Why Transport Planning Is Vital to Improving Air Quality?

Improving air quality has really become that difficult to attain? 

We all know how transport is one of the many contributing sources of air pollution. Motor vehicle air pollution is responsible for approximately half of the NOX emission in the country. According to the recent reports by the pollution research sources, transport is the single largest sources of Nitrogen Dioxide. The toxic gas, in combination with other dangerous air pollutants, makes the air polluted, can even kill a person if exposed for too long.

Did you know road transport produces particle matter pollution which is produced from vehicle emission, especially during traffic signal or rash driving? Breathing air induced with particle matter can cause a person has breathing difficulties, irritation in the eyes, nose, throat or skin even. Road transport pollution makes up 12 percent of PM 2.5 which is toxic air particle less than 2.5 microns in diameter which can enter your bloodstream via the lungs.

Why Transport Planning Is Vital to Improving Air Quality?

Given the grave situation of the countries’ pollution level, improving air quality has become an essential priority for the national government. Following the stats in regards to India’s vehicle emission and air pollution level, the government has no option left but to intervene with local authorities to reduce urban air pollution.  

Currently, the government has been working on a plan that could help solve the air quality issues in the country. Since transport pollution is the contributing factor to the pollution level, a series of questions have been prepared to chart a proper transport planning.

Here are some potential questions:

1. What is the turning point in cost to encourage drivers to replace their pollution vehicles with the greener one?
2. How many people (businesses and the general public) will suffer if greener vehicles are introduced?
3. How many journeys might instead be made by public transport? Can the public transport network handle them?

‘Environmental managers only identify and monitor problems. Insufficient relevant priority has been given within the sector responsible for most relevant emissions – transport policy and planning – which has instead prioritized safety and economic growth.’ – University Professor commenting on poor air pollution management.

As per the WHO study, at least 40,000 and more premature deaths a year in India are attributed to air pollution, mainly due to road transport. Air pollution-related morbidity and mortality are at epidemic levels and, although less obvious, are more significant than road transport collisions as a cause of death and injury. Politicians at local and national levels must treat poor air quality as a public health priority, placing a clear emphasis on the severity of the problem and the limitations of technological fixes. Existing approaches that focus on individual, voluntary, behavior change and technological innovations are not sufficient to tackle poor air quality,’ says Doctor Cherian, WHO. 

To read more information related to air pollution, visit www.aqi.in/blog. 

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