ITEM NO: 8 COUNCIL 17 JULY 2019 PUBLIC QUESTIONS 1 Question
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COUNCIL 17 JULY 2019 PUBLIC QUESTIONS 1 Question from Simon Pirani, SE18, to Councillor Denise Scott- McDonald, Cabinet Member for Air Quality, Sustainability and Transport At the Council meeting of 26 June 2019, Councillor Denise Scott-McDonald answered questions from Matt Browne (no. 3), and Councillor Matt Hartley (no. 25), by saying that “by smoothing traffic flow, it is anticipated that the new [Silvertown] tunnel will reduce [greenhouse gas] emissions”. This statement contradicts a large body of published research, which shows (i) that road building projects increase the total traffic volume (so called “induced traffic”), (ii) that increases in total traffic volume and total car use are significant causes of higher greenhouse gas emissions, and (iii) that in order to reduce emissions, it is necessary to reduce total traffic volume and total car use. (Examples of research are: Campaign to Protect Rural England, Beyond Transport Infrastructure (2006); Keith Buchan, A low carbon transport policy for the UK (2008); Lynn Sloman, Lisa Hopkinson and Ian Taylor, The Impact of Road Projects in England (2017).) While this research shows that reducing total traffic volume reduces emissions, research on schemes designed to relieve congestion found that they are unlikely to reduce emissions. (Examples: Gilles Duranton and Matthew Turner, The Fundamental Law of Road Congestion: Evidence from US cities. NBER Working Paper 15376 (2009); Alexander Bigazzi and Miguel Figliozzi, “Congestion and emissions mitigation: A comparison of capacity, demand, and vehicle based strategies”, in Transportation Research 17:7 (2012).) Since so much research suggests that the Silvertown tunnel will increase greenhouse gas emissions, could Cllr Scott-McDonald provide examples of research that justifies the claim that it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Reply – I thank Simon Pirani for his question. The Council’s Local Implementation Plan sets out an ambitious and important commitment to reducing traffic. This includes an aim for 75 per ITEM NO: 8 cent of all trips in Royal Greenwich to be made on foot, by cycle or using public transport by 2041 (currently only 58 per cent of trips are). It is widely accepted that just creating new road space generally results in the release of suppressed demand, leading to more traffic. As the question suggests, this affect is known as induced demand. However, there are various ways to manage new capacity to avoid inducing new demand – supported by evidence from a similar range of experts. In the case of the Silvertown Tunnel, this will be achieved through the tolling mechanism. The Development Consent Order that allows Transport for London to develop the tunnel requires it to set tolls at a level that prevents additional traffic from being ‘induced’. By monitoring this requirement and through its role on the ‘Silvertown Tunnel Implementation Group’ the Royal Borough will work to ensure Transport for London manages its tolls (and any other necessary mitigation measures) to prevent induced demand. The Royal Borough is committed to ensuring TfL delivers on this requirement. ITEM NO: 8 COUNCIL 17 JULY 2019 PUBLIC QUESTIONS 2 Question from Simon Pirani, SE18, to Councillor Denise Scott- McDonald, Cabinet Member for Air Quality, Sustainability and Transport At the 26 June Council meeting, the Council voted to declare a “climate emergency” and recognised the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as rapidly as possible. At the same meeting, it was stated that the Council continues to support the Silvertown tunnel project and participates in the Silvertown Tunnel Implementation Group. These activities will inevitably lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Obviously the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions is in direct conflict with the policy of supporting the Silvertown Tunnel. Could the Cabinet Member report on any measures that have been taken, or that will be taken, to resolve this dilemma? Reply – I thank Simon Pirani for his question. The Royal Borough supports the development of a package of Thames River Crossings to improve access to key employment areas and address severance. Transport for London’s proposed Silvertown Tunnel forms one part of that package. The current Blackwall Tunnel frequently causes significant congestion – as far back as the Sun in the Sands roundabout. Queuing traffic emits significantly more greenhouse gas and by smoothing traffic flow it is anticipated the tunnel will reduce emissions. As described in my answer to the previous question, this effect will be combined with user charging, to stop the tunnel generating unnecessary new trips. The Tunnel is also an important public transport scheme. One