Public transport: an effective solution
Public transport and active mobility (walking and cycling) are very effective ways to reduce CO2 emissions, especially in an urban context. While the mass deployment of electric cars will undoubtedly contribute to the decarbonization challenge, it is not the preferred solution in dense cities where there’s not enough space for all these private cars. Furthermore, electrifying cars does not solve the problems of road injuries and traffic jams.
A core urban rail system (consisting of metro and/or light rail) and an extensive bus network (preferably with a bus rapid transit component) are effective solutions for many cities around the world to decarbonize their transport systems. Ideally, this would be supported by a comfortable cycling network, walkable streets, and campaigns to motivate people to exercise more in their daily routines. After all, taking public transportation gets you to 5,000 or 10,000 steps per day much faster, which is praised by a number of health apps.
Many cities worldwide still heavily rely on individual car travel, and it’s mainly for these cities that the construction of a comfortable and inclusive public transport system can decarbonize their transport systems. Besides that, high-quality public transport also contributes to urban citizens' quality of life and positively influences the economy.
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