Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
mixed, and varies by country, even the private firms often have subsidies from the
national or state governments. However the general trend in the last few decades
has been one of
improving bus services
by increasing their efficiency and passenger
comfort, such as: adding extensions to existing bus lines; providing better connec-
tions to the schedules of mass transit lines; putting electronic scheduling signs and
better shelters at bus stops; adopting pre-paid smart cards for payment; establishing
free car parks and secure bicycle racks at main transit stations in suburban areas;
adding bus-only traffic lanes to speed their flow to the city centre or other destina-
tions. In addition, many cities have implemented Park and Ride schemes, where
large parking spaces are located on the edges of downtowns and free bus services
are provided to the car passengers so that they can leave their car and return later,
thereby reducing vehicle congestion in the city centres. Another important trend has
been to add more safe and convenient walkway connections from transit stops to
car parks and bus stops. In all these new or improved transport systems it is usual
to find higher levels of government paying much of the cost of the new systems,
and municipalities subsidizing at least part of the fare, either on each ticket or by
providing reduced costs for weekly, monthly or annual travel.
Additional innovative approaches to improve people mobility and sustainability
have also been adopted in some countries. In the former case, gondolas, as well as
moving staircases have been used to access formerly isolated housing developments
on the steep hillside shanty towns of some Latin American cities, such as Medellin
and Bogota. Some cities have also tried to reduce their transport systems' reliance
on polluting fuels. Increasing numbers are converting their buses and municipal
vehicles to gas-burning engines, not oil-based fuel, to reduce vehicle emissions in
cities. The less polluting natural gas is the usual alternative fuel source, although
others have mandated the use of bio-gas generated within the city from waste. Less
typical has been the deliberate buying of some renewable energy, such as wind
power, often at an increased rate, to supply the electricity used by new rail systems,
as in the case of Calgary's Light Rail Transit system.
6.4.3
Bicycles
At the other end of the people mobility scale from mass transit or buses is the
encouragement of
bicycle use
. It is promoted because it is a healthier and envi-
ronmentally friendly form of travel to work, extending its use beyond recreation.
Cities with high bicycle use have usually created separate dedicated cycle lanes
along many roads with a small paved barrier from car lanes, as can be seen through-
out Copenhagen. This improves the safety of cyclists compared to simply paint-
ing lines on roads to designate bike lanes, which are often ignored by motorists.
However the greater use of bicycles also involves creating bicycle parks in or near
around major destinations such as train or bus stations, and the promotion of safe
locking systems to avoid thefts, which is often reduced when people use relatively
basic and inexpensive bicycles in their commutes since these are not worth steal-
ing. It is also useful if employers provide showers and changing rooms for their
