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"Air pollution in Scotland 'creating public health crisis' "

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    "

    Air pollution in Scotland's towns and cities is creating a public health crisis, according to environmental campaigners.

    The claim by Friends of the Earth Scotland came after they analysed official data for two toxic pollutants.

    The group said the latest figures showed pollution levels were continuing to break Scottish and European limits.

    "

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-30760370

    Posted 9 years ago #
  2. Tulyar
    Member

    It might be interesting to review any time-based variation, as Cross-Glasgow and North Street/Newton Street have huge variation between short peak hour periods and other times - likewise M8

    Posted 9 years ago #
  3. Instography
    Member

    Campaigners say that something might be causing something terrible. Officials respond that something they might be doing might make it better some how, some time in the future.

    Now, in other news...

    Posted 9 years ago #
  4. chdot
    Admin

    "

    CAMPAIGNERS say plans for a new Waitrose on one of Edinburgh’s most congested roads should be vetoed because of soaring pollution levels.

    "

    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/pollution-fears-over-corstorphine-waitrose-plan-1-3658151

    Posted 9 years ago #
  5. kaputnik
    Moderator

    And so they should be worried - Corstorphine's exactly the sort of place where folks would drive two streets to get to Waitrose then complain about there being no parking spaces left and too much traffic.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  6. cb
    Member

    If it's anything like the Morningside or Stockbridge Waitroses then it should attract a lot of walking shoppers. These are fairly unusual supermarkets for being more convenient for pedestrians than for drivers (thanks to the front door not being behind 1/4 of a mile of car park).

    I can see that a new Waitrose in Corstorphine will increase congestion/polution in St John's road, but perhaps it will mean less traffic heading to the big Drumbrae Tesco and perhaps fewer Corstorphine residents driving to Morningside or Stockbridge.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  7. chdot
    Admin

  8. chdot
    Admin

    "

    Volkswagen faces massive fines and a possible crisis of confidence in its CEO following accusations that it faked diesel emissions tests in the U.S.

    "

    http://fortune.com/2015/09/20/vw-winterkorn-apology-emissions/

    Posted 8 years ago #
  9. LaidBack
    Member

    So now VW have been caught I wonder if we can start looking at other bogus emmition claims. I did know that lab results were better than reality but I assumed till now they were all skewed equally. (ie no-one tested cars when engine is warming up as they would all fail - hence the desire by some to discourage using cars outside schools).

    Should we have VW diesel free zones? One way to redress this could be to increase taxation on these vehicles in the meantime - could backdate it.

    Of course I expect the industry to close ranks pretty quickly on this. Collateral fatalities caused by this deception are just the price we all most pay.

    I expect a class action will be taken in the USA. VAG will then plead that if they go under all these low emission vehicles that were just around the corner won't be built. Government will step in and print some money etc.....

    Motoring PR is so good that the public will believe anything... in fact it's so good that the inspectors actually believed it.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  10. Snowy
    Member

    The bit that puzzles me is why VW in the US felt the need to mislead. Their diesel engines meet the EU regulations without cheating (apparently random selection from production line prevents this) and so I'm not clear on why the same cars in the US had to be tweaked to such an extent in order to pass the tests. Hopefully someone can explain...

    Posted 8 years ago #
  11. chdot
    Admin

    "Hopefully someone can explain..

    Basically US standards are much tougher - perhaps impossibly so(?)

    Posted 8 years ago #
  12. Snowy
    Member

    So it seems. This article is helpful.

    Seems it was the Nitrogen Oxide/Dioxide standards in the US which were very hard to meet in a legitimate way.

    Of course, if it's been cunning software which senses the test scenarios, then there's no guarantee the EU cars aren't also affected.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  13. neddie
    Member

    I find it amazing that VW are to be fined £24,000 per car. If you used that same car to kill someone directly, you would be fined around £500.

    Go figure (as they say in U. S. of A.)

    http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34332452

    Posted 8 years ago #
  14. PS
    Member

    I find it amazing that VW are to be fined £24,000 per car. If you used that same car to kill someone directly, you would be fined around £500.

    The state takes any disrespecting of its authority very seriously. However, if you happen to disrespect another individual's rights, well, meh...

    Posted 8 years ago #
  15. paulmilne
    Member

    I heard an expert talking about it on Radio Scotland this morning. The way she put it wasn't that US regulations are so tough, but that EU regulations are so weak it's no problem to meet them without cheating.

