It was a most extraordinary feeling. I was in the very heart of the capital city, just after rush hour, yet the air was as fresh as in the Yorkshire Dales, and I was crossing the roads diagonally, as you do in quiet suburban streets when there is no traffic. If I was going to be a road casualty, it was more likely death by bike than by car. You could not help but feel a sense of calm. It was, from the perspective of someone who has spent all his career in transport policy and projects, a utopia. It was Oslo. 

I grant that the Norwegian capital is not a city the size of Mumbai, Sao Paulo or London. But it shows what can be done if a city authority really focuses on creating an environment to optimise quality of life. And there is a pressing public policy case for fewer, cleaner vehicles on our roads. The Royal College of Physicians has estimated that air pollution is responsible for 40,000 premature deaths annually.

There are many elements to what Oslo, and Norway generally, is doing that are enviable. But a particularly critical part is the support for the adoption of electric vehicles. It puts the UK’s efforts to shame. Last year, 40% of the vehicles sold in Norway were either hybrids or battery electric vehicles. Battery electric vehicles now make up around 6% of the total car stock.

Hydrogen may well be used for trucks, buses and diggers, but cars will be electric. Pretty much every car manufacturer in the world has started producing them

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