5.3.1 - THE CITY PROGRAMME PROJECTS
THE TRANSPORT SECTOR
t TR01 - Emission controls on the most polluting vehicles and traffic intervention alternative analysis, seeking consensus to imple-ment them.
Objective: According to the study of characterization of the fleet in terms of emissions made in Barcelona as part of PECQ, 10% of most polluting vehicles are responsible for 40% of emissions of PM10 and 38% of the NOx, and this 10% is composed of 52.7% of commercial vehicles and 36.8% of passenger cars.
The project objective is to detect the most polluting vehicles, and their emissions reduced to an average value in its class. It is es-timated that, with this measure, reductions in NOx emissions by 13% and 20% in particulates can be achieved. To directly raise the awareness of the more polluting vehicles drivers. To work with national and regional government to incorporate the assessment of NOx and PM10 in the Vehicle Technical Inspection protocol.
Description: The project is proposed in two phases:
1st phase: creating awareness of the effect road traffic has on city air quality, by carrying out emission controls measured in vehicles’
exhaust, and attaching them to the registration plate number to take action. In this way, we want to detect vehicles exceeding the average values of emissions set as maximum by the European legislation for each category of vehicles, and to inform drivers that their vehicles are polluting above these thresholds, informing them about the effect that emissions of gaseous pollutants have on the environment, and spurring them to take the necessary corrective measures. Therefore, it is a de-terrent phase where various checkpoints in the city would be set and users would be informed.
In parallel to the first phase, state and regional government would work together to incorporate to the current protocol of the Technical Vehi-cle Inspection additional values and more restrictive measures than the current opacity of smoke and CO measures, which are considered inadequate to the problem of environmental pollution, especially NOx and, therefore, making it impossible for vehicles that do not meet these
2nd phase: after the first phase of stimulation, a procedure shall be established so that the most polluting vehicles cannot drive through the city without taking the necessary corrective actions, having to go through the Technical Vehicle Inspection for the confirmation that the vehicle complies with relevant environmental parameters. In the case of fleets, the necessary mechanisms will be established so that the most polluting vehicles have limited access to loading and unloa-ding areas of the city. Alternatives of intervention on the traffic will be analyzed and consensus to implement them will be sought.
t TR02 - Sectoral agreements to reduce the use of diesel in vehicle fleets.
Objective: To reduce the use of diesel for the benefit of other cle-aner fuels through agreements with agents of private fleets and other users.
Description: This project aims to promote fuel vehicles with lower emissions of NOx and particulates than diesel such as natural gas, LPG or petrol, since diesel is the fuel that has more emissions of these po-llutants, although it may be more efficient and have less CO2 emissions than others. In fact, diesel vehicles, according to real measurements made in Barcelona with the RSD-which remotely detects pollutants coming out of car exhausts- emit 3 times more NOx and up to 8 times more particulates than the same passenger gasoline fuelled vehicles.
Even the Euro IV emission standards allow diesel cars to emit 3.13 ti-mes more than gasoline cars.
In this regard it is proposed by possible agreements with the business sector, to act on older vehicles and when people replace their vehicle, have them do so in favour of those running on other cleaner fuels like natural gas, LPG or gasoline hybrids, or electric, or even gasoline.
Therefore, we consider the following resolutions:
A> Agreement with taxi drivers to reduce the use of diesel in taxis cir-culating in the city.
B> Agreement with the business sector to reduce the use of diesel delivery vans in the city.
C> Agreement with businesses so that their diesel Euro III passenger
SCENARIOS AND STRATEGIES FOR ACTION - BLOCK 5: STRATEGIES FOR ACTION - THE PROJECTS
t TR03 - Environmental labels awarded to less polluting cars.
Objective: To make companies and individuals prioritize the ac-quisition and use of cleaner vehicles to the expense of the more polluting ones.
Description: this aims to encourage businesses (and even people) to buy and use (when they have to) cleaner vehicles from the standpoint of local emissions (NOx and particulates) at the expense of the more polluting ones.
