Studies show why more people should be using public transport over driving cars.
Climate change and environmental problems are some of the biggest challenges that we are currently facing. The global population should be actively seeking choices which minimise or reduce the impact of fossil fuel emissions and other damaging effects on this planet. We need to be more conscious about the choices we make in order to ensure a sustainable and inhabitable living environment on this planet for both ourselves and future generations.
One of the many ways we can contribute to Earth's preservation and help reduce the effects of climate change is to use more public transport services over driving our own cars or reduce motor travel altogether. This both reduces fossil fuel emissions and can also be healthy for one's own well-being.
Why will public transport save the planet?
Most fossil fuel emissions from motor transport is produced by the use of cars. Aside from aviation and water travel, cars are the number one contributor to the damaging effects that transport has on climate change.
By utilising public transport services over driving our own cars we can reduce emission and help slow down the effects of climate change. In some cases, cities have been able to reduce fossil fuel emissions by up to 60% by investing more in public transport services and limiting the use of private cars.
The benefits of reduced emissions
Gases produced by cars and other forms of transport are known to have damaging effects on both the health of the planet but also on the health of people. the gases produced damage air quality and emit harmful particles which increase the risk of people developing respiratory diseases. It is particularly harmful towards children with lungs and respiratory systems that are still strengthening and developing as well as their brains which are extremely sensitive and vulnerable to these effects. Therefore any damage will be much more significant compared to the effects on an adult.
Encouraging the use of public transport will also help reduce the congestion of traffic on the roads. Imagine the amount of space that 30 cars would take up no the roads compared to the same 30 people that were travelling on a single bus. This would cause a significant difference in traffic on the roads.
As well as road congestion, the increasing amount of cars on the roads also affects other commuters that will be travelling by bike or on foot. Due to more cars being on the road or parked on the sides of the road, there is therefore less space for these other commuters making the roads too narrow and unsafe.
Overall, an increased usage in public transport will help improve the flow of traffic within a town or city and make the area a lot more peaceful and safe for all commuters.
What can you do?
Introducing changes such as the transference between driving and public transport use is extremely difficult. Therefore, ways of motivating and encouraging people to make the change is necessary. By increasing the investment in public transport, city governments can offer higher quality and more efficient public transport services in order to make the benefits of public transport usage available to everyone. Making car travel more expensive and slower could work but some opinions may contradict this as pushing people to make these changes may not be successful. So pulling people towards public transport usage will be much more effective.
The comfort and needs of people needs to be the main priority for city governments in order to make these changes, especially those who rely on means of travel such as public transport, cycling, or walking on foot because the more people who choose public transport, the better the chance of reducing emissions and slowing down climate change.
In some rural areas, public transport can be nearly impossible to use as people living in these areas usually have to travel long distances if they are commuting to school or work within a city. But there are ways in which they can still contribute to the reduction of emissions. For example, one method is by car sharing. This method is most effective when commuting to school, if there are multiple children commuting to a school from one rural area then car sharing is effective because instead of having 4 different cars taking 4 different children to one location this can be avoided by having one person take all these children in one car. Therefore, we are immediately reducing the number of cars on the road and reducing the congestion of traffic.