Friday, August 19, 2022

Why free public transport is the climate crisis solution



By Martyn Bradbury, Daily Blog, August 19, 2022 (Abridged)


The time for Free Public Transport as a solution to the climate crisis is now.

We urgently need to shift people out of private transport and onto public transport.

This would have an enormous benefit on the poorest amongst us who pay 20% of their wage on transport while taking vast numbers of people off the roads in their cars.

We must nationalise our public transport fleet and look at vast new investment inside cities and intercity.

That includes a vast upgrade on rail.

The Truck industry have had political dominance for too long.

Rather than continue to subside the NZ Trucking Mafia, we should subsidise public transport.

The floods you are seeing, the scorching temperatures, the heat waves – ALL of this is happening at speeds and jumps in temperature far outside where Scientists were expecting.



The climate crisis is here and we aren’t ready.

New China crisis poses fresh global threat as ‘extreme’ disaster unfolds

China is facing its most extreme heatwave in 60 years – and the impact is set to be felt worldwide.

Severe heat and drought has plagued the world’s second-biggest economy for weeks on end, with temperatures soaring above 40C in a string of large cities.

As a result, the unprecedented demand for airconditioning has caused the power grid to buckle, while the drought has also reduced water levels and therefore the ability to generate electricity at hydropower plants.

It’s a nightmare scenario for the nation of 1.4 billion, and has seen some provinces resort to drastic measures.

Free public transport and vast upgrade of that infrastructure is a solution and part of the future’.

(Abridged)

Friday, July 29, 2022

‘Government should act now’

 


Free Fares NZ announcement, 29 July 2022

On Thursday morning, the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) Annual General Meeting passed a remit supporting our call for central Government to fund free public transport for under-25’s, tertiary students, Community Services Card Holders, and Total Mobility Card holders and their support people.


Having the largest local government association back our ask is a big moment for our kaupapa. 


One of our organisers Mika Hervel says “Free Fares is not a fringe idea. It is not absurd, or even unrealistic. Every day, more and more people are backing our calls to central Government and the support of LGNZ’s remit this morning is indication that this is no longer a partisan issue. The Government should act now.”

https://freefares.nz/

Kansas City’s Zero Fare Transit Program Shows Major Success – And What Still Needs to Be Done

 


By Sandy Smith, NextCity, 27 July 2022

Kansas City, Missouri, made national headlines in the fall of 2019 when its city council voted unanimously to become America’s first large city to make public transportation free citywide. Now, two and a half years later, anyone living anywhere in the city can ride buses without paying a fare.

How has that worked out for the riders and the city?

Survey data shows the move has largely been successful in advancing local transit equity – though it also highlights what remains to be done to allow all Kansas Citians equal access to the sprawling metropolitan area.

A study conducted as part of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City’s annual “State of Black Kansas City” report last year asked 1,686 riders for their feedback on what Zero Fare has enabled them to do. The responses show how a Zero Fare policy makes a big difference in these riders’ ability to exercise the so-called “right to the city.”

Almost 90% of the riders surveyed said they rode the buses more as a result of Zero Fare. About 92% said it allowed them to shop for food more often; 88% said they could see their healthcare providers more easily or more often; 82% said it allowed them to get or keep a job; and 86% said it made them feel like city leadership is concerned about their needs — a sore subject for mostly-Black East Side residents, who often complain that the city pays more attention to its whiter and more affluent west side.

Continue to read - Link to original post: https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/kansas-city-zero-fare-free-transit-program-shows-major-success?fbclid=IwAR3v5vQjzT3lCsjPGwdoDLqtFIc9odnktK7OPOxSu-w6yN5iVomiMwTgtys


Monday, July 25, 2022

ODT: Free & fair: The case for free buses

Otago Daily Times, Monday, 25 July 2022


Monday, July 11, 2022

Efeso Collins: fare-free public transport to ‘put the future of Auckland first’’


Auckland Mayoral candidate Efeso Collins

 We are fortunate to live in a beautiful city that's home to vibrant communities, boasts destination parks, beaches, eateries and more. It's a place we call home and one we're proud of. But its traffic problems are crippling our productivity and choking the joy out of our city.

That's why my plan for better and more accessible public transport is a plan that puts the future of Auckland first.

