Go Ultra Low aims high in triple awards

Senior Transport Planner Mark Daly and Transport Strategy Manager James Ashton are presented with the City Hero award by motoring journalist Amanda Stretton.

Nottingham’s reputation as a leader in adopting sustainable low emission technology was further cemented this week as the City Council secured a total of three national awards.

At the Fleet Heroes Awards on 27 November the council won the title of ‘City Hero’ for its innovative work to reduce the impact of transport on air quality and its commitment to ongoing improvements.

The council was also highly commended in the ‘Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Hero’ category in recognition of its flagship scheme installing 230 fast and rapid charge points in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby and Derbyshire.

It follows success last week at the Green Fleet News awards for Go Ultra Low Programme Manager Rasita Chudasama, who was crowned an ‘EV Champion.’

Rasita led the council’s bid to become a Go Ultra Low city in 2016 and continues to lead on the delivery of a range of ambitious projects designed to increase the take up of electric vehicles, resulting in cleaner air for the city and the wider region.

In addition to the £2.1m charge point project, these include converting the council fleet, supporting businesses through fleet reviews, vehicle loans and grants, and helping taxi drivers make the switch to cleaner vehicles.

Rasita also spoke at Parliament earlier this year on the challenges of building a charge point network.

Principal Transport Planner Rasita Chudasama was named an ‘EV Champion at the Green Fleet News Awards.

Councillor Sally Longford, Portfolio Holder for Energy and Environment, said: “Our Go Ultra Low team has been working incredibly hard to bring some quite technical, challenging and bold projects to fruition. We’re starting to see the results of these now and I’m delighted the team is gaining recognition from the industry.

“Air pollution is a real public health issue and transport emissions are one of the largest contributors, especially in a city. We’ll continue to lead the way in helping to make cleaner vehicles a reality for our businesses, residents and visitors.”

Go Ultra Low builds on and supports the council’s wider activities to promote cleaner and more active travel, including investment in electric trams, biogas buses and cycling infrastructure.

The council’s achievements so far

  • Public transport usage remains high – 68m journeys in 2017/18
  • Cycling levels are increasing – 45% since 2010
  • Carbon dioxide levels reduced – by 33% against 2005 levels
  • Congestion has been contained to 2010 levels
  • Local air quality is improving – nitrogen dioxide pollution has fallen by 36% since 1998

The Go Ultra Low FestEVal, held in June this year, was an opportunity for people to find out more about ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs)

About Go Ultra Low

Nottingham City Council, in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council and Derby City Council, is benefiting from £6.12m investment between 2016 and 2020 to deliver a package of measures that support the uptake of Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) in the local area. Nottingham was one of four national winning cities (Nottingham, Milton Keynes, Bristol and London) securing funding through Government’s Go Ultra Low City Fund, following a competitive bidding process.