Public transport is an integral part of urban planning that plays a critical role in shaping the growth and development of cities. It has numerous benefits that go beyond providing access to transportation for residents.
One of the primary benefits of public transportation is its ability to reduce traffic congestion. Traffic congestion or traffic jams is a major issue in many urban areas and can cause significant delays for commuters. Public transportation systems such as buses, subways, and trains can help to reduce the number of cars on the road and alleviate traffic congestion.
Public transportation also helps to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Cars and other private vehicles are a significant source of air pollution, which can have serious health consequences for people living in urban areas. By reducing the number of cars on the road, public transportation can help to reduce air pollution and improve air quality.
Another important benefit of public transportation is its ability to provide accessibility and mobility to those who may not have access to private transportation. This includes people with disabilities, the elderly, and low-income individuals who may not be able to afford a car or other private transportation. Public transportation can provide these individuals with access to employment, education, healthcare, and other essential services.
Public transportation is also a key component of urban sustainability. As cities continue to grow and develop, it is important to consider the long-term impact of urban planning decisions on the environment. By promoting the use of public transportation, cities can help to reduce their carbon footprint and promote sustainable development.
Importance of Public Transportation
1. Access to Transportation for All
Public transportation provides affordable and accessible transportation to all members of society. It allows individuals who may not have access to a personal vehicle, such as low-income residents or individuals with disabilities, to access education, employment, and other services. In addition, public transportation reduces traffic congestion and improves air quality, making cities more liveable and sustainable.
2. Enhances Economic Growth
Public transportation is also essential for economic growth. It provides access to employment opportunities, allowing individuals to travel to and from work easily. Additionally, it increases access to goods and services, which stimulates economic activity. For example, a well-connected public transportation system can increase foot traffic to local businesses, boosting their revenue and contributing to the local economy.
3. Reduces Traffic Congestion
Traffic congestion is a major problem in many cities, leading to increased travel times, air pollution, and reduced quality of life. Public transportation is a key solution to reducing traffic congestion. By providing an alternative mode of transportation, individuals are less likely to rely on personal vehicles, which can reduce traffic on the roads. This leads to a more efficient transportation system, shorter travel times, and improved air quality.
4. Decreases Dependence on Fossil Fuels
Public transportation is an important tool for reducing dependence on fossil fuels. With the rise of concerns over climate change and air pollution, cities are increasingly seeking sustainable transportation options. Public transportation provides an alternative to personal vehicles, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality. Additionally, public transportation is often powered by electricity or natural gas, further reducing the reliance on fossil fuels.
5. Promotes Social Equity
Public transportation promotes social equity by providing access to transportation to all members of society. It helps to reduce the transportation divide between low-income and high-income residents, improving access to education, employment, and other services. Additionally, public transportation often serves as a social equalizer, bringing individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds together in a shared space.
In conclusion, public transportation is an essential component of urban planning. It helps to reduce traffic congestion, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, while also providing accessibility and mobility to those who may not have access to private transportation. Public transportation is also a key component of urban sustainability and can help cities to promote sustainable development. As cities continue to grow and develop, it is important to prioritize public transportation in urban planning decisions to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of urban residents.
Benefits of Public Transport
Millions of people around the world use public transport every day. Some of them commute to work, school or university, other to get to the city center for a walk or to the personal meeting. The thing that unites them is their will to get to their destination quickly and comfortably.
Just a couple of years ago people would dream of changing public transport to private vehicles, however nowadays more and more people find new advantages of public transportation every day. The world situation with corona virus has one more time proven that no city is able to operate properly without buses, trams and subways.
So, what features of Public Transportation will help it to attract more and more passengers in the nearest future? Let’s consider these factors in some more detail.
Related Article: Good Public Transportation – A necessity for sustainable settlements
Advantages and Benefits of Public Transportation
#1 Public Transportation Costs Less Than Servicing of Personal Vehicles
Winter and summer tires change, planned inspections, petrol and parking costs – these are only the most obvious expenses that each car owner has to spend on adequate operation of their personal vehicle and their own comfort and safety.
These spending may be justified by the level of comfort and independence private transport is able to grant for its owner, however, clearly not for everyone. A lot of people wouldn’t like to bother with so much fuss around the car and give preference to public transport that will cost less and free from spending hundreds of dollars on servicing every quarter. Some of them are simply not able to afford to buy a car and to properly take care of it afterwards. In addition, some countries place huge taxes on private vehicles to make people give up the willingness to buy a private car.
By the way, if you need the level of comfort that only a personal car can fulfill you can always use the taxi service and get wherever you need for a moderate price.