The environmental label (more focused on company fleets) may be a sign that gives a good corporate responsibility image as well as allo-wing to obtain various benefits such as loading and unloading area re-servations for cleaner delivery vehicles or for company cars awarded with the environmental label, plus discounts at B: SM car parks for ve-hicles with the environmental label (including private veve-hicles, etc.). In addition, there may be tax breaks for companies that have their entire fleet tagged “green.” In parallel, it could be proposed that their drivers take efficient driving courses, savings on fuel could be shared between the company and the driver, and only then will the measure be doubly efficient. The tag issuer will have to be seen.
Alternatively to the previous measure, instead of tax advantages and to promote the primary measures, one idea is to sanction and/or restrict access. The idea would be to paint some loading and unloading areas in a particular way to indicate they can only be used by certain clean vehicles or vehicles with environmental accreditation. It is a measure that can make the vehicle space availability more efficient and compe-titive to companies that initially join the environmental accreditation protocol for their vehicles.
It will be necessary to talk with unions and employers’ associations within the transport sector and consumer goods sector.
For policies beyond the business sector, such as private vehicles, in-formation policies must be made about the environmental benefits of alternative fuels like natural gas, LPG or electricity as well as new technologies.
t TR04 - Rethinking the distribution of goods.
Objective: To reduce the number of freight vehicles in cities by consolidating goods terminal end. To use lower energy consump-tion vehicles (including electric vehicles) for capillary distribuconsump-tion, as well as to improve the traffic flow in the city Ring roads (redu-cing congestion) and at rush hour in general.
Description: this project entails an analysis of the distribution of goods, to later take a series of actions involving a better efficiency in the allo-cation and lowering traffic congestion during rush hour. It is thought that, among others, the following actions might be interesting: distri-bution micro-platforms; analyze the heavy vehicle daytime restriction schedule in the Ring roads; increase the heavy vehicle (25 tons) distri-bution at night time.
Distribution micro-platforms --> It is proposed to establish certain package consolidation platforms inside the city, where larger capacity vehicles unload their goods regardless of the adjacent shops store hours. Thus, shipping inside the city can be performed with greater ca-pacity vehicles outside heavier traffic hours, and even at night. This measure represents driving time savings, more productivity for distri-bution companies, so fewer vehicles have to access to the cities.
Subsequently, the final delivery from the platform to the shops is made in lower capacity vehicles, which may be low power, or even electric vehicles.
The use of the goods distribution micro-platform is only considered appropriate for small business and for some of the shops affiliated to the network HORECA (hotels, bars and restaurants).
Analyzing heavy vehicle circulation restrictions in the Ring roads --> it is worth analyzing the potential environmental and energy efficiency effects of heavy vehicle Ring road time regulation. This would, in part, alleviate Ring road traffic congestion, allow a more fluid traffic, and therefore a more energy efficient and environmental traffic. Reaching agreements with the Port Authority and other stakeholders would be necessary in case of implementation.
Increase night time deliveries with heavy vehicles (25 tonnes ).-->
distribution of goods during a night time slot means the operation of vehicles during periods when there is no traffic congestion and no pro-blems related to interaction with other vehicles.
Additionally, higher tonnage vehicles can be used, which increases the capacity of vehicles with which distribution is performed. This leads to a lower number of vehicles to transport the same volume of goods.
This operation is aimed at major retail outlets that may have reception/
receiving night staff. Large stores that have a higher viability are su-permarkets. Special care must be taken on choosing measuring areas because of the noise issue.
t TR05 - Facilitating the introduction of new technologies that pro-duce less pollution, such as electric motorcycles.
Objective: To promote policies to introduce new technologies such as electric motorcycles or hybrid bike, in parallel to promo-ting the replacement of older bikes.
Description: this aims to promote the introduction of electric or hybrid bikes, less polluting than conventional ones, encouraging the revam-ping of the pool of motorcycles.
To facilitate this change in the business sector, agreements with parcel and food delivery companies, etc. must be made. By adopting the elec-tric bike as a main tool, tax incentives could be proposed.
Moreover, this measure can be associated with the measure of “envi-ronmental label that rewards less polluting cars”, to encourage compa-nies to make the technology change through a return on investment in form of socially responsible company image and marketing.
