City traffic allows transportation of people and goods from start to finish and by doing so, it allows for a better quality of life. City traffic consists of personal and public transportation (bikes, cars, buses, trans, trains...) and traffic infrastructure (roads, traffic lights, gas stations, pedestrian and bike zones and lanes...). The entire city traffic system needs to flow in a uniform, safe and uninterrupted way. This is why proper signalization and infrastructure play an important role so that parts of traffic, at all levels within and outside of cities, could go on uninterrupted. Fossil fuel based city traffic is responsible for 30% of global CO2 emissions.
This type of city transport mostly pertains to private cars, while a smaller percentage pertains to motors, as their usage depends on weather conditions and place of arrival as well as if other passengers will be commuting. Vehicles such as trucks and vans are usually used for commodity transport. Apart from these vehicles, the city traffic includes service vehicles such as cleaning vehicles, fire trucks etc.
A great number of shorter commutes done by cars cause unnecessary traffic jams and air pollution, as well as lower traffic safety, increase parking needs and have a negative impact on citizen health. Car based traffic also influences environment quality by producing waste and infrastructure issues.
Apart from cars on gas or diesel engines, there is an increase in the use of electrical and hybrid vehicles. Electrical cars use electrical energy to move, while hybrid cars need two or more energy sources such as electrical energy and petrol. Electric and hybrid cars help decrease CO2 emissions and therefore lower the negative impact on the environment.
Some of the key advantages in using hybrid and electrical cars in comparison to traditional petrol-based ones are:
Lower (or no) level of gas emissions
Lower use of fossil fuels
Lower use of fossil fuels
Less noise pollution (roughly 20% of EU citizens are affected by unacceptable noise levels)
Socially and environmentally conscious behavior
Bikes are an efficient and healthy transportation option that doesn’t pollute the environment and enables mobility. Advantages of a bike based traffic are: Less cars on a public space (at least 10-12 bikes can be parked on one car spot), less traffic jams, less fuel consumption, less accidents, fewer public health costs, a better life quality in a city, lower infrastructure costs.
A lot of shorter routes can be done quicker with a bike than with a car, especially during rush hour. Therefore, public bikes were introduced. They are a form of public transport in a city area, made to decrease traffic jams, noise and exhaust gases and to reduce air pollution.
Advantages of public bikes are:
· Better mobility through cities
· Encouraging intermodular travel (use of various traffic types)
· No extra traffic jams
· Less infrastructure than other transport types
· No pollution
· No need for fossil fuels.
Public transport is an ecologically more acceptable, cheaper and safer way of commuting in comparison to cars. This type of public transport can be divided into road traffic and railroad traffic. Road traffic usually includes buses and taxis that are a part of the city traffic.
Bus transportation allows for transport of a larger number of people and is therefore more eco-friendly and more budget friendly for citizens. Even though they can carry less passengers than trams or trains, buses are good options for cities due to less need for infrastructure in areas where railroads would be difficult to implement. To lower the usage of fossil fuels, city transport uses biofuel and biogas, a more ecologically friendly fuel option, in that way helping to lower air pollution in cities.
Railroad based transportation within public transportation includes trams, metros and city trains. The train system is a part of city public traffic and it can carry large amounts of passengers from one point to another at large speed. Another advantage is that, unlike trams, trains are divided from road traffic. Trams also can transport large numbers of people and can be implemented throughout cities.
Impact that the train and tram traffic has is less invasive and takes up less space than the traditional road traffic, as well as having significantly lower environmental impact.
Walking is the oldest, most basic and most widely accessible and eco-friendly way of personal mobility. Pedestrians don’t endanger themselves or others nor pollute the environment. Walking is a healthy activity that provides one with a sense of belonging and allows for a better communication with others.
In a city setting, pedestrians have special zones such as sidewalks, pedestrian walking zones, squares, parks etc. Cities are creating more and more pedestrian-only zones to ensure less air pollution within the city centers, places usually most affected by air pollution and traffic jams.
