Latest news with #InternationalCouncilonCleanTransportation
Time of India
11 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Delhi's Bus Connectivity Crisis: Short Trips Highlight Need for Improved Neighbourhood Services, ET Infra
Advt Advt By Six in 10 daily trips made by commuters using public transport in Delhi are under 4 km, but most city buses operate on longer routes rather than providing robust connectivity within to a study conducted by International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), the true potential of public transport can only be unlocked if transit services align with the short-distance mobility needs of commuters. The study, "Neighbourhood Public Transit Services: Situational Analysis of Bus-Based Public Transport Supply in Delhi," proposes a neighbourhood-level approach for expanding bus services, especially through the deployment of smaller electric buses designed to serve short, intrazonal study presents a spatially granular analysis of bus-based public transport availability across the national capital territory. By leveraging geographic information systems, ward-level data, and transport route information from DTC and Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System, which runs cluster buses, the study concluded that 31% of urban neighbourhoods in Delhi fall outside a 500-metre radius of a public bus stop, a threshold recognised as the standard for walkable access under India's transit-oriented development Delhi made important strides in expanding its metro network and introducing new buses under govt's initiatives, ICCT in its study asserted that access to low-cost, reliable neighbourhood mobility remained limited for many. "Nearly one-third of Delhi's urban area lacks convenient access to formal bus services. For thousands of residents, daily mobility often involves long walks or costly last-mile connections, conditions that discourage public transport use and contribute to congestion and pollution," the study pointed identified Deoli, Jaitpur, Sangam Vihar, Mustafabad, Ghonda, Sainik Enclave, Hari Nagar Extension and Prem Nagar among the most underserved municipal wards in the capital. These areas house a large number of unauthorised colonies and have a labyrinth of narrow lanes and bylanes that cannot be catered to by full-length buses currently operated by DTC and Delhi has extensive and vast public transport connectivity, it lacks accessibility in dense urban settlements where a traditional 12m city bus cannot operate with ease. "By aligning route design with localised demand patterns and physical constraints such as road widths, the study strongly advocates short-distance, high-frequency neighbourhood buses tailored to Delhi's complex urban fabric," ICCT said, recommending that smaller 9-metre neighbourhood buses on roads seven metres or wider should be study pointed out that Delhi govt recently launched Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector (Devi) buses, a fleet of smaller electric buses intended to serve as last-mile and intra-zonal connectors across areas that cannot accommodate traditional 12-metre buses."First-and last-mile connectivity and the need to serve low-density or hard-to-reach areas are critical challenges that hinder the scaling up of bus services in cities. To address these issues, cities around the world introduced neighbourhood-level bus services, such as 'Community Buses' in Japan, 'Neighbourhood Circulators' in the United States, and Quartiersbusse in Germany. In India, Devi bus is a similar innovation, with Delhi govt piloting such a service in the city," said ICCT India's managing director Amit Bhatt."If successful, this scheme would not only benefit Delhi but also have a strong ripple effect across other cities in the country," he added.
New Indian Express
21-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
One-third of Delhi commuters deprived of public bus stops, says study
NEW DELHI: About one-third of Delhi's neighbourhoods lack convenient access to public bus stops within a 500-meter radius, which is considered the standard for walkable access under India's Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) policy. Furthermore, Delhi's major roads are primarily served by long-haul buses, even though most commuters travel less than 4 kilometres for their daily trips. These long-haul buses are often impractical for use in densely populated areas, rendering them ineffective for many residents. These issues were highlighted in a recent study conducted by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), an independent environmental research organisation. The ICCT also noted Delhi's significant progress in expanding its metro network and introducing new buses through various government initiatives. However, access to affordable and reliable local transportation continues to be limited for many residents. It found that nearly one-third of Delhi's urban area lacks convenient access to formal bus services. For thousands of residents, daily mobility often involves long walks or costly last-mile connections, conditions that discourage public transport use and contribute to congestion and pollution.
NZ Autocar
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Autocar
E-fuels and their role in supporting electrification
E-fuels, short for electrofuels, are synthetic fuels designed to power internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. They offer a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional petrol and diesel. E-fuels are produced using 'green' hydrogen and carbon, which is captured from the atmosphere or biomass waste. The combination of hydrogen and carbon dioxide results in a fuel that can power existing engines with minimal or no modification. One of the key attractions of e-fuels is their potential to be carbon-neutral. Since the carbon dioxide used to produce them is captured from the air, their emissions are theoretically offset by the carbon removed during production. This has made them a point of interest for car manufacturers like Porsche and Ferrari. Both wish to prolong the life of their existing ICE powered cars. Despite their promise, e-fuels face several challenges. While cleaner to produce than fossil fuels, they still emit pollutants when burned. Oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and ammonia are harmful to both health and the environment. Studies have shown that e-fuels perform similarly to petrol in terms of NOx emissions and may emit more CO and ammonia. Efficiency is another major concern. Vehicles powered by e-fuels are significantly less efficient than battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Research shows that e-fuels require four to six times more renewable electricity than BEVs to power a car the same distance. Much of the energy is lost during the conversion process from electricity to liquid fuel. The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) reported that nearly half of the renewable electricity is lost when converting to e-fuels. Porsche has started producing e-fuel in Chile. Production scalability and cost also hinder widespread adoption. E-fuels are currently expensive to produce and are only available in small quantities. It has been estimated that to run Europe's fleet on e-fuels, energy production would need to increase by 150 per cent. That's a major challenge given that only 40 per cent of the EU's energy currently comes from renewable sources. Nevertheless, several manufacturers see strategic value in e-fuels. Porsche has invested $NZ138m in a pilot e-fuel plant in Chile. It aims to produce around 130,000 litres annually. Another such facility is planned for Tasmania. The company sees e-fuels as a way to make the existing global fleet of 1.3 billion ICE vehicles more climate-friendly. Other automakers such as Ferrari, Ineos Automotive, Mazda, and Alpine support e-fuels. Car makers like Bentley and Volvo prefer focusing on full electrification. In the policy arena, most governments have yet to incorporate e-fuels into their official decarbonisation plans, focusing heavily on the EV transition. However, a new report has criticised this strategy as overly narrow, citing EV infrastructure gaps and material shortages. The authors called for a broader approach, including addressing emissions from the existing petrol and diesel fleet. Experts argue that e-fuels could serve a complementary role rather than a primary one in decarbonisation. While not suitable for mass vehicle electrification due to inefficiency and cost, they could be ideal for sectors where electrification is more difficult, like aviation and shipping. For example, Porsche's e-fuel partner, Highly Innovative Fuels, is producing e-fuels at a plant in Chile powered by abundant local solar and wind energy, and a second plant is planned for Texas. E-fuels then offer an intriguing path toward reducing emissions, especially for legacy combustion vehicles. While they are unlikely to replace EVs due to inefficiencies and environmental trade-offs, they may play a key role in niche applications and in regions with excess renewable energy. A balanced and honest assessment of transport decarbonisation strategies will likely require integrating both e-fuels and EVs, tailored to different sectors and geographic realities.
