From cities that have invested in alternative public transport systems to accelerate sustainability to those that aim to discourage the massive use of owned cars: here are five transport solutions (some of which are quite original!) around the world.
Copenhagen is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world. Locals travel around 1.44 million kilometers each day, with over half of the population cycling to work. The city has indeed created a “cycling oasis”: there are 390 kilometers of cycle paths and hundreds of kilometers of regional cycle highways, including a Cycle Super Highway which connects the city to the city of Albertslund.
Jakarta has the largest bus network on the planet. It has a total of 251.2 km of bus lines operated by 3,900 buses! Not only that, serving nearly 200 million passengers every year, Jakarta’s transportation system is one of the most extensive in the world. And users are growing as the government continues to add new routes and more buses to unblock the notorious traffic jams that plague the capital.
Berlin is one of the European cities with the most efficient public transport system. It is convenient, punctual and serves 937 million passengers every year. Moreover, it is set to improve in the coming years: in 2019, the city announced that it will spend nearly $ 32 billion to bolster its public transport offerings by 2032. In addition, there are plans to extend the city’s urban rail network. S-Bahn and to make every bus in the city electric by 2030.
Some cities have built alternative and very original transport systems. The city of Wuppertal (Germany), for example, operates a 13.3 km long network of suspended trains suspended about 8-12 meters above the ground. Or again, in Maglev (Japan) there is a magnetic levitation train. It is also the fastest commercial high-speed electric train in the world. In 2015, it hit 603km / h, beating the previous land speed record for rail vehicles.
The city that aims to reduce the number of cars in circulation: it is called Heidelberg and is located in Germany and offers residents who buy an electric vehicle a bonus of up to 1,000 euros. They get another 1,000 euros if they install a charging station. But the long-term goal is not to encourage the purchase of electric cars. Rather, it is to reduce dependence on cars. Heidelberg is buying a fleet of hydrogen-powered buses, building a network of cycling “highways” to the suburbs and designing pedestrian-only neighborhoods.
Do you know other smart and sustainable transport solutions? Reply in the comments! #WhyNotNow