#2 Public Transportation May Save Lots of Time
Public Transport may be not so comfortable and it usually makes you fit in your plans to the public transport schedule. Nevertheless, it may significantly save not only your money but also your precious time.
Every day each car owner has to clear frost off their car and warm up the engine (when it is winter) then search for a free parking lot near his destination point and if there is none walk a couple of blocks to the office. In the evening they will have to pay for the parking lot and probably spend some time in the evening peak hour traffic jam.
#3 Well-Developed Public Transportation Reduces Stress
Instead of constantly concentrating on the road, getting nervous about unscrupulous drivers and traffic offenders and standing in perpetual traffic jams, the average public transport user has a huge number of options for a pleasant and efficient use of the time they spend in transport. Some may read a book or a newspaper, some may watch the weather forecast and advertisements on screens in a subway, others may listen to music or communicate with fellow passengers. For long-distance travel it is rationally to choose public transport, because, as you know, driving a car for a long period of time can be very tiring. One might argue that, for example, during rush hour, traveling on public transport does not perform the function of stress reliever at all. The large number of people in the cabin, the crowding, the heat and the obstructed access to the exits make millions of people around the world shudder at the mention of public transport. What is more, you are to always make sure you fit the particular transport type’s schedule to get to your destination. However, we must assure that these problems are more the fault of the city government than public transport, as it is them who approve the plan of public transport and other related issues. It is to make sure Public Transportation facilitates all the needs of the passengers. If society is uncomfortable with inefficient public transport, local authorities urgently need to implement short- and long-term strategies to improve it, as public transport can not only unload roads and bring money to the city treasury, but also significantly improve mental health and satisfaction with life in their hometown.
Public Transport is not only able to save your time and nerves, it also can make your city become a better place. How? The ticket cost the average passenger pays to the municipal transportation companies go to the city treasury and is consequently used for its servicing and improvement as well as for the overall beautification of the city. That is why paying only once you get some little benefits in long-term perspective.
#4 Public Transportation Improves People’s Mobility
In the modern world, people don’t live in isolated settlements that don’t have any contacts with the neighbor one. In the era of ‘global village’ the lives of the social communities are so intertwined that there is no way it could survive without constant transport bound. Thanks to the Public Transport rural population can travel to the nearest cities for work or personal needs and vice versa. It also increases mobility of people inside the city as it usually covers the whole territory of the particular settlement and operates during the daytime.
#5 Public Transportation Cuts Down Traffic Jams
Public transport provides transportation services for people who do not have their own transport, as well as for private car owners who for some reason cannot or do not want to use it. Thus, the number of cars on the roads is reduced, as well as the time that every citizen spends in traffic jams on the way to work or home. The more continuous and fast-moving public transport is, the higher is its attractiveness and economic efficiency that is why in many cities around the world road markings provide a separate lane for public transport, which also facilitates the circulation of city buses and trolleybuses and helps citizens reach their destination on time.
What is more, personal vehicles take too much space in the city; lots of owners park their cars on the sidewalks of busy traffic lines. Rail transport and the metro in particular, in turn, is a panacea against congestion on highways. It is able to transport millions of passengers every day without creating transport collapses.
These advantages benefit not only the public transport users, but also the car owners that decided to take their own car to the destination point and don’t have to spend half of their lives standing in jams.
#6 The Use of Public Transportation Reduces CO2 Emission
In recent years, humanity is increasingly thinking about the environmental situation in the world. And not for nothing, as the planet is threatened by global environmental problems, one of the most dangerous of which is the problem of air pollution. Transport accounts for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Private cars produce the most emissions – 270g CO2/km per person.
Harmful ultrafine particles from car exhaust can lead to asthma, allergies, heart disease and lung cancer. According to the World Health Association, each year more than million deaths are caused due to air pollution, and to a large extent, due to exhaust gases from cars.
Therefore, fewer cars on the road equals less carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Imagine if 20 people traveling with you on a bus used a personal car, and if 120 passengers on a subway train did so?
Again, rail transport holds the lead in this category, as its impact on the environment is minimal, especially when it comes to high-tech trains in Asian countries that travel only by magnetic force. Electric transport is also much more eco-friendly.
Conclusion
Taking into consideration all the undoubted evidence of huge role of Public Transportation in the life of every densely populated city the following conclusion may be highlighted: Public Transport is obviously one of the most important gears in the city operation mechanism and if it is organized properly, it easily overtakes private transport in quite a number of characteristics.
However, in spite of the number of Public Transport advantages there are still some of its drawbacks that make the population of some cities refuse to use it. That is why it is very important that every country’s government pay more attention to the cities’ passenger transportation issues to make all its benefits work to its fullest.
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