Sweden seeks to wean transportation off oil

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Sweden's political leaders want to wean the country off fossil-fuel powered electricity by 2030 and to completely eliminate coal, oil and natural gas from the country's energy mix by 2050.

They concede that reaching the latter target will be tough because replacing petroleum-based fuels in the transportation sector will be both technologically and economically challenging.

Nevertheless, the doughty Swedes have already made great progress in reducing their carbon footprint from transportation, while improving air quality.  During a recent press tour to the Nordic country, city officials from

and

discussed their traffic-control strategies, and why the world's oil exporters should take notice.

Here are some successful Swedish initiatives:

Tax and breathe in Stockholm

The burghers of Stockholm have swung from hating to loving their city's "

", introduced four years ago after a trial in 2006.

The 10 Swedish kronor (roughly Dh5) charge for most journeys by private vehicle in or out of the congestion-prone inner city on weekdays between 6:30am and 6:30pm resulted in a 22 per cent decrease in vehicles crossing the tax cordon during the trial. The reduction was 18 per cent in 2008, possibly reflecting greater use of tax-exempt vehicles running on biofuels or electricity.

The city estimated that carbon dioxide emissions from inner city travel fell by 10 to 14 per cent during the tax trial, with a further 4 per cent reduction after the tax was implemented permanently. Road accident statistics indicated a "significant" reduction in the number of people killed and injured on inner city roads since the start of the trial, although better vehicle and road design may also have contributed to the improvement.

Travellers have adapted to the tax by making greater use of public transport, riding bicycles and combining errands to cut down on car journeys.

A survey taken after the congestion tax was permanently implemented indicated a 67 per cent approval rating, a swing from a majority against the tax before the trial. Women were on average more positive towards the tax than men, possibly reflecting their lower access to private vehicles.

Green landings and gas-fueled taxis

If you fly into Stockholm's

, do not be surprised if your plane takes an unusual approach to the landing strip in which its seems to glide towards the runway.

This may be exactly what is happening. When air traffic allows, approaching planes are now allowed to follow paths calculated to burn the minimum of fuel in which they cruise down to the ground.

Each "green approach" saves 56 kilogrammes of jet fuel, which at Arlanda could add up to a total annual fuel saving of 2,800 tonnes and a 9,000 tonne reduction in carbon emissions, says Patrick Menzie, a project leader for the Swedish air traffic controller

.

Another big change for Sweden's air traffic in the past couple of years is that most planes in Swedish air space are now encouraged to take the most direct route from A to B, rather than following the old method of using less direct pre-approved flight paths. This also saves fuel and reduces emissions, even for planes that do not land at a Swedish airport.

And do not be surprised if your taxi from the airport runs on biogas. Taxis using alternative fuels are given priority at the airport over those running on conventional petrol or diesel. Public transportation connections to the airport have also been improved to reduce the need to drive there, and parking spaces have been cut.

By the end of last year, says Frederick Jareved, the head of quality assurance and sustainability for the airport operator

, annual carbon dioxide emissions from ground transportation had fallen to 282,000 tonnes from 342,500 tonnes in 1990. That was despite adding a new runway.

Travel modes in Malmo

The southern Swedish city of Malmo takes air quality seriously. That is because its older generation remembers breathing heavy industrial smog.

Today, despite much progress in cleaning up the city's air, deaths from atmospheric pollution are still an estimated ten times more prevalent than from  traffic accidents.

"We need to travel in a more resource-efficient manner and use renewable fuels," says Anders Rubin, the commissioner of of Malmo's municipal housing and urban environment directorate. "We also need to improve accessibility to the city, and in doing so the car cannot be allowed to dominate."

"We need to stop making ridiculously short car journeys," he adds.

Municipal initiatives to reduce traffic include an integrated system of public transport, bike and foot-paths, a satellite-controlled logistics system to calculate "smart routes" for delivery vehicles, tax incentives and special parking permits for low-emissions cars, and even a programme encouraging city employees to make short business trips by bike.

"Public transport should be so attractive that it is just as good as or better than travelling by car," the Malmo

and

departments state in a brochure. "Malmo needs a transport system where the various forms of public transport work together and link up with walking and cycling. ... Travellers need to be able to rely on arriving on time, with the journey being fast, safe and secure, with reliable information."

Inhabitants of the city are buying into this agenda. Over the period from 2003 to 2008, car trips fell from 52 per cent to 41 per cent of total journeys per person. Bicycle trips rose from 20 per cent to 23 per cent, trips on foot from 14 per cent to 20 per cent and train journeys from 3 per cent to 5 per cent.