There is an enormous number of cars in Prague, provided by an expert. Emissions exceed European limits and are harmful to health – EURACTIV.cz
Up to 73% of road transport emissions come from passenger cars. At the same time, Prague is literally flooded with cars, which can have an impact not only on the transport itself, but also on the climate and human health.
More than 60% of Europeans come from cities with more than 10,000 inhabitants and share a common space and transport infrastructure. However, it is urban mobility that is the source of 40% of all CO 2 emissions2 from road transport and up to 70% of other pollutants from transport in general. Europe is therefore looking for solutions and possible alternatives to reduce emissions in cities as low as possible.
It is precisely with regard to the people who gather across Europe, especially in cities and their immediate surroundings, that the issue of health and safety in metropolises comes to the forefront of public debates. Possible solutions are being sought to improve the current and often unsatisfactory situation.
Prague exceeds the limits
The capital has a lot to catch up with in this regard – a new study by the magazine Atmosphere based on measurements in Prague warns that the amount of emissions in Prague exceeds the limits recommended by the WHO and the European Union.
As he says for Czech Radio Plus Miroslav Šutadoctor and expert from the Center for the Environment and Health, the measurements took place in various places in Prague and he considers the surroundings of the Blanka tunnel or the busy V Holešovičkách street to be the most problematic places in the city.
Cities should use the situation to improve their situation, mainly for the health of their inhabitants. “In our report, Doctor Radim Šrám (Chairman of the Commission for the Environment of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic – editor’s note) may lead to the fact that, for example, analyzes from Spain or Scandinavia show that even lower concentrations affect the development of the nervous system in children on the one hand. On the other hand, they can contribute to the development of so-called neurodegenerative diseases in the elderly, “warns the expert.
However, according to him, the danger persists with concentrations below the applicable European limits or below the WHO recommended values.
The study, which is published in the journal, also confirms the recommendation to tighten European directives Planetary Health Lancet. It says that if current urban air pollution levels were reduced to the WHO recommended, up to 50,000 deaths could be prevented across European cities. Thus, while European directives set a relatively modest maximum value for air pollution, according to WHO recommendations, the limit should only be set lower.
An enormous number of cars is a problem
Experts point out that too many cars drive around Prague. This then applies not only to the air, but also to the flow of traffic.
“Traffic congestion (convoys) – they simply arise in large cities, no matter how well the city is handled, how well it supports public transport, how much disciplined drivers are vliv about the effects of the weather and the associated road maintenance he prefers not to speak, “he states for the EURACTIV.cz server Bedrich Rathousky from the Department of Logistics at the University of Economics.
According to him, there are a number of factors that cause traffic convoys. An example is the unfinished motorway ring around Prague or the closure. “But the number one factor was and is the enormous number of passenger cars,” says the logistics expert.
“Almost 1 million passenger cars are registered in the territory of Prague alone – and of course motorists outside Prague still drive to Prague. Since 2000, the share of passenger cars in all transport performance has been over 90%, and this number has been rising steadily since the 1960s, ”explains the expert.
In cities, in addition to those cars, the accumulation of trucks. However, their “contribution” to urban air pollution is minimal. “According to the European Environment Agency’s data, 73% of emissions from road transport are produced by passenger cars, so if drastic measures need to be taken, it is primarily against passenger cars,” Rathouský said.
Low-emission zones located in the territory or in the city center are generally not affected by lorries due to the fact that restrictions are already in place. “The EURO IV emission standard, as well as EURO V, is already passable. The EURO VI standard has been in force since 2014, and freight carriers normally have this emission specification, ”adds Rathouský.
Electric cars look good to cities
The ideal solution to air pollution in cities is then electric cars, as he states study Josef Morkus AND Jana Macka from CTU.
“Battery electric cars should be used especially in urban traffic, where their advantages – zero emissions per ride, quiet operation and good driving dynamics outweigh the negatives,” write experts.
According to them, electric cars are suitable both for passenger transport and for the delivery of goods around the city or the provision of service and municipal services.
“The daily course of a city car is usually in the tens of kilometers, so it would be enough to drive about 150 km on a single charge, which can be covered by a small battery with low price, low weight and low emissions from it, easily rechargeable overnight. The question is whether customers will want them, “they add.
The popularity of electric cars is gradually growing in the Czech Republic, and the capital is therefore trying to motivate residents by purchasing chargers available directly from public lighting poles. In addition, it is this innovative infrastructure that will be supported in the coming years from the new Modernization Fund, which is financed from the sale of emission allowances.
“Chargers for passenger cars on poles called ‘EV ready’ are already operating, for example, in Vinohrady. However, their output is not great (22 kW) – the passenger electric car will be fully charged in a few hours, “added Rathouský.
Speed limit? He probably won’t come to Prague
In order to increase safety and combat climate change, Paris introduced a maximum speed limit of 30 km / h at the end of August, the original maximum of 50 and 70 km / h remaining only on the main arteries. Ordinance millet 59% of Parisians, and it has also become a subject of debate. However, different views on these limitations differ.
“The decision of Mayor (Anna) Hidalgo makes sense. As a result, Paris will gain more road capacity, as cars will run more smoothly and will not have to have such large views in front of intersections. ” says for Aktuálně.cz Prague councilor Adam Scheinherr (Prague itself). However, the introduction of similar restrictions for Prague is not based on the fact that speed limits are determined by the city districts of Prague independently. The municipality thus has no possibility to order area restrictions.
The deputy mayor of Liberec, for example, has a different view of speeding in cities Jiří Šolc (Mayors for Liberec), which considers such measures to be difficult to prove – it would require, among other things, a number of related measures, such as thresholds or narrowing.
However, Paris is far from the only city introduced by this regulation. Others include other French cities, of which there are a total of about two hundred, or the Netherlands. This is a similar step discarded in October last year, when it adopted speed limits in built-up areas from 50 to 30 km / h in order to reduce the number of accidents, especially in those areas where children often move.
Challenges for the future: smart parking and traffic analysis
Undoubtedly, urban mobility still faces a number of challenges, but some of them, at least on paper, are already gradually facing them. For example, a project is working to facilitate and automate parking in cities UrbanSmartParking European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
The capital city of Prague continues the project of so-called e-carsharingthrough which it plans to increase the number of cars in its territory and support urban electromobility.