What are your views? Is there really a transport problem? Do the benefits of motorized transport outweigh the costs? Are their any minor (or perhaps major) changes you personally feel could make our present transport system more sustainable?According to the Renewable Fuels Agency (2009), Sustainability is "the ability of a process to be continued indefinitely without damaging and/or degrading the environment in which it depends". When asked, most people say that they would rather be more sustainable or environmentally friendly but they can't get over the speed bump of convenience that cars offer. There may be other transport options that are less damaging to the environment such as biking, walking or the local bus service but many still use their cars as it is easier to do so and generally allows you to get closer to their work than a bus stop would allow without the crowding and lingering BO smells.
Car manufacturers are coming up with new models designed to be more sustainable yet still look great, however this is putting stress on the roads as they are becoming more jammed up with motorists, creating (in my opinion) a major traffic issue with few answers until people start to leave the comfort of their vehicles behind for a "better" (and generally cheaper and healthier) mode of transportation to get from A to B.
The main problem is that are cars have been designed with comfort in mind, unlike bikes and buses as well as the added benefit of not being out in the elements when walking, biking or waiting for the bus. BUT even so... do the benefits really outweigh the costs?
What are the costs of using cars rather than bikes or walking? Well... the most obvious (yet still important) cost is the one that is pumped out of the exhaust pipe on the back. The issue of global warming had made a triumphant return for this blog! This recurring issue has been debated for years and cars (but vehicles in general) are one of the main causes of this additional heating of the planet. What about the economic disadvantages to this method of travel? With petrol prices going up, it is becoming more expensive to pay to use your car. Biking only costs the bike itself plus additional things like helmet and lights and you quickly get your money back plus the benefit of no emissions and exercise. Walking has no cost but has the downside of taking much longer (in general). Busing has the benefit of cheaper travel than car, less environmental damage as more people can use 1 bus than 1 car however there is the disbenefit of bus stop queues and crowding.
Sustainable transport may seem as a brilliant concept however that is all it is, a concept. Transportation, in my view, will never be sustainable or environmentally friendly unless the population is willing to fore-go there cars for other vehicles (i.e. buses) or through their own body movement (i.e. walking, biking). Only if this occurs, can sustainable transport be a reality rather than a dreamed concept.
Picture from: http://www.griffith.edu.au/ofm/sustainability/content_definition.html
Renewable Fuels Agency, 2009. What is sustainability? [online] Available at: http://www.renewablefuelsagency.gov.uk/aboutthertfo/carbonandsustainabilityreporting/whatissustainability
[Accessed: 25 March 2010]
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