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WQ.347/2023
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT BY DEPUTY M.B. ANDREWS OF ST. HELIER NORTH
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 25th SEPTEMBER 2023 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 2nd OCTOBER 2023
Question
“Will the Minister confirm, as part of Jersey's plan to be net zero by 2050, whether the migration from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric vehicles is expected to result in a reduced number of middle and lower income households owning their own vehicles and, if so, advise what target figure is envisaged?”
Answer
The emissions reduction trajectory modelled for the Carbon Neutral Roadmap focused on a reduction in private vehicle journeys being made across the whole economy. There is no specific target for middle and lower income households.
It is the use of the vehicle that contributes to Jersey’s on-Island greenhouse gas emissions rather than vehicle ownership. Although it is hoped that car ownership will decrease, the Carbon Neutral Roadmap does not set a target for a reduction in car ownership, nor is there any expectation that such a reduction in vehicle ownership – were it to occur – would be concentrated in any one income group. The Carbon Neutral Roadmap emissions reduction model allowed for a 7.5% modal shift away from private vehicle journeys by 2030, but we have an aspiration of reaching 10%.
The transport sector is the largest source of on-Island greenhouse gas emissions and the Carbon Neutral Roadmap lays out the three broad ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with transport as: reducing the need to travel (for example, through the provision of services closer to our homes); shifting journeys to less carbon intensive forms of travel (for example, making active travel and public transport easier, safer, cheaper and more convenient to use); and improving the emissions performance of the vehicles that we use.
The Sustainable Transport Policy adopted in 2020 has the central premise that ‘We agree that fewer vehicle journeys will be good for Jersey’. It put forward the Jersey Mobility Hierarchy in which car journeys should be given the lowest priority, with walking, cycling and public transport given preference. Through reducing the need for travel and shifting more daily journeys to active travel and public transport over the long term it is hoped that more people will be able to meet their transport needs without the need for, or expense of, a privately owned vehicle, or that families can meet their transport needs with one car rather than two.
Access to shared mobility solutions – such as electric car clubs or e-bike rental services – have provided attractive alternatives to car ownership in other locations, that have appealed to a range of socio-economic groups. The provision of such services is being supported through planning policies and is something we are investigating further through the current trial of the Evie subsidised subscription that is being funded through the Climate Emergency Fund.