Dorothy – 26/2/99
Riccarton Road – the most polluted road in Christchurch and growing worse each year.
What can be done to improve the situation? Using non-polluting electric buses would be a start. As diesel buses are among the most serious causes of pollution on Riccarton
Road a gradual change over to zero emission buses would help the situation.
Carbon monoxide levels on Riccarton Road These exceed the World Health Organisation air quality guidelines on one
day in every three. They are worst on still days in the winter. A 65%
reduction in the level is necessary if acceptable levels are to be reached,
and for good levels 85% is needed.
Canterbury Regional Council taking strong measures to combat smog In winter the smog problem in Christchurch is a serious health risk. The
city is sited at the foot of the Port Hills and when there is little wind a
pall of smog lies over the city in winter. A temperature inversion is formed on still frosty nights and traps the emissions in a layer close to
ground level.
Open fires banned To combat this problem the Canterbury Regional Council has banned the use
of open fires and the City Council is subsidising the installation of non-polluting forms of heating.
Motor vehicle emissions still causing problems While the above measures show a real concern for the health of the citizens
a very serious problem remains with the pollution caused by motor vehicle
emissions, and this problem is at its worst on Riccarton Road where it has
been estimated that 23.600 vehicles travel every weekday.
Increasing use of Riccarton Road Drivers who formerly would choose a route through the residential streets
on either side of Riccarton Road now have to use Riccarton Road as more and
more of the suburban streets have been designated “Slow Streets” with narrowed thresholds installed. This has been one factor in the increase in
traffic on the main road.
The number of people owning cars is steadily increasing, and the number who
use public transport to travel to work is decreasing – now only 4% of workers.
New bus service will increase the traffic movements on Riccarton Road. The Canterbury Regional Council is planning to begin a service which will
provide transport to several malls, Pioneer Stadium and Princess Margaret
Hospital without going into the city centre as the other buses do. This
may encourage people to leave their cars at home, but it will add 738 bus
movements per week to the traffic on Riccarton Road.
Buses as pollutants Even buses which are functioning well are estimated to contribute four times as much pollution to the atmosphere as cars. I have noticed a number
of poorly maintained buses on Riccarton Road which have thick smoky emissions which will pollute the atmosphere at an even higher rate. The
additional bus trips will aggravate an already serious problem affecting
the health of those who live or work in the area.
An alternative to buses that increase pollution
|
|
| The Shuttle – Ready for Christchurch Citizens to Ride in Pride |
Christchurch citizens are already enjoying the advantages of electric zero-emission buses operating in a free shuttle service in the city centre.
The shuttles, a Christchurch City Council and Christchurch Transport Limited joint venture, are the first of their kind in the Southern Hemisphere and are manufactured in Ashburton by Designline. Both local passengers and the many overseas visitors who travel on these buses are
impressed with the absence of engine noise and pollution.
Riccarton Road a tourist area A large number of motels have been opened in Riccarton Road and many tourists, accustomed to using public transport in large cities overseas,
use the buses to travel in and out of the city. The option of catching an
electric zero emission bus would be appealing to these travellers.
Costs An electric zero-emission bus costs 10% more than a diesel bus. For the
fleet to operate the new service this would amount to $70,000 – only 60
cents a household. As the Regional Council has shown its concern about
pollution levels by banning open fires let us hope that they will invest
the extra amount for zero emission buses to improve the health of the citizens of Christchurch. Electric buses on the new route would be a worthwhile start.
Readers, please share your views on this topic in the backchat at the
end of this article. Tell us how your city copes with the problem of vehicle emissions.
