It’s Earth Day, and if the latest TomTom Traffic Index taught us one thing, it’s the enormous impact that congestion is having on the planet. Let’s take a look at some of the facts:
- Eradicating congestion in major cities could cut hundreds of tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere daily.
- 15% of London’s emissions are a result of congestion (that’s 2.2 megatonnes of CO2 a year).
- 10.5% of Berlin’s traffic emissions are a result of congestion (400,000 tonnes of CO2 a year).
- Amsterdam’s traffic produces 60,000 tonnes of CO2 a year (that’s 7% of its total CO2 emissions from traffic).
Reducing congestion is no mean feat; to make a noticeable impact, we’re going to have to rethink how we move:
- We have the data, governments have the means; we can use predictive models and real-world data to make sure traffic lights change from red to green at the right time to minimize tailbacks created from busy junctions.
- Amsterdam benefits from great cycling infrastructure and public transport, and so produces far less CO2 than cities like London. Let’s campiagn for governments and road authorities to build infrastructure to better support alternative forms of transport.
- There are also plenty of simple things we can do, such as walk or cycle for short trips. Save the car for when it’s really needed. Use public transport and try avoid adding to congestion wherever we can.