Forbes
24-04-2025
- Forbes
Flying And Climate Change: How Travelers Can Help
A plane leaves a contrail on the sky. In part one of this series, I posted about what I've observed of climate change over 50 years of world travel. In part two I wrote about, how travel changes affect us now. In this post, we'll focus on flying. When we travel, vast amounts of carbon emissions are generated throughout our trips. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the tourism sector creates around a tenth of the greenhouse gas emissions that drive the climate crisis. Other studies agree that practically half of all transport emissions stem from global tourism. According to World Weather Attribution, heatwaves will become hotter and longer unless the world quickly halts using so much fossil fuel. Planes use vast amounts of it; flying is responsible for around 2.5 per cent of global CO2 emissions, and it's rising. Burning fossil fuel not only releases CO2 emissions, but also has strong warming non-CO2 effects due to nitrogen oxides (NOx), vapor trails and cloud formation triggered by the altitude at which aircraft operate. What can travelers, as an industry and as individuals, do about this problem. Here are some suggestions. Direct, non-stop flights are best. Medium- and long-haul flights account for 73% of aviation's carbon emissions. (But short-haul flights emit 251 grams per kilometer (. 62 miles), while long-haul flights emit 195 grams per kilometer. The disparity is due to the high fuel consumption during takeoff and landing, making the level flight segment cleaner regardless of distance.) Reduce flying. Increase eco-efficiency. To reduce its impact, France has banned domestic flights where the same trip can be done in less than two-and-a-half hours by train. Austria has passed similar legislation. It's a start, but so far these policies impact a small number of flights. In the aviation sector, finding markets that are a little shorter haul is desirable; even a 10% reduction in emissions is a welcome achievement for destinations. Tour operators might also change the destinations they offer, particularly to travelers generally focused on booking any 'sun and sea' experience rather than a specific place. 'There's a lot that needs to be done to build pathways to zero,' says Dan Rutherford, program director for the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), whose own research focuses on improving the efficiency of planes. That and other forms of demand reduction, such as carbon pricing, a frequent flyer levy and the rollout of biofuels, could reduce aviation's footprint by 85 per cent by 2050, according to the ICCT. 'We're going to require all of the above,' says Rutherford. And what can individual travelers do? Small choices can make a difference, and there are lots to be made. Fly mindfully. Check out these suggestions, each of which, if multiplied by others, can help subdue climate change: Choose airlines that offer carbon offset programs. Donate to carbon offset organizations yourself. Choose eco-friendly airlines. Sit in economy class. Take nonstop flights to limit layovers. Fly on mid-size passenger planes. Take daytime flights for minor environmental benefits. And if you're traveling 200 miles or less, look for alternative travel modes. Adapt to rail and bus for longer haul. While a flight would emit around 109 pounds of CO2 per passenger on a 200-mile trip, that trip on a train or charter bus would emit just 26 and 19 pounds of CO2 per passenger, respectively. Europeans are leading the way. 'The rail system in Europe is incredibly accessible, with quick, comfortable and affordable trains,' says sustainable travel writer Holly Tuppen, author of Sustainable Travel: The Essential Guide to Positive Impact Adventures. Rail travel is also the least carbon-intensive type of motorized transport. A train from London to Paris emits 91 per cent less CO2 than flying. 'Coach travel is also great for reducing carbon emissions,' adds Tuppen, 'and can be much more affordable than trains.' Interior of night train from Prague to Kosice with beds and wash basin Europe's night train revival is a travel trend. New nocturnal routes have launched, including a Brussels to Berlin sleeper. Major holiday and tour operator TUI, for instance, began offering new sleeper train trips as a substitute for six short-haul routes in Europe. Tour operator Sunweb, in the Netherlands, is also focused on offering overnight train trips to Belgium and the French Alps, and to the south of France. 'With the advance of the sleeper train, you can save on a night at a hotel and actually travel a very long way past changing landscapes, awaking to breakfast in the Alps, for example,' says Jones. Whatever your choices, awareness is key. Little by little we can make a difference. I recently spoke about travel and climate change at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Check out the discussion on my YouTube channel Places I Remember: Travel Talk with Lea Lane. Also, for all travel topics, check out my award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane.
