A comparison of carbon dioxide emissions associated with motorised transport modes and cycling in Ireland

Testing Individuals’ Ability to Compare Emissions from Public Transport and Driving Trips

“…It is also important to consider that there are individuals who do not have access to sustainable modes of transport and, therefore, their only option, with respect to emissions reduction, may be to switch to car models with lower emissions ratings. Electric vehicles were omitted, as they are still uncommon in Dublin, and the emissions arising from non-motorized modes (Walsh et al 2008) were not assessed, as it was felt that this may confuse respondents.…”

“…The categories were intended to capture, as much as possible, the range into which modes were likely to fall-i.e., car trips usually fall between 1kg and 5kg and Luas tram trips between 250g and 1 kg (Walsh et al 2008). Figure 5 displays the question interface that was presented to respondents as part of the survey.…”

“…Using the emissions values put forward by Walsh et al (2008) concerning carbon emissions produced by transport modes in Ireland, it is possible to conduct a comparison between the participants' estimates and existing emissions factors. Values for Small Car and Large Car are taken as falling between 1-5kg.…”

“…Values for Small Car and Large Car are taken as falling between 1-5kg. Walsh et al (2008) gives a value of 0.120 per passenger for general cars in "normal" conditions. The United Kingdom's Transport Direct website (Transport Direct, accessed 2013) carbon calculator gives a small car value of 1.3kg for a 10km journey, and Transport for Scotland (Traffic Scotland, accessed 2013) gives a value of 1.7kg for a petrol car with an engine capacity of below 1.4 litres, so we can assume that both car categories are likely to fall within the 1-5kg range.…”

“…In the Republic of Ireland, transport emissions are estimated to have accounted for 19 percent of total emissions produced for the period 2008-2012(EPA 2012. While there is an apparent awareness among the population about the impact of their carbon emissions, there are also a number of barriers to the desired behavior change, including lack of knowledge about the benefits of sustainable transport (Browne et al 2011;Lorenzoni et al 2007).…”