    But you do wonder to what extent things like on-board software is standardized across the production process. If so the same software might very well have rolled out world-wide.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  16. chdot
    Admin

  17. Councillor Lesley Hinds, the city’s transport and environment leader, said the launch underlined ambitions for “cleaner energy” in areas such as Musselburgh High Street, which sees an estimated 20,000 vehicles daily.

    And independent ward councillor John Caldwell said: “Anything that can begin to help improve the environmental situation in the High Street is most welcome and I hope that other bus companies will try something similar.”

    Though that 'anything' doesn't include reducing the 20,000 vehicles figure it appears.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  18. Min
    Member

    The number 26 seems to be some sort of hybrid. Every time it stops, the engine cuts out. Freaky.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  19. neddie
    Member

    the [European] NEDC tests are "very sedate and short. There is no resemblance to real-world driving".
    The gentle acceleration, cruising speed, and braking used in the tests would be unrecognisable to most drivers, she says.

    There is no simulation of prolonged motorway driving, and carmakers use the most optimal settings to improve performance, such as the bare minimum of fuel and switching off air conditioning.

    She says carmakers might remove windscreen wipers, wing mirrors, and spare wheels, and even tape up doors to reduce drag.

    "I don't think manufacturers (in the EU) break the rules, but they do bend them," she says. "Everyone is gaming the tests in Europe."

    http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34340301

    Posted 8 years ago #
  20. neddie
    Member

    Also, I wonder why SMMT come out with statements like:

    "There is no evidence that manufacturers cheat the cycle."

    When there is a high chance they'll be proven wrong?

    http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34338775

    Posted 8 years ago #
  21. crowriver
    Member

    Lothian Buses have been running hybrid vehicles on the No.1 service for around a year.
    They are really nice and quiet.

    http://lothianbuses.com/about-us/community/environment/hybrid-buses

    Posted 8 years ago #
  22. acsimpson
    Member

    They've been on the number 10 route for even longer than that. Since 2011 infact:

    ecolothianbuses.com

    Posted 8 years ago #
  23. wingpig
    Member

    I've seen supposedly hybrid buses but have never been behind one when it's not been in old-fashioned fuming mode.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  24. steveo
    Member

    I've been on the 1 a few times and the swap between electric to diesel is a little abrupt. But the 10 I think runs diesel all the time not sure where the hybrid kicks in.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  25. acsimpson
    Member

    If I understand correctly the hybrid buses don't operate on an either or fashion in the same way as cars but instead in a electric drive mode with the engine as a generator. This allows them to go from an engine with over 10l to one more akin to what you would find in a chelsea tractor.

    What this means is that the engine can be run closer to maximum efficiency a lot of the time and the battery power being used when the motors are drawing more than the engine can generate and being charged when it is less.

    Of course it's a few years since I looked into it so things might have changed again.

    For reference Wikipedia has the old routemasters with engines between 9.6 and 11.3l while the new ones which weigh over 50% more only have a 4.5l engine. That's 0.35l/ton rather than up to 1.5l/ton.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  26. steveo
    Member

    That makes sense, just like the GM Volt quite a clever idea.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  27. chdot
    Admin

    March! -

    "

    A new campaign by car makers claims modern diesel engines are clean and have reduced emissions, but experts say they are greenwashing the figures

    "

    http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/11/have-diesel-cars-been-unfairly-demonised-for-air-pollution

    Posted 8 years ago #
  28. chdot
    Admin

    Sept 15th -

    "
    Nine out of 10 new diesel cars break new EU pollution limits when tested on roads rather than test tracks, according to a new report.

    On average, the cars emit seven times the permitted level of NOx gasses, with the worst car producing 22 times the legal limit. Models from every major motor manufacturer breached the limit when they were evaluated in real-world conditions.

    "

    http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/14/nine-out-of-10-new-diesel-cars-in-breach-of-eu-pollution-rules-report-finds

    Posted 8 years ago #
  29. chdot
    Admin

    "

    To ensure Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia is successful and safe, many of the streets in Center City are being closed to personal vehicular traffic for three days.

    ...

    Hidalgo hopes to limit certain high-traffic streets to electric cars and other ultra-low-emission vehicles, ban diesel cars and double the number of bike lanes in the city.

    "

    https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/pope-visit-philadelphia-no-cars

    Posted 8 years ago #
  30. kaputnik
    Moderator

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34376086

    It said its findings meant that nearly two thirds of the gains claimed to have been made on CO2 emissions and fuel consumption since 2008 were "purely theoretical".

    Motor manufacturers not to be trusted? Testing regimes not very stringent? Cars emit far more fumes than the greenwashed advertising suggests?

    Whodatuhunkit...

    Posted 8 years ago #

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