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Impact
of the fuel crisis [top]
The 11th to the 15th September 2000
will go down as the week of the British Fuel Crisis.
This was the week when petrol pumps
ran dry and the fragility of our dependence on fossil fuels to maintain the living
standards we enjoy and are now accustomed to, was engraved on all our minds.
Once the public realised what was
happening, general panic resulted in long queues to grab whatever was left of
the fuel, and this was quickly followed by panic buying at the supermarkets  causing
shortages of some basic food supplies such as bread and milk.
Other negative sides to the crisis
were clearly displayed on our television screens and in the media. People living
in rural areas found that their public buses were stopped and that taxis would
not come out to them. Some of the taxis that were able to get fuel put up their
fares to compensate for lost business.
There was overcrowding on public
transport. Some people could not get in for hospital appointments and as a result
the waiting lists grew longer.
Undoubtedly had the crisis continued
for much longer there would have been increasingly serious disruption to health
and emergency services. District nurses, doctors, health visitors, the police
and emergency services would be have become increasingly paralysed and unable
to provide the level of service required. Public transport would soon have ground
to a standstill.
The other
side to the fuel crisis [top]
But that’s not all. The crisis presented
an opportunity to observe the effects of the changes in the Region’s transport
network during an exceptional episode. Twenty nine percent of car users were unable
to use their cars because they ran out of fuel. (The Guardian 19th September 2000.)
Despite the obvious negative effects mentioned above there was a positive impact
on our overall health and well being. The way we travel has many effects on our
health, quality of life and the environment. In Britain an average individual
travels approximately 6,800 miles a year and 82% of this is by car. The proportion
of households without access to a car in Great Britain fell from 34% in 1989 to
28% in 1999 with a corresponding increase from 27% to 45% in the proportion of
households having two or more cars. (www.transtat.detr.gov.uk)
This change in road traffic has resulted in increased levels of congestion and
pollution with a consequent decrease in air quality and increase in noise.
Public
transport [top]
On Merseyside there was an increase
in the use of public transport (ferry, rail and bus). Both Greater Manchester
Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA) and ‘Arriva’ bus company reported a significant
increase in patronage during the week of the fuel crisis, but were unable to obtain
figures to substantiate this. Likewise Cheshire County Council did not have passenger
usage statistics available but reported that their telephone information line
received over 1000 calls at the peak of the crisis. Normally they receive about
120 calls during the same period of time.
 Discussions
with staff at ‘Mersey Travel’ revealed that train services were operating normally
and there was a greater number of passengers using rail services. Staff also commented
that more passengers were travelling with bicycles.
Mersey Ferries reported an overall
increase in use of 28% during the 7.00am to 9.45am peak commuter period. The number
of people travelling during the day – mainly tourists was reduced.
Again, staff reported an increase
in the number of people using bicycles, with racks that normally contain three
or four cycles filled to capacity (around ten) and with cycles locked to lamp
posts and railings adjacent to terminal buildings.
People in rural areas found that
they were increasingly isolated as many taxis refused to travel outside the urban
areas.
Road
traffic [top]
Lancashire County Council reported
that overall traffic levels were reduced by 15% in town centres and up to 23%
in rural areas.
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport
Authority reported reduced flow of traffic within the Greater Manchester area,
with levels reaching their lowest on the Wednesday and Thursday of the crisis
week. Daily traffic flow was reduced by between 20 – 37% on ‘A’ roads and up to
39% on the M60 between junctions 13 and 14. Traffic volume around Avro Way near
a World Cargo Centre accessed by a high proportion of goods vehicles was unaffected.
Another monitoring point in the Region
reported in increase of 86% in bicycle traffic and a reduction of 11% in motor
vehicle flow.
During the week of the fuel crisis
the number of cars on the roads was reduced and although we do not have evidence,
people appeared to be driving more slowly.
There was less certainly less congestion
and traffic flowed more smoothly.
Positive
health effects [top]
The ability to access good quality
transport permits the lifestyle many of us enjoy. Transport allows us to access
essential services and engage in work and social activities. However, associated
with these benefits are health risks due to noise and air pollution as well as
increased risk of death or disability due to road traffic accidents.
According to Lancashire County Council,
the number of fatal and serious road accidents was reduced by 58% during the week
of the fuel crisis. Police forces throughout the Region all reported a reduction
in serious and fatal accidents during this week.
Data from hospitals throughout the
region show that the number of people seen in accident and emergency departments
as a result of a road traffic accident was reduced for the first three weeks of
September this year compared to previous years. Numbers of casualties include
pedestrians as well as car users and people suffering from minor as well as major
injuries. See
Click
to view Table 1. The reduction appeared to be more noticeable in hospitals
in close proximity to motorways. The results speak for themselves and reversed
what had become a steadily increasing trend over the last five years.
