PUBLIC TRANSPORT:

+    ADVANTAGES

1. Benefits for environment ( A train or bus can carry far more people than a single car, using only one tank of gas / energy source in the process. Lots of trains and trams run on electricity which reduces the effect of carbon emissions even further. Until the electric car becomes more common, public transport will always be the greener option.Public transport is at least twice as energy efficient as private cars; a full bus produces 377 times less carbon monoxide than a full car. Each full standard bus can take more than 50 cars off the road while a full train can take more than 600 cars off the road. )
2. Accessibility (Accessible public transport benefits everyone involved – it is easy and quicker to use, can reduce dwell times of vehicles and can assist with managing traffic congestion in shared road environments - and takes account of the interaction between land use and transport planning.)
3. Costs (Catching public transport may be up to four times cheaper than travelling in your car (according to RACQ research using a journey of 12km to the Brisbane CBD). It can also save you the cost of buying, maintaining and running additional vehicles.)                      

 -     DISADVANTAGES

1. Routing (Public transportation, whether you are talking about a train system or buses, follow a preset route. The preset route travels from station to station taking on and letting off passengers at set stops. This can be a serious disadvantage for many travelers. The public transportation may not come out into the suburbs far enough to pick them up, or may not stop at the exact address that they are traveling to. Many travelers may need a secondary source of transportation to arrive at their final destination, or will have to walk some distance to their home or office.)
2. Convenience (Public transportation runs on a set schedule. These times may not mesh with the travel demands of those using public transportation. This can result in a serious loss of time for travels who must arrive at their destination early to avoid being late. It may also mean waiting for the next bus or train after their business is concluded, slowing their return home.)
3. Privacy (There is no privacy in public transportation. Travelers are crowded in and don't have much personal space. There is nothing to prevent the person sitting next to you from reading documents or the screen of your laptop, listening in on your phone conversations or looking at the contents of your handbag. This also means that you have no protection from what others choose to do in that public space. Travelers may hear language and topics of conversation that make them uncomfortable or may be exposed to the germs of other passengers who are coughing, sneezing or showing symptoms of contagious illnesses.)
4. Space (There is a limited amount of space aboard public transportation systems, which makes them inappropriate for some errands. This is a concern if you are traveling with children who have specialized needs, like strollers, or are going on a major shopping venture which could result in excessive luggage on the return trip. You may not be allowed to take these items onto public transportation with you if they will not fit under your seat or in your lap.)

SAVING MONEY TROUGH PUBLIC TRANSPORT

In today’s modern world there are several “green” movements that are attempting to enrich the planet and make it a better, more sustainable place to live. Activities ranging from planting trees to using biodegradable or reusable grocery bags are among the ways that people are helping the environment, but one of the most vitally important ways to help involves getting from Point A to Point B: carpooling and public transportation.

Infographic  outlines the positive impact that increased public transportation has made in the past few years. Thanks to so many people opting not to use their cars, as much as 37 million tons of CO2 are not released and 340 million gallons of fuel aren’t used annually. That’s a lot of saved money on gas!

If you live in a metropolitan area, public transportation is a great way to not only dip less into our natural resources but also to help potentially save a good deal of money on the cost of getting around, and carpooling can be equally as helpful for those that don’t live near public means of transportation.

PROXIMITY TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Hong Kong's residents are the best-connected, with over 40% living within a 500m radius of a rapid transit station. The city also scores highest for commuting, with over half its places of work less than half a kilometre from a station.

Stockholm scores second highest in both categories, while New York and London are third for residents and commuters respectively. Los Angeles scores lowest for each category, with less than 5% of its residents living within 500m of a station.

HOW PEOPLE TRAVEL

Of the six cities shown, London has the highest proportion of trips made by car, at 39.8%. Public transport accounts for 34% of journeys, while walking (23.7%), cycling (2%) and motorcycle trips (0.8%) make up the remainder.

New York scores highest for public transport, with almost three in every five commuter trips made by taxi, bus, rail or metro.

