
For the first time, this year will see Dorset Council using low energy asphalt (LEA) on all resurfacing schemes and as a surface course on new construction projects such as cycleways.
The material is produced 30 to 40 degrees lower than conventional material, which is usually produced at 180 degrees. This reduced heat results in 15% less carbon emissions during the production process.
Although widely used in America and France, low energy asphalt is much less common in the UK.
Councillor Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: “Following two successful resurfacing schemes trialling LEA here in Dorset, we’ve been very keen for mass-production of the material at the regional quarry, Whatley. Working closely with our private sector partner Hanson UK this has become a reality. The quality of the lower energy material is not affected, it helps reduce our carbon footprint and it’s actually easier to keep at temperature during transport due to the lower production temperature.”
On average Dorset Council pool-cars travel about five to six thousand miles each year. And it’s estimated that each standard diesel pool-car produces between 1.4 and 1.7 tonnes of CO2 per year. In 2013, Dorset Council introduced three electric cars into its pool-car fleet to reduce these emissions.
Electric vehicles produce no carbon emissions in use, but do still have some associated emissions unless the electricity to recharge them comes from renewable sources.
Compared to a standard diesel pool car that travels 5-6k miles annually, its estimated that an electric equivalent travelling the same distance produces between 0.5 to 0.6 tonnes of CO2 a year. Since introducing the three electric pool-cars its estimated that the Council has saved around 10.5 tonnes of CO2. There are opportunities to reduce emissions further by using only renewably sourced electricity and by increasing the number of electric pool-cars within the fleet.