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Thursday, May 7, 2020

Tokyo, Japan - December 2019 - Part 1 - Carbon Offsets and First Impressions

For most of 2019 I was learning with my son the Japanese Kanji characters (the Chinese characters) and this trip was meant to be the last item in that journey: an immersion in the Japanese language and culture. I love visiting Japan. The cities, language, food, customs are so different, it's like visiting another world.

First, let's use a Flight Calculator to calculate carbon offset needed: Gold Coast to Tokyo, round trip: 14500 km, 3 people, economy class = 7.0 tonnes of CO2e.

Using the most conservative calculation, one mature tree can absorb 22 kg of CO2e in a year. 7000 kg / 22 kg = 318 trees.

To have them planted I used the Trillion Tree Campaign website. The cost of the Mphompha Planting Trees project by Wells for Zoë was only 0.16 AUD per tree with tree survival rate of 98%, so we needed to plant 318 * (1/0.98) which is about 325 trees, which costs 325 * 0.16 AUD = 52 AUD. Done.

Carbon offsets are the last resort when it comes to stopping the climate change. The best action is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. I use public transport to get to work - cannot cycle - I tried, it is not safe where I live. Writing this blog at the time of COVID-19 I can say that I will try to continue working from home. I got into a routine in the past 6 weeks and I quite like it this time. I don't really need to go to the office.

I send to the electrical grid more energy than I take from it, thanks to the 6.5 kW array of solar panels on the roof.
I save for retirement in fossil-fuel free and sustainable funds.
I don't buy much stuff.
I eat vegan, falling back to vegetarian sometimes.
I vote for those who support quick reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Cutting down on plane travel is one of the last 3 major actions I can do as an individual. The other two are refinancing the home loan with a fossil fuel free bank like Bank Australia, and replacing the natural gas water heater with an electric heat pump.

...

I've been to Japan before. This time we stayed at an Airbnb in a Tokyo district of Ota and travelled only in Tokyo.

My random impressions this time:

Good:

The weather: 5 out of 7 days were relatively warm and sunny. The other two days - it was raining lightly and cold. You will see it in the photos and videos, the weather in December in Tokyo is good.
The colours of Autumn.
The clean air.
Most products and services seemed to have the same prices as 12 years ago.
The streets were quiet: hybrids, smaller cars, engines shut down at lights, bicycles, pedestrians, 30 km/h speed limits on side streets.
The bicycles - so many people biking, with kids, in the rain, with an umbrella in one hand, very young and very old.
Mixed development: residential, retail, services, industry. There were little repair shops, manufacturing facilities, even a metal scrap yard, all tucked between homes, schools, shops and an old-age care facility.
Overall, exceptionally good customer service.
Availability of grocery shopping and ready meals at any time of day and night.
The same very respectful, kind and quiet people.
The same great rail transport options: trains, metro. There will be a separate post about these! Here is a video teaser:

Bad:

Single use plastic bags and excessive plastic packaging everywhere.
The river in Ota is polluted. It is more like a canal.
No renewable energy in sight: no wind farms, very few PV panels on the roofs.
In some museums, exhibits have very limited descriptions in English.
Customer facing personnel sometimes does not understand English at all - happened to us at a restaurant in the centre of Ota. The Google Translate app did not seem to help much. I think I made a mistake entering a restaurant that did not have an English menu. Zero English.
JR trains were crowded in the city.
Tokyo transport is very complex: 2 big metro networks, JR network, 7 other private companies operating their rail lines, buses: but no common ticket/pass for all.
Shortage of bag lockers at train stations.

Other:

Cars: 95% Japanese brands, mostly unique to Japan: narrow and boxy, the rest are mainly German: Mercedes, BMW maybe VW. Saw one Ferrari on a 30 km/h street, one big American SUV with custom rims, one Fiat 500. Saw a Tesla showroom, but no Teslas in the streets.

Food: still a lottery. Despite using the Google Translate app to check food's ingredients before purchasing, we got two items we had to chuck out: dumplings and a spaghetti sauce. Both had so much garlic that were not eatable. On a previous trip I got tripped by a bun that was filled with lard.

Golden trees in Autumn

Tokyo from the train

A micro-park in Ota

Lovely street corner in Ota

Elevated parking, bikes, elementary school gate

Polluted Nomi River

Three or four people on the bikes in Ota. This is one of my favourite photos of Tokyo.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Trackless Tram vs Tram

In reply to a Facebook post by Gold Coast's Community Alliance - ACE:
https://www.facebook.com/CommunityAllianceAssociationInc/posts/170399384346880

The communities of Labrador, Biggera Waters and Southport have had some redress of their concerns of greatly increased density in their areas with Council suddenly finding that such an increase wasn’t necessary after all. However the devil is always in the detail, as concerns about rates increases and inadequate infrastructure emerge. Rates rises were probably inevitable for such areas near the beautiful Broadwater, but ensuring adequate infrastructure ahead of increased density is definitely a Council responsibility. The exorbitantly expensive light rail is not the answer here - or anywhere else in the city - when there are less expensive and less disruptive alternatives available. Brisbane has shown the way with the articulated electric buses that take 150 passengers... Perhaps our new Council could investigate the trackless tram that does the same job as a light rail, but doesn't need roads dug up for the tracks or overhead wires, can take 300-500 passengers, and can be installed in about one week, thereby avoiding disruption to businesses. PLUS, it costs about ¼ of the light rail! We recommend that the new Council contacts Professor Peter Newman, the WA public transport guru, currently researching trackless options.