For the private sector, electric bikes charging stations will be encoura-ged in areas of high influx of students and universities, etc.
t TR06 - Reduction of empty taxi traffic.
Objective: To reduce the annual veh-km travelled by taxis without customers.
Description: taxis circulate empty for a significant period of time through the streets of Barcelona until someone stops them for the-ir transportation service. This causes taxis to travel many kilometres empty and at no charge, with the environmental and economic cost that this entails.
For this reason it is considered necessary to amend the passenger pick
The number of taxi ranks must be expanded and mechanisms must be established to avoid having empty taxis driving around. Taxi rank location signs will be needed for people to find them. The network of taxi ranks will have to be expanded with little distance between them (closer to the people).
t TR07 - Test Pilot on traffic management with traffic light control and environmental criteria.
Objective: To determine the effectiveness or otherwise of the traffic environmental management.
Description: it is proposed to start a pilot test in a certain area of the city that is significant enough to check the effects of traffic manage-ment on emission and congestion reduction. The modelling of future projection indicates that the area that will require more monitoring and control in terms of air quality is the area where the Eixample XVPCA station is. Therefore, if such is the tendency, it is proposed to start the pilot test in this area.
Its implementation will be based on data collected from more than 80 detectors that the City Council has on the road network, data moni-toring the trajectories of some TMB buses and data coming from GPS equipped taxis operating in Barcelona. The time series analysis will be a whole week (5 working days, one Saturday and one Sunday) for 24 hours, to ensure the definition of the entire domain of flow-density re-lation (QK).
Next, a traffic light management system will be developed to control the flow of access to each district of Barcelona. The latest implementa-tion of new technological equipment for regulating traffic lights made in Barcelona during 2009-2010 will allow the correct development of the dynamic traffic light plan, with a direct and real-time communica-tion between control centre and the regulator of each traffic light. The aim of this measure is to make temporary applied delays to vehicles in access roads significantly inferior to travel time savings in the area.
SCENARIOS AND STRATEGIES FOR ACTION - BLOCK 5: STRATEGIES FOR ACTION - THE PROJECTS
t TR08 - More efficient TMB bus network model.
Purpose: To plan and manage the public transport network with sustainability criteria and a more energy and service efficient cri-teria.
Description: creating a new bus network with more efficient lines and lines accompanied by right of way elements, which can achieve greater circulation speed. This benefits both the user because it reduces travel time and the operator, because it requires a lower number of vehicles to provide the same service.
This project is, by itself, a strategic project initiated years ago, that is related to redefining a new TMB network and a new plan for city public transport that will contribute to improving sustainability.
Precisely because of its contribution to sustainability, it is included in this Plan for information purposes. For implementing and monitoring purposes a strategic project should be considered, a reason why deci-sions will be made by the senior management of TMB.
Hence, the proposal to evaluate, with TMB, the viability of having hybrid buses circulate (both hybrid diesel buses that are not amortised and new ones that are to be purchased, all hybrid-series, i.e. with electric traction and using the heat engine as an electricity generator) activa-ting the minimal impact circulation mode within the most sensitive areas of the city with regard to air pollution, reducing their impact in these areas.
t TR09 - Continue the TMB policies of replacing the bus fleet with cleaner technologies.
Objective: To make the fleet of Buses in Barcelona more efficient and less polluting.
Description: TMB policy will continue to replace buses with less pollu-ting vehicles. In this sense, TMB will commit in the coming years, also as a result of research and pilot tests, to a technical change to systems and/or sources that are less polluting and more efficient.
Currently, 295 bus units are circulating with natural gas (27%), less NOx and particulate emissions than diesel, and experiments are under way to adapt the concept of hybrid vehicles to diesel buses, with a substan-tial improvement in energy efficiency and emissions. In 2009, the fleet was composed of 498 with diesel (E1/2/3), 122 with biodiesel (E1/2/3), 76 with diesel Ad-blue, 89 with diesel AGR and 295 with CNG.