lane in each direction is reserved for buses and taxis. Transport for London is required to provide at least 20 buses per hour, in each direction, through the tunnels during peak periods. This will open up a raft on new bus connections across the river, where only a single bus currently runs. ITEM NO: 8 The Royal Borough has been a leading voice in calling for Transport for London to manage the tunnel effectively. It has: secured vital improvements to proposals; expanded the contents of the Development Consent Order; and secured a separate legal agreement to deliver additional local mitigation measures. We will continue this work as the scheme is developed and through the Council’s role in the Silvertown Tunnel Implementation Group, to ensure Transport for London meets its requirements. Transport for London has the Development Consent Order that allows it to construct and operate the tunnel. No legal avenue exists to oppose the Development Consent Order, as the time limit for making a Judicial Review has expired. The Royal Borough will continue to pursue mitigation measures as the scheme develops. ITEM NO: 8 COUNCIL 17 JULY 2019 PUBLIC QUESTIONS 3 Question from Victoria Rance, SE3, to Councillor Denise Scott- McDonald, Cabinet Member for Air Quality, Sustainability and Transport We are in a climate emergency, and it's necessary to sharply reduce fossil fuel use and carbon emissions in the near future. One way to do this without causing undue costs to the poorest is a smart distance-based road pricing, as advocated by the Centre for London and TfL's own report on traffic and congestion. Would you support smart distance-based road pricing in Greenwich and across South and East London? Reply – I thank Victoria Rance for her question. As I have said in answer to preceding questions, the Royal Borough is committed to addressing climate change and making its transport network cleaner, greener and fairer for all. We have supported Transport for London’s move towards charging the true social, environmental and economic cost of drivers’ trips - through its Low Emission Zone and Ultra Low Emission Zone. We are pushing for this to be expanded further to cover all of Royal Greenwich. Any further road pricing would need to be developed at a London-wide level, to reflect the areas people travel across. We encourage Transport for London to continue this work. As you suggest, charges should consider the effect of people’s actions and their ability to pay, as accurately as possible. We are closely following developments in this field and the technology to do it in a ‘smart’ way. ITEM NO: 8 COUNCIL 17 JULY 2019 PUBLIC QUESTIONS 4 Question from Matt Browne, SE10, to Councillor Denise Scott- McDonald, Cabinet Member for Air Quality, Sustainability and Transport Having declared a climate emergency, will Greenwich Council commit to a new study, using the latest available data, into the impact the Silvertown Tunnel will have upon the Council’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030 or earlier? Reply – I thank Matt Browne for his question. The Development Consent Order (DCO) that allows Transport for London to develop the tunnel requires it to re-model the highway network, with updated data, ahead of opening. It is also required to propose mitigation measures where “there is likely to be a material worsening of traffic conditions”. The Royal Borough has to be consulted on this modelling and any mitigation proposals. Once the Tunnel is operational, Transport for London is required to monitor traffic levels and propose further mitigation if there is a material worsening of traffic conditions. These requirements – written into the legally binding Order – prevent the Tunnel from significantly increasing traffic and, therefore, emissions. The Royal Borough is committed to ensuring Transport for London delivers on this requirement. Should there appear to be a risk of Transport for London failing to do so, we will work to ensure they do meet their commitments. ITEM NO: 8 COUNCIL 17 JULY 2019 PUBLIC QUESTIONS 5 Question from Patrick Ives, SE10, to Councillor Sizwe James, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Growth Could the Royal Borough of Greenwich inform residents whether planning permission for the Cruise Ship Terminal at Enderby Wharf has been revoked? Reply – I thank Patrick Ives for his question. Planning permission for the Enderby Wharf Cruise Liner Terminal has not been revoked. However, the new owner has publically confirmed that they no longer intend to progress the cruise liner terminal element of the permission and will commence pre-application discussions to develop a revised scheme for the site. ITEM NO: 8 COUNCIL 17 JULY 2019 PUBLIC QUESTIONS 6 Question from Joanne Sanderson, SE9, to Councillor Danny Thorpe, Leader of the Council In 2018, Labour committed to producing a Green Paper on