Environmental Impact


Increased pollution from exhaust fumes leads to air pollution, which in turn impacts on people’s health. In the UK, over 5,000 deaths per year are attributed to health issues caused by traffic in cities. Emissions from exhausts are a major contributor to smog in cities, while the exhausts themselves cause noise pollution.


Reducing Traffic Congestion


There are several measures that can be taken by urban planners to address the issue of traffic congestion. l


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Rather than having traffic enter the town or city, ring roads can be used to bypass them, e.g. the M50 in Dublin.


Traffic systems such as traffic lights, one-way streets and slip lanes can greatly reduce traffic congestion by allowing traffic to move more efficiently.


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On-street parking can be banned in areas that experience high traffic volume, through the use of double yellow lines.


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The building of flyovers or underpasses means traffic can pass through busy junctions without having to stop.


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Congestion charges for driving through the city during busy times would encourage commuters to use public transport instead.


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Removal of toll booths on motorways can help with traffic flow, e.g. on the M50, which was also widened to six lanes.


While the measures mentioned above can be effective in reducing the volume of traffic entering an urban area, these measures are only practical and fair if there are sufficient alternative modes of transport available. In other words, it is unfair to charge hefty congestion fees for commuters driving to the city centre for work if there is not another viable option to get there. Therefore, it is essential to have an efficient and relatively cheap mode of public transport operating between the commuter belt and city centre. Such modes of public transport include: l


Bus lanes: Bus lanes make it much faster to travel through the city at busy times.


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Park-and-ride facilities: These facilities allow for commuters to park their cars outside the city centre and travel the rest of the way by bus. This reduces the overall number of cars entering the city.


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Light rail: Light rail services such as the Luas allow the quick and efficient movement of people from residential areas to the CBD for work.


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Bike rental schemes: These schemes allow commuters to use bicycles to travel around the city. This can be very effective when enough cycle lanes are provided.


GEO DICTIONARY


Smog: fog mixed with smoke or other pollutants


Flyover: a bridge that carries one road over another


Underpass: a road that passes underneath another road


URBAN PROBLEMS 163


A


Z


Elective 5: Human CHAPTER 6


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