In 2010 TMB forecasts, as a pilot test, 40 hybrid diesel buses circulating.
Later, the policy of TMB is to continue increasing natural gas buses up to 40% and the rest are estimated to be diesel or the latest diesel generation.
The project involves, in the period 2010-2014, the following revamping:
2010 -> 4 standard hybrids.
2010 -> 5 minibuses with Euro IV diesel technology.
2010-2011 -> 522 installations of particulate matter and NOx filters for Euro II and Euro III diesel vehicles (vehicles of Euro I and Euro II part will be eliminated).
2010-2011 -> 100 vehicles transformed from diesel to hybrid.
2011 -> 80 additions of CNG vehicles: 52 standard and 28 articulated.
2012 -> 30 additions of standard hybrid vehicles.
2012 -> 30 additions of CNG vehicles: 20 standard and 10 articulated.
2012 -> 7 minibuses with advanced technology with hydrogen, diesel, hybrid or CNG.
2014 -> 62 additions of standard and articulated hybrids.
t TR10 - Improve road and TMB stops street furniture infrastructure.
Objective: To make city bus transport more efficient and comfor-table.
Description: this aims to improve road infrastructure in some parts of the city (i.e. extending the bus lane width, etc.), in addition to improving specific urban furniture such as TMB bus stops to make them more comfortable for the user (i.e. stop platforms, etc.).
Moreover, it is proposed to upgrade the stops with UIB (User Informa-tion Boards), to keep the user informed about waiting times and other possible information.
t TR11 - Company fleets of electric bicycles instead of motorcycles.
Objective: To reduce vehicle traffic in the city and therefore redu-ce pollutant emissions.
Description: replace part of some company fleets of motorbikes with electric bikes, since this transport is competitive on short journeys if done with traditional vehicles; electric motor bikes with an electric motor to be operated in moments that require more effort such as in streets with considerable slope, or to counteract the effect of wind, or save longer distances.
This measure not only produces an environmental benefit because it is a non-polluting medium, but it also allows economic cost savings to the employer because it does not need fuel to operate.
t TR12 - Support the introduction of cleaner fuels at service stati-ons.
Objective: To consider what the future gas station will be like and what fuels and services it will have to offer to modify the spe-cifications or the conditions for granting land for street service stations.
Description: because of the tendency to diversify the variety of fuels used in automotive, and motivated, among others, by policies for im-plementing cleaner vehicles such as electric or hybrid vehicles, the use of natural gas, etc., it is important to wonder what service will be required in future to service stations, and what modifications will be required to meet the demand of vehicles circulating in the city.
It is therefore proposed to favour, by modifying the condition specifica-tions of petrol concessions in public land, the introduction of cleaner fuel than diesel and gasoline. This way, the use of vehicles fuelled by other sources can revitalised.
This measure is important so projects such as “sectoral agreements to reduce the use of diesel vehicles in the fleets” and “environmental label that rewards less polluting cars” can succeed.
t TR13 - Street cleaning along busy streets using groundwater to reduce the re-suspension of particulates.
Objective: To reduce the re-suspension of asphalt particulates.
Description: use the groundwater to clean the roads to reduce the effect of re-suspension of particulates with the circulation of vehicles.
This cleaning will be done with a modular management that will also take into account the emission levels of particulates and the drought episodes, though pathways with more IMD should have higher intensity cleaning.
As an alternative to the use of groundwater, there is also the thought of a pilot test with machines like Dustless Sweeping Technology.
t TR14 - Network of public charging points for electric vehicles.
Objective: To provide the logistics and infrastructure necessary to enable the development and introduction of electric vehicles in the city.
Description: The project aims to develop a network of charging points to prepare the city with the infrastructure necessary for the gradual introduction of electric vehicles in the city in coming years.
The project includes the development of the Movele project which in-cludes the implantation of 230 charging points (82 street level and 142 on public car parks) until 2011.
This project also supports other projects such as “sectoral agreements to reduce the use of diesel in vehicle fleets”, “environmental label that
This project also supports other projects such as “sectoral agreements to reduce the use of diesel in vehicle fleets”, “environmental label that