Trackless Tram vs Tram

Trackless trams are an interesting public transport mode, definitely worth considering for the future public transport in Gold Coast.

Some of the pros/cons of trackless trams versus traditional trams (light rail):

1. Maturity of technology / buying choices: the trackless tram (low floor, articulated, guided: to some extent self-driving using dashed lines painted on the road, electric, bus) is a very new technology. Worldwide, there are tens of manufacturers of regular trams, but there is only one company that makes trackless trams: the Chinese state owned CRRC. A Belgian manufacturer Van Hool makes articulated buses that look like trams (trambuses), but they are used like traditional buses, some on BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) lines. The CRRC tested their trackless trams, which they call ART (Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit) in their home city of Zhuzhou with passengers since May 2018. There is one commercial line, in Yibin, China opened on 5 Dec 2019. A win for the traditional tram.

2. Cost to build/disruptions during construction: the Yibin line is 17.7 km long, and it cost A$231m, which is A$13m per km. The cost in Australia would be probably at least 2 or 3 times higher: A$26-39m. The Brisbane Metro, which will use shorter and simpler electric buses is budgeted for A$45m per km using the existing busways. The costs vary a lot from project to project. If a new bridge is required, it will cost almost the same for light rail or trackless tram. The cost of the Gold Coast light rail stage 2 from Southport to Helensvale was $420m for 7.3 km which is A$58m per km. The cost of the 6.7 km stage 3A from Broadbeach to Burleigh is $709m, which is A$106m per km. Almost twice as much. Same technology, same city, different route. For comparison, a recent tram line extension in Gdansk, Poland had a budgeted cost of A$15m per km, and a new line in Utrecht, The Netherlands cost A$88m per km. The trackless tram, same as the regular tram, cannot be installed in a week: it requires stations, charging infrastructure, signalling, dedicated lanes. Just like the regular tram, it cannot go everywhere because of wide turn radius and maximum incline. The best/cheapest routes are green-field, flat, straight, separated from other traffic. Still, most likely a win for the trackless tram.

3. Cost to operate: assuming the same capacity and one driver, other major operating costs are energy and maintenance. Rolling resistance: the friction of rubber wheels on bitumen is much higher than steel wheels on steel rails, so the energy usage per passenger is higher for trackless trams, assuming same weight of vehicles. For traditional trams there are rails and overhead wires. For trackless trams: charging stations and batteries. The actual costs for trackless trams over 25+ years of use are unknown. For example, how long will the batteries last? Winner: unclear.

4. Flexibility: the ability to drive off the painted tracks is a win for the trackless tram. It does not happen too often, and it can be mitigated by trams using alternative routes/tracks, but trams do get stuck for an hour or more in case of an accident or malfunction.

5. Noise: regular trams are loud when taking sharp turns. This can be mitigated in the design of the vehicle, and prevented at the design stage of the line by not putting in sharp turns, but steel on steel will probably be still louder than rubber on bitumen. The trackless tram wins.

6. City building/permanence: rail based public transport encourages city building and urban renewal. Developers and potential buyers know that the public transport is there and will not disappear the next day. Real estate is more expensive close to train and tram stations. Buses do not have that effect. The trackless tram is less permanent than a regular tram, but still it is much better than a bus. A win for the regular tram.

7. Passenger comfort: the comfort level is similar to regular tram. A tie. Note: both the trackless tram and regular modern tram offer much more comfort than our current diesel buses: quieter, smoother ride, almost no air pollution, low floor at each door for quick and easy access.

8. Maximum speed: 70 km/h - the same as for trams. A tie.

9. Passenger capacity: depends on the length of the vehicle. The 43.5m long, 5 section Gold Coast trams have room for 80 seating and 220 standing, 300 total. The 31.6m long, 3 section trackless tram has room for 307 passengers. The length of sections affects the turn radius: shorter sections allow tighter turns. The interior layout of the trackless tram is practically the same as the regular tram, so a tie.

Note: our 147m long heavy rail NGR trains have max speed of 140 km/h and passenger capacity of 454 seating plus about 510 standing, total 964. Light rail stops are typically less than 1 km apart, heavy rail stations are typically 3 km apart or more. Heavy rail and light rail are complementary modes of transport. Heavy rail is a higher capacity, higher speed mode.

