Sustainble transportation

I like to ride public transportation. For some reason there is something that is just so intriguing about being in a train or a bus. I rode in a high speed train(TGV) around France in one day just for kicks. I’ve never owned a car, since I prefer to take public transport wherever I want to go. I believe that our increased use of ecological modes of transport will help people live sustainably.

Even in the car-loving US, public transportation is beneficial for the general population. I’ve had some trouble outside of big cities getting around, but in the Pacific Northwest, Amtrak, Greyhound, and local buses are pretty extensive. I’ve had no problem getting out to the airport or to the train station to go visit my family and friends. Wherever I need a car, I get someone to pick me up so that I don’t have to waste CO2 driving a car alone. It is better to carry multiple people in a car than one person. Public transportation has a greater carrying capacity than cars, thus reducing the number of vehicles on the roads. A single bus can carry up to 90 people compared to four people per car. A train or a plane on average can hold three hundred people. All of those people would eitherwise be in about 75 cars!

Riding public transportation has various benefits, one being that we emit less CO2. People need to realize that the amount of CO2 that humans release into the atmosphere is excessive. Today more and more people are taking public transit and that is a good start. La Vie de Rail magazine stated that in 2008 alone there was 10,7 billion trips done in the US; a 4% increase and the highest use of public transport in 52 years! This is excellent and with the recent stimulus plan giving $600 million towards high speed rail in the US, Americans are beginning to refocus development towards public transport.

Public transportation does have its limits, one being that it still requires the use of valuable nonrenewable resources. Since the USA alone has many areas that are inaccessible except by car, I believe that our cars will someday run on clean fuel, which will not release any toxins into the air. If we improve our ways of transportation, then we will be keeping our earth a little cleaner. With all the technology that we possess today, shouldn’t we be able to create an Eco-friendly mode of transport?

Humans have the technology. Humans can build light rails, hydrogen cars, and fuel celled buses. All we need is motivation to build a more sustainable transportation system and that is increasing everyday. This is why I love public transport, because it is in the center of the fight for ecological modes of transport.