PREAMBLE
The Greens support low-emission, efficient transport systems, infrastructure and policy in order to make commuting easier, tackle climate change, create healthier communities, and improve the economy. The use of fossil fuels for transport is unsustainable, and is a major contributor to climate change. Therefore, the Greens seek to drastically reduce the production of carbon dioxide from all methods of transport.
VISION
The vision of the Greens is to produce a sustainable transport system that meets the needs of its stakeholders while protecting the environment. The planning of all transport infrastructures must be done at the most local level appropriate and in a democratic manner, involving open public consultation.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the Greens in the first instance is to reduce the need to travel, guiding planning and development decisions that make communities more livable, integrated, and sustainable. Thereafter, policies, infrastructure and planning decisions shall support and invest in human and freight transport options that are efficient, accessible, and environmentally responsible. The Greens will establish a new basis for developing and implementing transport policy and infrastructure developments in line with these principles.
ACTION PLAN
The Greens will support, enact, and invest in transport solutions that are affordable, safe, efficient, and have minimal impact on the environment. The Greens support a transportation policy that minimises pollution and maximises energy efficiency. Therefore, the Greens will —
Public Transport
- Ensure that public transport is designed and planned to create a user-friendly service that is reliable, affordable, accessible, and integrated
- Engage communities to participate in the formulation, planning, decision-making, implementation and monitoring of transport processes and outcomes
- Ensure integration between sustainable modes of transport with the involvement of all service providers
- Reduce car dependence by providing fast, frequent, reliable, affordable, accessible and safe public transport services
- Ensure that all urban and rural areas are served by a public transport system
- Ensure that public service, not private profit, is the primary function of public transport
- Prioritise public transport safety so that women, children, elderly and other vulnerable groups are not discouraged from its use and will use it
- Fund projects and forms of transport that move people and freight most efficiently, affordably, and cleanly
- Ensure that transport infrastructure and services are accessible to people with disabilities or impaired mobility
- Make a provision that children, students, beneficiaries, and super annuitants travel free or at discounted prices on all modes of public transport
- Introduce hybrid and/or emission-free buses
- Ensure that access to quality public transportation is a cornerstone of urban planning
Personal Motorised Transport
- Reduce demand for personalised motor transport by providing and promoting viable alternatives, including public and active transport
- Grow awareness of the environmental and social cost of personal motorised transport
- Set appropriate speed limits and other measures to improve the safety of those using and near roadways
- Require vehicle insurance policies for vehicle registration
- Enforce parking restrictions and encourage “park and travel” options
- Implement and progressively increase vehicle fuel efficiency standards
- Incentivise purchase and use of smaller, low powered, and zero-emissions personal vehicles over larger and more polluting options, such as SUVs
- Provide additional incentives and infrastructure for electric vehicles
Urban Areas
- Promote energy efficiency strategies for all transport sectors
- Design urban areas to reduce dependence on transport and the need for lengthy commutes
- Integrate ecological sustainability as a primary consideration in development decisions and approval processes
- Eliminate dangerous level crossings and ensure presence of signals on all crossings
- Ensure that main roads feature bus lanes and bus priority lights at intersections
- Prioritise active and public transport in all transport and urban development planning
Streets, Walking and Cycling
- Introduce and enforce speed limits throughout the country, with input from local communities
- Implement traffic calming measures and lower speed limits around schools, hospitals, shopping areas and other areas with high pedestrian traffic
- Promote walking, cycling and carpooling to help reduce pollution and improve people’s health
- Develop extensive and safe dedicated walking and cycling routes and networks
- Integrate high-quality walking and cycling infrastructure with public transport networks
- Ensure that access to government buildings is pedestrian and bicycle-friendly
- Providing free cycle parking in public spaces
Mass Transit
- Develop affordable and accessible mass transit systems
- Deploy non-petroleum powered or highly efficient busses
- Establish light rail in expressway medians through metropolitan high-density corridors
- Design mass transit with roll-on access for the physically challenged
- Provide easy-to-understand and thorough information concerning mass transit schedules, routes and rates
Buses, Coaches and Taxis
- Regulate public bus transport and bus industry so as to reduce number of vehicles
- Design all new buses to be fuel efficient and accessible to all, including low floors and adequate internal space for wheelchairs and luggage