My five-point plan includes:

- fares free public transport

- an expanded and more frequent network

- support for electric ferries and integration of ferries into the network

- rolling out Auckland Transport’s parking strategy equitably

- ensuring two councillors sit on Auckland Transport's board so Auckland Council’s vision for a better connected city can be realised.

Free buses ticket to climate savings

                           Councillor Angela Dalton

Waatea News, 11 July 2022

A south Auckland councillor is backing a plan by fellow councillor and mayoral candidate Efeso Collins for free public transport.

Manurewa-Papakura Ward councillor Angela Dalton says she’s also on a council working group looking at a reduction of transport emissions.

Free buses and trains would help with that goal.

“It will provide more equity for people as long as – the other thing we need to do is make sure those buses are running, are frequent, and in the place they need to be – so I think Efeso is on the right track and It can be funded I believe from within existing budgets because there are things we would just stop doing if we had free public transport,” Ms Dalton says.

More people using public transport means less pressure on road surfaces so they don’t need to be renewed as often.



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A south Auckland councillor is backing a plan by fellow councillor and mayoral candidate Efeso Collins for free public transport.

A south Auckland councillor is backing a plan by fellow councillor and mayoral candidate Efeso Collins for free public transport.

Manurewa-Papakura Ward councillor Angela Dalton says she’s also on a council working group looking at a reduction of transport emissions.

Free buses and trains would help with that goal.

“It will provide more equity for people as long as – the other thing we need to do is make sure those buses are running, are frequent, and in the place they need to be – so I think Efeso is on the right track and It can be funded I believe from within existing budgets because there are things we would just stop doing if we had free public transport,” Ms Dalton says.

More people using public transport means less pressure on road surfaces so they don’t need to be renewed as often.

Friday, July 8, 2022

Air pollution from cars killing thousands of NZers yearly

In findings which have startled scientists, new data shows car pollution is killing thousands of New Zealanders each year and costing the country billions of dollars.

pollution from the exhaust of cars in the city in the winter. Smoke from cars on a cold winter day

Photo: 123RF

The first-of-its-kind study has measured the health impacts of nitrogen dioxide, a toxic gas emitted by fossil fuel cars.

It found 3300 people were dying yearly because of air pollution, and it was mostly because of cars.

That meant as a whole, 10 percent of the people who died each year in the country were dying because of air pollution.

Exposure was also sending more than 13,000 people to hospital for respiratory and cardiac illnesses and giving the same number of children asthma.

The social cost of these health impacts was estimated to be $15.6 billion.

The study, Health and Air Pollution in New Zealand, was conducted by New Zealand experts in air quality, health, and economics.

It was the study's third instalment since 2012, but for the first time, pollution data from vehicles was measured.

The new numbers were more substantial than previous records of air pollution - making car pollution more harmful than the damage household fires caused.

Researchers said the extent of the nitrogen dioxide impacts were "unexpected" and "startling".

Nitrogen dioxide emission in New Zealand is almost exclusively from burning petrol and diesel.

The country has almost 4.4 million motor vehicles and that figure is on an upwards trend.

Fossil fuel cars killing thousands

Previously, air pollution measured in the country had been largely from fine pollution particles - which came from domestic fires, car brakes, and industry.

That pollution caused an estimated 1300 deaths in adults per year.

A closer look now showed that a further 2000 people were dying because of exposure to nitrogen dioxide.

That was because the pollutant was a major factor in stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and chronic respiratory diseases.

Young children, elderly, asthmatics and people with pre-existing heart or lung diseases were most vulnerable to both forms of air pollution.

Hospitalisations and unhealthy children

The new figures more than doubled Aotearoa's air pollution hospitalisation statistics.

Nitrogen dioxide is sending an estimated 8500 people to hospital with cardiovascular or respiratory illness, compared to 4600 from other air pollutants.

An extra 6000 people are being hospitalised with a respiratory condition from nitrogen dioxide exposure.

It brings the total annual hospitalisations from all air pollution to 13,100.

New Zealand already has some of the highest asthma rates in the world, and the new research estimated that 13,200 cases of asthma in children were exclusively because of car pollution.

The cost of the harm

Not only is air pollution killing people and harming their health, it is costing the country $15.6b; and 60 percent of that is because of nitrogen dioxide.

The "social costs" of air pollution calculated in the study took into account the costs to society when people were sick or died from exposure.

It was not just in terms of the direct medical costs with illness and death, but a loss of output from people taking time off work, school and the loss of income.

