In order to continue our comfortable life and prevent global warming, we have to improve the public transportation system of cities.
Japanese Edition
Public Transportation System
To reduce the fuel consumption, it is recommended that we reduce the use of the family car and use the public transportation system. But the streetcar, which we had used conveniently in my city, was removed in 1970, and the runs of the regular bus with a fixed route are likely continuing to decrease still now. Although the sharp rise of the gasoline price caused a great disturbance, the cars on the street did not decrease, and small family cars and the traffic congestion increased on the contrary. I think that something in our society is wrong, but I can do nothing.
From the first my present house is far from the removed streetcar. So I rely on the family car and bus completely. I tried sometimes to use the bus more than the family car. And now I am reaching to the age which I should quit driving. I earnestly desire to give up driving and use the bus.
But except the rush hours, one bus only comes to the nearest bus stop from my house every one hour. Besides, the bus route has no linkage as a network between other routes. Under the present circumstance, it is difficult to go to a destination by changing buses. I cannot give up driving.
However, people who use the bus remain. In the rush hours all the seats of a bus are occupied by students and commuters. A few old people who maybe go to the hospital are found sometimes on a bus except the rush hours. When going shopping by car, occasionally I see one or two old people who are waiting for a bus at several bus stops within the route of a few kilometers.
Except the rush hours the bus maybe consumes uselessly more fuel than the car does. I think that if the microbus ran frequently, the passengers would increase a little. But actuality is opposite. A big new bus comes to the nearest bus stop occasionally. I have heard the new bus is big because of some regulations. When seeing few passengers on the big new bus, I think that something in our society is wrong.
The population of my city is roughly equal to the population of a ward of Tokyo. Most of the people of my city drive in the area as wide as the area of Tokyo 23 wards. I suppose that the local small and medium-sized cities are almost the same state as my city. Such cities in Japan are maybe 100 or more.
It is said that the dwellers of large cities such as Tokyo and Osaka can live without the family car because the public transportation system has well developed. The extension of expressways and the Shinkansen lines will improve the convenience of a few people. In the local small and medium-sized cities, many people are driving many cars and consuming much fuel. So the improvement of the public transportation system of the local cities is an urgent matter.
Temporarily if car manufacturers stop the production of millions cars and we put off the buying of new cars and the Government freezes the investment for extension of expressways and for the Shinkansen lines, huge resources will become available for the improvement of the local transportation system. I think that investing these huge resources in the improvement of the local transportation system is very effective to save energy.
Though it is a part of above problem, the construction of the transportation system for the old people and students who cannot drive the car is necessary. Especially the system for the old people should be hurried up because they have no other means of transportation.
The purposes of the transportation of the old people can be roughly limited to three cases as follows.
1) Shopping at the supermarket.
2) Medical examination in the hospital.
3) Attending the accomplishments and lessons.I think that the flexible system like the home-delivery service, which uses the microbus instead of the delivery truck, is suitable for this purpose. The reservation service may be one of alternatives. If this system succeeds and is combined with today's bus routes, an energy-saving transportation system will be realized.
uploaded
May 1, 2008