According to the US Census Bureau 61% of Americans can drive. That puts a lot of vehicles onto the road each year. It’s no wonder than the last 50 years, annual mileage has tripled from 587 million miles to over 1.6 billion. Considering other modes of transport is therefore sensible and increasingly necessary.
Whether you live in a small town or a city, most forms of public transport are accessible. There are advantages and disadvantages to all modes of transport and there are monetary and environmental costs to consider. For both of these reasons public transport is becoming ever more popular.
People are traveling further today than ever before. In the US alone passenger car mileage has increased from 587 million miles a year in 1960 to 1.6 billion 50 years later. A lot of those miles are taken up by people getting to work but there are a lot of other options for commuters. Buses and trains cater for work by putting on more services at key times in the morning and again in the evening when people are traveling back home. Bus stops can be found in populated areas of all towns and cities and train stations can be found in all major cities and the larger towns.
Streetcars are often forgotten as a form of public transport. That is probably because their popularity declined rapidly during the 20th century, when tracks were torn up or covered over. Now streetcars have started to popular again. In some cities, like Toronto, the old streetcars have been restored and ran for tourists, but in American cities like Memphis, Boston, San Francisco and Philadelphia they are a viable alternative to other forms of transport.
In Europe they are called light railways or trams. In some parts of the continent they have remained popular since their inception. In Italian cities like Turin and Rome they have been running non-stop since the late 19th century, which is also the case in the Swedish city of Stockholm. And cities like London, Berlin and Athens have built new machines and tracks to meet the increased demand.
Streetcars are becoming popular because they are cheap and better for the environment than a lot of their competitors. This can also be said of buses and trains. But not every mode of public transport has the same environmental impact. When taking a short journey of 20 miles or less the train produces 7 lbs of CO2 whilst buses produce more than double that amount.
In contrast to public transport, personal transportation can get you to your destination quicker because it can take you from door to door, but the environmental impact is significantly higher. Cycling is the most environmentally friendly type of personal transportation. It’s a good way to keep fit, but not the most practical form of transportation for cold, windy or icy environments.
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