The study used a "value of statistical life" which was the same used to cost road crash deaths.

At 2019 prices, that was $4.5 million per person's premature death.

It also estimated a cost of $36,000 for each person admitted to hospital with cardiac issues, and $31,700 for people with respiratory issues triggered by air pollution.

Childhood asthma hospitalisations are costing the country $1800 per case.

Air pollution is also causing 1.745 million restricted activity days - days where people cannot do the things they normally would because of the bad air.

Increased air pollution also makes people less likely to engage in physical activity, which of itself has wide-ranging public health impacts.

Data for the study was collected from 2016 statistics because at the study's commencement in 2019, it was the most suitable on hand.

NZ's low pollution levels still have 'quite significant health effects' - study leader

Click below on the online dashboard launched today to find out which areas in New Zealand suffer the worst air pollution.

Dr Gerda Kuschel, the study's project lead, said the results were so unexpected the team had to review them twice.

"We were quite shocked, and of course your first response is, 'well have we done something wrong?' So we went through a very rigourous internal review of the results and the calculations because it was so unexpected," Kuschel said.

Much of the research on health impacts of nitrogen dioxide had been for countries with higher levels of air pollution.

"We're in a really privileged position on the one hand, in New Zealand we do have low levels of air pollution but unfortunately we've still found out that this is an issue and has quite significant health effects."

On the $15.6 billion price tag of air pollution, Kuschel said it was one way of measuring the burden of air pollution.

"It's the cost to society - if someone is sick or dies there is a loss of productivity to the economy. That person can't work, family members are probably having to look after somebody," she said.

The impacts were also inequitable - not only to vulnerable groups, but people who were around more traffic.

NIWA air quality scientist Dr Ian Longley said "If we live in a quiet residential street, there is some traffic pollution around, but if you live next to a major road the levels will be double. Particularly if you live near roads which have a lot of congested traffic or those where there are a lot of clusters of tall buildings".

Dr Ian Longley has been studying car pollution for two decades and said the results were not surprising - but hopefully were a wake-up call.

Ministry for the Environment senior analyst Drew Bingham said while New Zealand still had low levels of air pollution there was no such thing as "safe levels".

"We still find important health impacts, and that's not to say that New Zealand has great air pollution all the time everywhere, we do know that there are places where air pollution can be at quite high levels."

Associate Minister for the Environment Phil Twyford noted that the data was collected before Labour was in government.

The study used data from 2016.

"This report provides a snapshot of the decade of decline before our government was elected, and underscores the importance of the environmental progress we have made for the health and well-being of New Zealanders," Twyford said.

"It also provides further evidence of why we need policies like the Clean Car Discount which has just recently seen a record amount of EVs and hybrids registered in its first year, state sector decarbonisation projects like getting rid of coal boilers in schools, and reform of our resource management system which will require prescribed limits on air pollution."

Car ownership statistics for the country, the most recent of which were from 2019, still showed an upwards trend of 4.4 million vehicles.


Thursday, June 30, 2022

Aucklanders Overwhelmingly Support Fare Free Public Transport

 


New polling out this morning confirms that Aucklanders overwhelmingly support fare free public transport. These results follow the release of a report jointly co-commissioned by FIRST Union and the NZ Public Service Association Te Kauae Kaimahi, making the case for fare free public transport.

"Working class communities in Tamaki Makaurau are doing it tough, as rising costs follow on from a brutal pandemic period. Fare free public transport will reduce costs for many families, putting climate action within reach," said Louisa Jones, FIRST Union Assistant General Secretary.

"Universal free public services are a great way to alleviate financial pressure on low income families without creating further inflationary impacts. Fare free public transport is an ideal pandemic recovery policy at this point in time."

"Bus drivers are proud to be able to do their part to help our communities get by, but low wages and poor working conditions are impacting driver recruitment and retention."

"Implementing fare free public transport will have to be accompanied by real improvements in bus driver remuneration and working conditions."

The poll of 772 Aucklanders, commissioned by mayoral candidate Efeso Collins and conducted throughout June by Talbot Mills, showed 73% of people support making public transport permanently free. Just 7% of those surveyed opposed making public transport permanently free, with 17% neutral and 4% unsure.

The poll also revealed strong support for fares-free public transport across the political spectrum, with a majority of National and ACT voters (63%) supporting fares-free public transport. 78% of respondents living in central Auckland favoured fares-free public transport.