Plug In Vehicles Plugged In Policy

Consumer demand for plug-in vehicles remains very low and the Government grant to encourage demand may not be proving effective. The Government must do more to show that its plug-in vehicle strategy is a good use of public money. Carbon emissions from transport must be reduced if the UK is to meet its climate change targets, but public money must be targeted on effective policies. So far, Department for Transport expenditure on plug-in cars - some £11 million - has benefited just a handful of motorists. There is a risk that the Government is basically subsidising second cars for affluent households. It is also unclear whether the provision of public charging infrastructure encourages demand for plug-in cars. Indeed, the Government does not even have a register of all the chargepoints installed at public expense

Motoring is being transformed by new materials, new fuels and information technology. However, the Government must act if people and businesses in the UK are to obtain the full benefit of this ongoing automotive revolution. The Committee found that the Department for Transport (DfT) is yet to set out a comprehensive strategy to link the introduction of new automotive technology to the achievement of its policy goals. It should develop a comprehensive vision to shape motoring of the future in partnership with other Government Departments and agencies. This strategy needs to set out a co-ordinated set of actions to: (i) reduce or eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on the roads; (ii) cut emissions from road transport; (iii) increase road capacity; (iv) facilitate social inclusion and accessibility of road transport; and (v) support economic growth.

We may be standing on the precipice of a revolution in propulsion not seen since the internal combustion engine replaced the horse and buggy. The anticipated proliferation of electric cars will influence the daily lives of motorists, the economies of different countries and regions, urban air quality and global climate change. If you want to understand how quickly the transition is likely to occur, and the factors that will influence the predictions of the pace of the transition, this book will be an illuminating read.

Focusing on technical, policy and social/societal practices and innovations for electrified transport for personal, public and freight purposes, this book provides a state-of-the-art overview of developments in e-mobility in Europe and the West Coast of the USA. It serves as a learning base for further implementing and commercially developing this field for the benefit of society, the environment and public health, as well as for economic development and private industry. A fast-growing, interdisciplinary sector, electric mobility links engineering, infrastructure, environment, transport and sustainable development. But despite the relevance of the topic, few publications have ever attempted to document or promote the wide range of electric mobility initiatives and projects taking place today. Addressing this need, this publication consists of case studies, reports on technological developments and examples of successful infrastructure installation in cities, which document current initiatives and serve as an inspiration for others.

The last few years have seen a number of periods when severe weather has led to widespread travel disruption, exposing a lack of preparedness across all modes of transport in terms of infrastructure, resources, and looking after the interests of passengers. Pro-active decision-making by rail and aviation operators to reduce or cancel services ahead of a major event has reduced disruption. However there is scope for further improvement. The Highways Agency should review the barriers to providing comprehensive realtime information to drivers. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) should ensure that train operating companies develop more robust procedures to identify how long a period of disruption is likely to last and to communicate this clearly to passengers. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) should set out how it will evaluate the impact of the new airport licence conditions on passenger welfare, by Spring 2015. The CAA must also ensure that best practice on the provision of information and on passenger welfare is shared across all UK airports. The availability of salt for gritting roads has improved with the establishment of the strategic salt reserve. More, though, should be done to keep pavements clear of ice and snow. However, winter weather is about more than just snow, as illustrated by the 'St Jude' storm across southern England and the more recent storm stranding thousands at Gatwick. The transport sector must continue to work closely with the Met Office and other forecasters. Finally, embedding a culture of continuous review and improvement must remain a priority.

Whiplash injuries can have debilitating consequences for those who suffer them. However, some of the increase in whiplash claims will have been due to fraud or exaggeration. The Government must tighten up the requirements for motor insurance claims and ensure that insurers honour their commitment to reduce premiums. The Government should consider requiring claimants to provide proof that they have either been seen by a doctor or attended A&E shortly after the accident. The MPs also note that their previous recommendation on making the links between insurers and other parties involved with claims more transparent has been ignored. The absence of comprehensive statistics about road traffic accidents means that it is impossible to relate the increasing number of personal injury claims in recent years to the number of accidents. Data collection about road accidents needs to be improved help to assist detection of fraudulent personal injury claims and help highways authorities improve road safety by targeting spending on accident black-spots. The Committee also supports the proposal for an accreditation scheme for medical practitioners who provide medical reports in relation to whiplash claims. Access to justice could also be impaired by Government proposals to switch whiplash claims between £1,000 and £5,000 to the small claims court, particularly for people who do not feel confident to represent themselves against insurers who will use legal professionals to contest claims. Ways in which use of the small claims track could be combined with the routine submission of expert evidence should be considered

Flight time limitations regulate the number of hours that pilots and crew work in order to prevent fatigue. Fatigue contributes 15-20% of fatal aviation incidents caused by human error. In July 2013, Member States of the European Union voted strongly in support of a draft proposal on flight time limitations by the European Commission. Overall, the Commission's draft regulation represents an improvement but concerns remain. Particularly about the apparent reluctance of the Commission when developing these regulations to set a lower limit for the flight duty period at night in accordance with the scientific evidence on this matter. It is disappointing that the UK Government has not pressed for a lower limit. It is also disappointing that a consensus has not been reached on the draft regulations with crew and pilot representatives. It is recommended that the European Scrutiny Committee requests the UK Government to press the Commission to ensure an effective monitoring regime is put in place to examine whether the 11 hour limit is at least as safe as the current regime and that they request the European Commission provide an assessment of the regulation two years after its implementation. The Committee also concluded that: the potential under-reporting of pilot fatigue must be properly recognised if it is to be effectively tackled; information should be regularly published on the use of Commander's discretion to extend their crew's flight duty period if unforeseen circumstances arise; and scientists must have a more central role in the development and assessment of flight time limitation proposals

The Transport Committee broadly welcomes the European Commission's 4th Railway Package but believes it focuses too much on liberalising the railway in domestic markets at the expense of important measures to improve cross-border freight and passenger services. The Committee recommends the UK Government should actively negotiate to ensure: joint working between Network Rail and train operators is not prohibited or unduly restricted; metro and light rail systems are not affected by the proposals to separate infrastructure and service operators; the UK's arrangements for letting train franchises are not challenged. In addition, MPs are concerned about: governance arrangements for Eurotunnel; the maximum annual threshold proposed for rail franchises, which could prevent UK companies bidding for work in other EU countries; and the possibility that the EU may become responsible for specifying the content of public transport plans: these should remain the responsibility of national or local governments.