10. Charging: it takes 10 minutes to charge the trackless tram for a 25 km journey or 30 seconds for 3 km. Traditional trams do not need these stops. A win for trams.

11. Environment: both run on electricity, so no emissions from burning fossil fuels at the point of use, but trackless trams have multiple large batteries on the roof, and particulate matter emissions from the wear of rubber wheels on bitumen are probably more harmful than steel wheels on steel. Also, trams can run on grass. See links below :-). A win for the regular tram.

...
Sources:

Wikipedia page about the CRRC trackless tram:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_Rail_Rapid_Transit

Cost of the first trackless tram line:
http://www.ecns.cn/cns-wire/2019-12-05/detail-ifzrnvym4352012.shtml

China’s high speed rail with a maximum speed of 350 km/h has a typical infrastructure unit cost of about US$ 17-21m per km, with a high ratio of viaducts and tunnels, as compared with US$25-39 m per km in Europe and as high as US$ 56m per km currently estimated in California.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2014/07/10/cost-of-high-speed-rail-in-china-one-third-lower-than-in-other-countries

Gold Coast, Light Rail Stage 2 cost:
http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2016/3/18/gold-coast-light-rail-stage-2-on-track-with-contracted-appointed

Gold Coast, Light Rail Stage 3A cost:
https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/G/Gold-Coast-Light-Rail-Stage-3A

Trambuses made by the Belgian company Van Hool, some models are electric:
http://www.exquicity.be/en/

Utrecht, The Netherlands, new light rail: 8km, A$701m, A$88m per 1 km:
https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/uithof-tram-line-uithoflijn-utrecht/

Gdansk, Poland, light rail extension: 3.6 km, budgeted: total A$54m (offers from $A42m to A$67m), A$15m per km.
https://www.pb.pl/osiem-ofert-na-budowe-nowej-linii-tramwajowej-w-gdansku-728406

Brisbane Metro: A$944m, 21 km, using existing busway infrastructure, electric bi-articulated 24m long buses for 150 total passengers. A$45m per km.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_Metro

Opening of the test line in Zhuzhou, China in 2018:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2fR6gCewAk

Opening of the line in Yibin, China in 2019:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRobrIlwrr0

NGR passenger capacity data:
https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/N/New-Generation-Rollingstock/About-the-NGR-trains

Tram manufacturer Siemens monitored the energy consumption of its Combino trams (called the ‘D class’ in Melbourne) in actual operation in the cities of Basle and Potsdam, and obtained average consumption figures of 1.53 and 1.84 kWh per kilometre (5.5 and 6.6MJ per kilometre) respectively.
While trams weigh more than buses, their steel-on-steel traction is more efficient than rubber-on-bitumen, and so the two differences tend to cancel.
https://www.ptua.org.au/myths/tram-emissions/

Properties within 250m from the tube station are worth up to 10.5% more in London, the effect disappears 1.5 km away:
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/aug/20/distance-from-station-value-of-house-nationwide-uk

Trams on grass:
Cracow, Poland: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Bombardier_NGT6_-2027.jpeg
Oslo, Norway:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK95fXaFU0bNWXNw7AyigqxbMlBcTb1TDEc6xz_3UnDBmQYlYYksIWxoque9AGmfpZNHEyhB2CnqkTXLkQNS2cWlRyu0MTtWZsfGAufXioFxicDz9zCuU58Jq2NguZKSyiHPS5vmljAKE/s1600/IMG_8001.jpg
Other cities:
https://www.google.com/search?q=tram+on+grass&tbm=isch

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Darwin, Australia - April 2019

A weekend trip to Darwin by Jetstar. Travelling by plane is my only vice when it comes to the climate emergency.

I commute to work usually by bus and train, I don't eat meat and I consume very little dairy - usually only when travelling and even then only when it is part of some vegetarian meal (being 100% vegan is hard), solar panels on the roof of my house produce 50% more electricity than our family uses.

Going by train from Gold Coast to Darwin (Gold Coast to Brisbane, Brisbane to Sydney, Sydney to Adelaide, Adelaide to Darwin) would take minimum 4 days, and it would be a 5400 km trip on mostly diesel powered trains, including The Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin which costs minimum $2349 per person, one way, in low season.

It is about 2900 km by plane. I'm looking forward to the day when we have commercial electric planes. Meanwhile, to offset this trip I used https://co2.myclimate.org to calculate CO2 amount: 5900 km, two people: 2.0t. Then, using the most conservative calculation - one year of carbon abatement: 22 kg of CO2 per tree (Quora - How many trees do I need to plant to offset the carbon dioxide released in a flight?) gives the number of 91 trees. Now, for somebody to plant them you can go to:
https://www.trilliontreecampaign.org/donate-trees where prices start from 0.10 USD per tree for the Eden Reforestation Projects. Tree survival rate for this project is 80%, so we need to plant 114 trees, which is only $11.40 USD. This is probably the cheapest you can find nowadays.

Darwin is a city of 145 thousand people.