Environment and mass transit interlink

Environment and mass transit interlink

By Dr. Bambang S. Pujantiyo

JAKARTA (JP): In selecting and determining a type of mass
public transportation, there is much to be considered. But the
most important matter is selecting which type has the biggest
positive impact and the smallest negative impact. The direct
impacts are those such as time and cost for users of mass public
transportation, and the indirect impacts are those such as
economic ones. Social and environmental improvements and so forth
are later impacts, occurring after the construction of such
infrastructure. Meanwhile, the environmental impact itself has
many factors, factors which cannot be ignored in the science of
transportation. These factors are so important that they recently
became a determining factor in selecting the type of mass public
transportation in big cities all over the world.

With this basic environmental knowledge, as a transport
planner, it is important to know the relationship between
environmental impact and the selection of the type of mass
transportation to be applied in big cities of developing
countries, such as in the city of Jakarta.

Mass transit

Mass public transportation is a means of transportation for
the public which can convey a large number of passengers. Based
on the location of its operation, it can be categorized into
land, sea, and air public transportation. However, land public
transportation, up to now, is the means of transportation which
causes many problems and discussions among researchers.

Nowadays, there are many types of land mass transportation.
The author of Urban Public Transport, Amano, categorized land
mass transportation based on transport capacity. The transport
capacity of electric trains both on and under the ground is
estimated to be able to transport 40,000 people per hour.
Monorail, light rail, tram, etc., can transport up to 10,000
passengers per hour. Big buses, such as we see in Jakarta, can
transport up to 2,000 passengers per hour. Thus, the largest
transport capacity of all these means of transportation is the
train which can be categorized into two types, that is, trains
which operate on the ground and underground trains.

Environment

The negative impact on the environment, that is, air and noise
pollution where one of its main causes is the motor vehicle,
recently became a serious problem. A tremendous amount of exhaust
or noise emitted from a vehicle can cause many health problems
for the people in its vicinity.

As stated by Nakamura in his book Urban and Environmental,
pollution is mainly caused by diesel powered vehicles and affects
people's health. Therefore, to deal with this pollution,
researchers and manufacturers of motor vehicles, such as those in
Japan, have been directed by their governments to lower air and
noise pollution emitted by motor vehicles. This effort has been
fruitful, with the release of vehicles with a lower pollution
rate, even vehicles with no pollution at all, such as battery or
solar cars which are now close to full operation. But, to date, a
drastic reduction of pollution from diesel vehicles is still
unlikely. Hence, a policy to increase the means of land public
transportation such as diesel buses, seems to be in direction
conflict with the criteria of overcoming air and noise pollution.

Complimenting the surrounding area is also a determining
factor in selecting types of public transportation. In
consideration of nature, harmony and beauty between modern
technology and the surrounds would be required. Although the
economic development of one country is so fast, policies in the
planting of trees and establishment of gardens in big cities
should not be forgotten. Thus, in the implementation of
infrastructure construction for mass public transportation, it is
expected that trees and gardens should not be destroyed, but
should be increased.

Social Cost

If the environmental impacts are calculated into social costs,
such as medical care necessary because of illnesses caused by air
and noise pollution, it can be imagined how much the social cost
will be. Research on social cost caused by environmental effects
have been presented many times, such as in a paper written by Pu
jantiyo entitled A Study on Social Cost by Road Environment,
which describes how much loss is suffered by people living along
the roads in an area of Chiba Perfecture in Japan because of the
effects of air and noise pollution from motor vehicles. This loss
is calculated into a social cost. Hence, to avoid the increase of
social costs, a policy of railway construction or development
both on or under the ground can be assumed as an appropriate
selection.

However, the above mentioned are also added to social costs
because of the destruction of the surroundings. The research on
social cost due to the destruction of surroundings' visual
appearances have not been presented. Such social cost has
actually happened, as for instance, the problems which have just
occurred in Japan with the estimated high cost of changing the
present electricity service to an underground electric conductor
system. This is one of the policies of recovering the appearance
of surroundings in big cities in Japan.

By studying such cases, it can be imagined if it is one day
made compulsory to calculate the cost of changing mass public
transportation infrastructure to underground systems. Therefore,
by assessing carefully the science, the development, and the
environmental problems which exist on the basic science of
transportation, initially establishing an underground system
seems preferable.

Subway

It can be said that an underground train, also called a subway
and which generally can transport a large number of passengers,
almost causes no air and noise pollution, and moreover does not
destroy the view above ground. Thus, its selection as the type of
means of mass public transportation is viewed as very suitable.
Therefore, a subway is viewed as the solution in overcoming
transportation problems in big cities such as Jakarta, from the
view point of transportation and also for the benefit of many
people. Environment is one of the important factors in
determining policies, especially in selecting technology to
overcome transportation problems.

On the other hand, the construction of a subway would
obviously involve a very high cost compared to that of above
ground transportation, or of another means of transportation.
This is caused by its structure which is underground where ground
conditions might be poor, so that special technology in its
construction will be required, which will clearly have a high
cost. But such a high cost is not considered high if compared to
the otherwise environmental impact and social cost.

However, operating a subway as a solution to the present
transportation problem does not mean having no more problems. For
example, from an engineering perspective, concerns of how sturdy
the whole construction system would be in facing natural
disasters are a factor.

With these matters, it is appropriate and preferable to study
and analyze first its sciences as a basis to avoid the failures
which happened in advanced countries, and to learn from their
cases.

In selecting modern technology, whether as planner or in
managing mass transportation, with this knowledge and experience
on environmental impacts, we should not be trapped with only an
application of modern technology from advanced countries, but
should also learn first about its impacts, especially
environmental impacts, to be able to utilize modern technology to
such a stage that it can be used for the benefit of science and
the benefit of the people, especially those in developing
countries.