Tim Almond

Libby Purves in The Times

So that’s it. No trains. Precious few buses. Everybody stranded, unless they drive. So they will drive, and the Department for Transport’s fatuous Act on CO2 campaign will ring hollow once again.

No it won’t. From an environmental point of view, I think the government is doing exactly the right thing.

It’s a question of utlisation. A commuter train from Reading to London is more environmentally friendly than the alternative - lots of drivers each taking their car in. Because the train is very full, but the cars would each be very empty.

At weekends and holidays, cars become much more densely packed. People travel as couples, mates, families and so on. The amount of carbon they are using each goes down rapidly. And because so does the cost of travelling by car, they are less likely to want to use the train. So the utilisation of the train goes down, and the carbon used by each passenger goes up.

Tags: Travel //