Air quality
and health [top]
Monitoring systems are in
place at strategic points within the Region. The automatic network monitoring
points at Manchester Piccadilly and Bury roadside (Junction 17 of M62) showed
that levels of carbon monoxide particulates (PM10) and nitrogen
dioxide were considerably lower during the fuel crisis week than the corresponding
week in 1999. Many factors such as weather can affect air pollution data, so definitive
conclusions should not be drawn from these data, but they do add another piece
to the emerging jigsaw puzzle picture.
Knock - on health
benefits [top]
During the week of the fuel crisis
many other things happened that have potential knock – on health benefits;
- People walked or cycled to work.
This provided an opportunity for increased physical activity, with its consequent
health benefits such as a reduction in heart disease, obesity and osteoporosis.
It has been estimated that a 10% increase in the number of people cycling regularly
would lead to a 4% reduction in the number of people with heart disease, saving
the National Health Service around £200 million a year. (http://www.doingyourbit.org.uk/yourbit/transport_facts.html)
- Car sharing increased and again
it has been estimated that if all motorists shared a car one day a week polluting
emissions from cars would be considerably reduced.
- A North West Company that had previously
been reluctant to allow home working, realised its potential benefits. The company
found that home working was popular and worked so well that it has now adopted
a positive policy, encouraging regular home working.
- Another North West company bought
a fleet of bikes and encouraged workers to borrow a bicycle and use it to get
to and from work. Again this proved so successful that a project started as a
reaction to the crisis continued and as a result many workers who took up the
option remain happier and healthier.
The
future... [top]
The fuel crisis demonstrated
that when faced with little or no alternative, people did leave their cars at
home and where necessary managed to use other forms of transport. We cannot prove
that the positive health results we found were a direct result of the fuel crisis,
but as the evidence builds up an increasingly clear picture emerges. We cannot
be sure whether the reduction in road traffic accidents in the North West was
a result of less traffic or of the traffic moving more slowly, but whichever,
the result was good for the public’s health.
The fuel crisis forced
people to use innovative ways to get around their transport problems. Many of
these ideas were successful and should be considered and encouraged in the longer
term – such as car sharing, cycling and walking, as well as more home working.
If everyone who drives to work on their own every day were to catch a lift with
someone just once a week, commuting car journeys would be reduced by 25% (www.nationalcarshare.co.uk)
Many tasks in the modern
workplace can be completed at home utilising modern electronic forms of communication,
and the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions advises that companies
should encourage home working policies and practices on a regular basis. Secure
cycle parking with adequate changing facilities; financial assistance for the
purchase of public transport season tickets; support for home working are examples
of the many other ways that employers can make the healthier choices the easier
choices for their employees. Cycle lanes, adequate street lighting, and adequate
public transport are also needed to facilitate the public move towards a healthier
culture that is less dependent on the car.
Next
time ??? [top]
Emergency plans have
been prepared so that if another fuel crisis develops, emergency services will
be able to continue operations without undue disruption and consequent risks to
health for the  general
public. As part of these preparations a new web site will be launched on www.emergency-nw.org.uk.
The web site is there to help everyone and provide the public and workforce with
one port of call containing easy to access information and links relevant to the
emergency, which in the case of another fuel crisis will be to ;
- sites about fuel conservation
- alternative sources of transport
– such as car sharing schemes
- public transport
- up to date information on fuel station
status especially for designated staff.
Acknowledgements
Helen Casstles, Senior Lecturer at
John Moores University collected the data and prepared this report and can be
contacted on 0151 231 4438.
We would also like to thank the following
for providing data;
Cheshire Constabulary
Cheshire County Council
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority
Greater Manchester Police
Merseyside Police
Merseytravel
Respondents from NHS Acute Hosptial Trusts in the North West Region
Sefton MBC
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weaknesses
in the contingency plans and business continuity arrangements for many organisations
- not least those involved with health and social care. The immediate priority
at the time was to insure that people in need of medical and social care – from
community or voluntary services or specialist surgical intervention – did not
come to harm as a result of the disruption to everyday life. However, what is
revealed in this Bulletin are some of the opportunities for protecting and improving
health that could be ours if we begin to take the green transport agenda seriously
and put in place comprehensive alternatives to individual fossil fuel powered
personal transport. Our analysis indicates the potential benefits for improved
air quality with less respiratory illness and reduced levels of personal injury
and death from road traffic accidents. But there are other benefits too – if we
learn from what happened in September. Public private and voluntary organisations
should take this opportunity to review their policies for emergencies, and encourage
staff to adopt a greener attitude to transport and other working practices such
as home working.