Most major cities are developed due to the transport system. With mass motorization in the cities, there have been a significant increase in commuter traffic and associated air pollution. In a bid to avoid associated health complications, the response of the public has been moving away from the polluted areas. To limit the amount of carbon particles emitted into the atmosphere, most cities are encouraging people to use public. There are many advantages associated with public transport system including the creation of more space in the cities and reduction in emissions, which cause pollution (Buehler, 2009). Modern alternative transport systems such as trolleybuses, electrically powered trains, and trams do no release emissions. There is a need to embrace systems which do not emit carbon dioxide. The atmosphere contains harmless natural gases, and when compared with other gases, carbon dioxide remains longer in the atmosphere. Thus, a slight increment rises global temperatures. Public transport system can be promoted through collaboration with different agencies (Meinardi et al., 2008). Most people assume that public transport systems are dirty, smelly, and meant for the low-income earners. For the cities to promote public transit, a marketing campaign is required.
The significance of the Problem
Most cities have invested a significant amount in providing fully functional public transport system. However, few people consider using such systems for various reasons; it has been observed that people prefer using private vehicles to commute instead of using public transport. In some cases, the governments have failed to ensure the effectiveness and stability of the transport system. The problem of people avoiding public transportation is difficult to address owing to less understanding of the health and environmental impacts associated with pollutions. Besides, the costs of buying vehicles have also declined, which make them affordable for many people (Laffel, 2006). When accidents occur on the road, or there is an emergency for ambulances and fire engines, the number of casualties could increase due to congestion in the cities. Since the congestion of vehicles is a concern of the global community, embracing public transportation system could be the answer to addressing the problem.
Increased number of vehicles also puts heavy strain on the available local infrastructure. These strains increase the probability of vehicular accidents and stress. In the recent years, commuters have been complaining of the rising cost of fuels. Nonetheless, they fail to understand that from the economics point, an increase in the number of vehicles leads to a rise in the demand for petroleum and associated products. Even for such problems, the public transport system is vital. In the US, the trend in transportation sector tends to be 20 years of those in the industrialized states. Consequently, carbon emission from the same industry accounts for the 5% of the global emission, which means that the transport sector pollutes the environment more than others. There are two negative implications of vehicle emissions into the atmosphere: global climate change and air pollution and associated health repercussions.
With the rising mobile population in the major cities and an increased number of middle class and wealthy individuals who can afford private vehicles, these challenges are set to rise (Laffel, 2006). Although driving in one’s car is often viewed as comfortable and of great benefit to economic prosperity, based on the increased adverse ecological and health complications associated with emitting dusts into the environment, worldwide car possession is an issue that requires critical consideration. From the analysis, it is evident that city management should address air pollution issues to guarantee sustainability of the cities. Public transportation system means few vehicles on the highways, which consequently contributes in reduced emissions and adverse effects on health and climate. There is a need for societies to act now and promote public transportation to save the environment and save on costs associated with severe health effects from air pollution.
Recommendations
To inspire people to use public transport system, there is need to approach the issue from a multidimensional point to accommodate the views of all the stakeholders and ensure that they understand the importance of encouraging the system. The transport systems need to look attractive. For example, every change must meet resistance forces. People need to know why they need to change their habits and embrace a new practice. However, the reason should be compelling to them, or they are likely to retain their regular practices (Meinardi et al., 2008). Some cities have tried to resolve the problem by offering incentives to those using the system. In London, there are congestions fees as a way to invest in the public system. On the other hand, Copenhagen utilizes realized returns from parking in stabilizing its transit system. With these practices, it is notable that cities should not be left with the burden to fund their systems.
Most of the public transport systems are less accessible. If commuters find it difficult to use public transport systems since they do not either take them to where they need in the city or they have many stopovers, people will get frustrated and resort to using their vehicles. According to Laffel (2006), public transport systems such as buses and trains should be clean and managed adequately to attract people. Moreover, there is a need to consider the aged, children, pregnant women, and those enabled differently through decreasing their fares and training personnel to cater for their needs. Cities should make public transportation a planning priority. When the system accommodates the needs of both residential and commercial users, it will reduce the number of vehicle trips and reduce dependency on the residents on their cars. However, the planning should involve locating libraries, houses, hospitals, churches, and civil buildings near the public transit stations (Buehler, 2009). The planners should also make public transportation easy street for the pedestrians. In most transport systems in the cities, the riders often walk to the transit stops and stations. Besides, interconnected streets foster easy access to the neighborhood destinations, which provide pedestrians with optional routes and shorter walking distances.
Conclusion
Public transport is no longer the primary means of transportation for most people. Most commuters prefer using their private vehicles. As more and more people move into the major towns using their cars, they put immense pressures on the available infrastructure. Consequently, these problems result in traffic congestions and environmental pollution. There are many health complications associated with air pollution. Embracing the public transport system is the key to resolving these challenges and to tackle it, the governments require input from various stakeholders while ensuring that they understand the need to support the public system. To ensure the effectiveness of the shift, a public campaign is vital. Some of the recommendations include prioritizing the public transportation plan and making the system accessible from both residential and commercial areas.
References
Buehler, R. (2009). Promoting Public Transportation. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2110(1), 60-68.
Laffel, N. (2006, May 8). Promoting Public Transportation for Sustainable Development. Retrieved from https://www.princeton.edu/~mauzeral/wws402d_s06/Laffel.pdf
Meinardi, S., Nissenson, P., Barletta, B., Dabdub, D., Rowland, F. S., " Blake, D. R. (2008). Influence of the public transportation system on the air quality of a major urban center. A case study: Milan, Italy. Atmospheric Environment, 42(34), 7915-7923.