- Implement strong emissions standards for busses, coaches and taxis
- Consider taxis and private hire vehicles as forms of public transport, in conjunction with strong safety and fuel efficiency standards
Rail Transport
- Nationalise /work towards public ownership of the rail system
- Fulfill and increase the capacity of existing rail services and introduce new services where required
- Retrofit existing stations to ensure accessibility for all users
- Ensure that all stations have secure high quality cycle parking provision and transport connections
- Increase rail investment to expand, improve and maintain the network and services
- Plan and implement high-quality rail corridors between cities and regional centres
- Support fast and efficient freight and passenger services
- Emphasise and support use of rail for freight transportation as an alternative to air and truck freight
- Build high-speed rail systems between cities as an alternative to airplanes and cars
- Incorporate environmental impact assessment and community involvement in railway planning decisions
Water Transport
- Support development of inland waterways for leisure, passenger and freight uses
- Integrate planning for use of ferry services, boat transport and other water-based transport systems as an integrated urban transport planning strategy
- Promote ferries and water buses as local public transport systems
- Support increased use of shipping and rail, particularly for freight transport
- Ensure that the ports and coastal shipping operate in the public interest and in accordance with measures relating to discharge of materials
- Ban shipment of all nuclear fuel, plutonium and high-level radioactive waste
Air Transport
- Discourage growth of air transport, as aviation is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions
- Implement strict and progressively increasing aircraft emissions standards
- Implement stronger noise standards for new aircraft
- Regulate and discourage personal and commercial use of helicopters
- Support emissions charges and increased landing charges on aircraft
- Remove direct and indirect subsidies for air travel
- Make airports accessible by local public transit systems
- Encourage the development of emission-free aircraft
School Transport
- Plan and implement safe active transport routes to schools as a priority so that most children are able to walk or cycle to school
- Involve children and parents in the process of deciding what transport provision the school needs
- Educate children about the issues of transport’s impact on environment
Research and Development
- Develop an integrated national investment plan for efficient transport systems
- Support research into net-zero carbon fuels and transport technologies
- Develop electric, hydro and non-fossil fuel mobility infrastructure
- Work internationally to support development of alternative fuels
Fuel Taxation
- Decrease dependence on oil for energy
- Adopt fuel taxation and/or charges or levies on aircraft
- Support increased landing charges on aircraft
- Adopt and enforce world’s best practice fuel efficiency standards
- Provide additional incentives for no-emission vehicles
- Ensure clean energy infrastructure and world-class public transport systems
- End subsidies to the auto and fossil fuel industries
Freight
- Develop and implement a national plan for passenger and freight transport that is ecologically, socially and economically sustainable and outlines a transition to net zero carbon transport
- Promote freight transport by water and rail instead of air and road
- Discourage the culture of over-consumption to reduce the need for freight movement
- Promote provision of products from local sources
Ticketing and Fares
- Ensure that ticketing is made as simple and comprehensive as possible
- Ensure that ticketing covers all modes of public transport
- Ensure that daily and weekly tickets are available for reasonably priced journeys
Sustainability and Renewable Fuels
- Ensure that the design, construction and use of our cities, towns and communities is socially equitable and ecologically sustainable
- Ensure that the transport systems function on the principles of equity of access, ecological sustainability, and public ownership of critical public transport infrastructure
- Power transport systems by renewable energy to the fullest extent practical
- Develop strict national and global standards for fuel quality
Charges and Taxes
- Relate all vehicle taxes and duty to vehicle size, axle load and pollution to better reflect their external costs
- Support the principle of road charging for motorised vehicles, as this can be used to specifically reduce traffic in areas where it is most harmful
- Support a non-residential parking charge to be levied on off-street parking
Miscellaneous
- Ensure that transport systems do not involve deforestation and tree cutting measures and are undertaken in an environmentally sensitive manner
- Include transportation issues in land use decisions
- Place a moratorium on highway widening and use the money for mass transit and facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists
References:
https://www.cagreens.org/platform/transportation
https://www.greens.org.nz/transport_policy
https://www.greenparty.ie/policies/transport-urban-development/
https://www.greenparty.ca/en/our-vision/green-transportation
https://policy.greenparty.org.uk/tr.html
https://greens.org.au/vic/policies/transport-and-freight-policy
