The increasing pollution in large cities and the serious effects of climate change and global warming, force cities to make their transport less harmful to the environment. Most of the sources of polluting gas emissions in cities come from transportation. With millions of vehicles in circulation at all times, the consequences suffered by citizens and the environment are serious.
To alleviate these problems, ecomobility arises. It is about a more sustainable mobility integrated into cities to reduce the impact of transport on the environment. Do you want to know what ecomobility consists of and what characteristics it has?
What is ecomobility?
As mentioned before, ecomobility arises from the need to introduce the concept of ecology in transport. The mobility of a city depends on the type of fuel used, road networks, availability of bike lanes, public transport capacity, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to incorporate measures to reduce pollution.
Ecomobility encompasses those media systems that lead people and things from one place to another preserving and protecting nature and the environment. This healthier mobility helps us to continue in the very distant future reducing pollution continuously. The concept of sustainable development also enters ecomobility. It is necessary that in transport we can meet current needs without compromising future generations to meet theirs.
Ecomobility is also known as sustainable mobility. It's probably not the first time you've heard of it. However, it is usually confused with activities like walking, using public transport or cycling. It is true that these three actions help reduce pollution and are sustainable mobility. But ecomobility is not only this. It is a combination of less polluting means of transport and a road network that facilitates transit.
Importance of ecomobility
Sustainable city transport is important if we want to avoid premature deaths from pollution. Air pollution is said to be a silent agent that is responsible for killing people. What's more, aggravates cases of asthma, allergies and other respiratory and cardiovascular problems. For this reason, our transport must be the most ecological possible.
Every day ecomobility is gaining more weight in society. It is very common to see how people name them and it is part of the common vocabulary. The ecological footprint left by our transport increases every year. On an individual level it does not mean anything, but there are too many of us globally.
The use of the car and other vehicles that require polluting fuels is very frequent. Each personal vehicle emits tons of CO2 into the atmosphere per day. In addition, we must take into account the transport of goods. Although it is linked to the economy and growth (by creating jobs), it is a fairly polluting sector. It is in these branches of transport where actions that help ecomobility must be implemented.
The importance of ecomobility lies in the need to improve air quality and health in cities. Almost 40% of polluting gas emissions in cities come from commercial transportation.
Unlike what is thought, the use of vehicles that pollute not only affects the environment or health, but also economically and socially. This is due to the increase in the accident rate, inequity and loss of competitiveness due to the excess of vehicles in circulation.
Solutions that propose sustainable mobility
Sustainable mobility is not just about cycling, riding the bus or walking. It is about proposing different solutions to make it more sustainable. So that you can see an example, at the congress it was stated that in a 3,5 meter wide street 2.000 people can pass by car in 1 hour. If they are cyclists, 14.000; pedestrians, 19.000; by light rail, 22.000 and in buses, 43.000. And many more by metro, which pollutes less than the bus.
It is not a matter of choosing an adequate transport, but of evaluating the number of people who can travel the same street. If we choose a vehicle capable of housing more people, we will be reducing pollution enormously.
Some of the actions carried out by ecomobility are:
- Use public bicycle systems in many cities.
- Prioritize public transport over private.
- Increase pedestrian areas.
- Restrict the entry of cars to certain parts of the city.
- In case of using a car, do it with the maximum possible occupancy.
Another factor to take into account in sustainable mobility is the layout of the roads. The rails must be located in such a way that the distances to travel and traffic jams are minimal. It is proven that a traffic jam pollutes more than road traffic.
On the other hand, the introduction of vehicles whose fuel is less polluting and with zero emissions is seen as a close priority. We are talking about electric vehicles. If the production of electricity comes from fossil fuel, it will pollute in its creation, but not in its use. However, if the energy source comes from renewables, the vehicle will have zero emissions.
Sertrans and ecomobility
As mentioned before, mobility by transport accounts for 40% of the polluting emissions of a city. For this reason, Sertrans has spent years investing in sustainable transport for goods. During these years it has been carrying out actions that reduce the environmental impact of its activities.
One of them is the correct planning of routes. To reduce transport times, Sertrans plans the shortest route in question not only in kilometers, but in CO2 emissions. Drivers are applying new technologies and using the corrections provided by other drivers. In this way, transport distances are reduced.
Another action is optimization of loads. Transport trucks are larger and can hold more cargo at once. With this, the number of trips can be reduced and closer to the sustainability objectives.
Finally, Sertrans intermodal transport has increased. It is a combination of land transport with other types of transport to pollute less.
As you can see, ecomobility is very important today and is not only based on the use of public transport and bicycles.