Hong Kong fares best for walking, with 44.7% of journeys made on foot. Copenhagen leads the way for cycling, with one in five trips powered by pedals.

HOW CITIES CHANGE

Portland's CO2 emissions per capita have halved since 1993.
Copenhagen's energy consumption per capita has fallen by around 20% since 1993, with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per capita dropping at a slightly faster rate.

Singapore's population has risen steadily, and TransMilenio, its public transport system, has seen passenger numbers double since its 2001 launch. Despite its growing population, traffic incident fatalities have more than halved since the late 1990s.

Cycling in Hong Kong has been booming in the last 20 years, and is one of the factors that have contributed to its falling CO2 emissions per capita.

Around the year 2000 London's technology sector really took off, and employment in the digital economy has increased by almost 50% since 1997. Taking inner East London as a standalone region, high tech employment has nearly doubled in 15 years.

Mumbai's rapid population growth is symptomatic of nationwide trends, and has come at an environmental cost, with CO2 emissions per capita for India as a whole increasing at a faster rate than the port city's population. Peak electricity demand in Mumbai has also rocketed upwards, increasing by over 75% in ten years.

Berlin's population has remained relatively constant since 1993, but a decreasing reliance on non-renewable energy across Germany as a whole has improved its environmental credentials. The capital's CO2 emissions per capita have dropped by over 30% in 18 years.

Vehicle ownership in Sao Paulo is booming, but traffic speeds during evening rush hour have fallen since 1993, suggesting its road network is struggling to cope with congestion. 

UNPACKING LONDON: ENERGY AND POLLUTION

Three quarters of London's energy consumption is fueled directly by oil and gas, with the vast majority of the remainder generated by fossil-fuel-powered electricity. Just 2.1% comes either direct from waste and renewables or from renewably-generated electricity.

London's CO2 emissions per capita are higher than the world average, but lower than those of comparable developed cities New York and Portland, as well as Singapore.

Landfill is gradually being phased out as a method of solid waste management, but still accounted for roughly one third of the total in 2011/12. Incineration and recycling/composting also make up around a third each.

London's air contains more than 2.5 times as much NO2 than the EU standard - still slightly less than Paris - but is well below the EU's recommended ceiling for particulate matter. PM10 counts in Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam are all higher than that of London.

NO2 levels closely follow London's road network, with Heathrow Airport and the M4 standing out as particularly high.

UNPACKING LONDON: TRANSPORT, TECH AND PLANNING

Since 1993 car travel has decreased faster in London than across the UK as a whole, and average annual distance traveled per person in 2011 was roughly half of that for the country overall. Bus, tube and overground travel continues to grow, with distance traveled on public transport approaching the same level as car miles.

Cycling has taken off in London, with the number of cyclists in the capital trebling since 1985, and overtaking that of both New York and Stockholm. Berlin remains ahead of London on this nominal measure, and at 13% has one of the highest proportions of cycle trips a share of all journeys.

London's office space is well served by public transport links: almost 1m cubic metres was built between 2004 and 2011 within 500m of a station, with no new office construction more than 2km from a public transport hub.

The City of London has seen more new office space than any other part of the capital, while the bulk of retail and leisure floorspace has gone to the Olympic Park and surrounding area.

Shoreditch has the highest density of IT jobs in the city, followed by Holborn and parts of the City of London. Despite its strong performance in the digital economy, London has slower broadband speeds (both download and upload) than European neighbours including Berlin, Paris and Copenhagen, as well as Tokyo and Seoul, whose speeds are several times faster.

FUTURE FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Car sized passenger capsules travel in 1.5m (5') diameter tubes on frictionless maglev. Air is permanently removed from the two-way tubes that are built along a travel route. Airlocks at stations allow transfer of capsules without admitting air. Linear electric motors accelerate the capsules, which then coast through the vacuum for the remainder of the trip using no additional power. Most of the energy is regenerated as the capsules slow down.

by Pawel Halasa