Global Perspectives (1129)
Individual Report
Topic: Urban transport planning
Research Question: If traffic conditions worsen due to the ever-increasing
population, how will noise and air pollution impact the local population?
Name: Ahad Burza
Roll no: 5
Word Count: 1185
Centre Place: Heritage International Xperiential Learning School
The topic of this IR is urban transportation planning. Urban transport planning is a
strategy to build an efficient, balanced, and safe transportation system for a region.
As the urban population expands, it will put extra strain on the public transportation
infrastructure. Residents of major cities will expect public transportation to be quick,
efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly. Urban transportation planning ensures
that cities evolve in inclusive, sustainable, and well-organized ways. Road traffic is
considered to be the main contributor to air and noise pollution. Vehicular traffic
consumes a lot of energy and burns most of the world's petroleum, releasing carbon
dioxide, nitrous oxides, and particles into the environment. In 2022, the average PM
2.5 concentration in India was 10.7 times above the WHO recommended air quality
guideline value and the global PM 2.5 concentration was recorded at 35. Noise
pollution due to road traffic reaches up to 80-90 decibels in big cities. Noise pollution
causes headaches, respiratory agitation and in rare cases, heart attacks. Air
pollution harms the lungs, brain and eyes.
This IR will show how the worsening traffic situation in urban areas affects its
population, it will discuss the causes and consequences and will end with a personal
conclusion and learning. Migration, overcrowding, global warming, and diseases are
some of the causes and consequences that will be considered. Globally, air pollution
is a major issue that contributes to global warming, but in India, it also affects the
health of a large number of people.
As more individuals commute greater distances for school and work, traffic
congestion is undoubtedly increasing. Vehicular smoke contains pollutants such as
carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter, contributing to poor urban
air quality. Nitrogen dioxide and volatile organic compounds released by vehicles
undergo photochemical reactions to form ground-level ozone, known as Smog. In
November 2016, air quality in Delhi deteriorated to new levels causing the city to be
engulfed in a layer of smog, severely affecting the health of the people. Shortage of
parking places, lengthens the time spent on roads, adding to congestion and air
pollution. Electric cars also contribute to pollution if the energy they use is generated
by coal power plants. The root cause of unorganized urban transportation is most
likely overpopulation, since as a country's population grows, so does the need for
transportation. This leads to more vehicles on the roads causing more air and noise
pollution along with congestion. In 2020, Bogota, Colombia had the worst traffic
congestion in the world with drivers spending more than 200 hours a year in traffic
whereas in the Indian city of Bengaluru, drivers spend 260 hours a year in traffic.
Cities are highly polluted when the main pollutant levels exceed 1.5 times the norm.
The most polluted country in 2022 was Bangladesh, with India in the 5th position.
New Delhi was the most polluted Indian city and Kashgar in China, was the most
polluted city in the world. Air pollution impacts the health of the local people,
especially those who live near roads with heavy traffic. These people are vulnerable
to the effects of both air and noise pollution and can develop illnesses like asthma,
COPD, cardiovascular disease, deafness, and dementia. Another important effect of
urban transportation is road traffic accidents. The number of traffic accidents and
deaths around the globe is increasing in direct proportion to the number of
automobiles on the road. In 2018, more than 1.50 lakh deaths due to traffic injuries
were recorded in India as compared to 37,461 in the US. The chaotic distribution of
road space between motor vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians
exacerbates the situation. Poor urban transportation also reduces job opportunities
and work productivity and can weaken the most significant economy. India is one of
the most populated countries in the world and since it is still a developing country, air
and noise pollution are considerably more harmful and potentially fatal. However, in
the US and Europe, though vehicular emissions may have dropped by 80-90%, the
nitrogen dioxide and PM2.5 emissions have increased respectively.
Urban transport planning aims to create an efficient transport system that will serve
the present and the future with beneficial alternatives which will improve individual
life. Good governance, effective environmental legislation, conscientious transport
agencies and an informed public are all crucial to providing a sustainable transport
system. Long-term planning helps to make the system cost-effective and efficient
thereby attracting a larger public. Providing reliable, accessible and affordable public
transport to people is imperative to minimise road congestion. Encouraging walking
and cycling is easy and advantageous. Producing cost-effective electric cars and
encouraging people to switch to them will help reduce emissions. Lowering
production, increasing costs and imposing taxes on petrol and diesel vehicles will
discourage their use. Randomly checking diesel vehicles to ensure emissions are in
control will make people more cautious. Improving road infrastructure, traffic
management measures and developing an organised lane system for different types
of vehicles will reduce time on the road. Parking restrictions and higher fines are
simple to apply and if properly enforced, greatly impact road congestion. Levying
taxes in high-traffic zones prevents unnecessary use of these zones. Investing in
sustainable fuel and automobile technology will help in developing a sustainable
transport system.
When I moved to Delhi from Kashmir a year ago, I was taken aback by the amount
of traffic on the roads, as well as the noise and smoke it produced. So, from the
beginning of my research, I thought noise and air pollution were urgent issues that
required immediate attention. My study has only confirmed and strengthened my
viewpoint. During my IR, I came across many solutions to this problem, such as
increasing green space, creating no-car zones, using electric vehicles, and more.
The research shows that worsening traffic conditions will harm the health of people,
causing heart-lung disease, deafness, anxiety and death. Our planet is choking each
day as the pollutants we emit into the atmosphere decrease our chances of survival
and therefore we must take strict action, NOW!
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