Your example of the double-decker bus a quarter full (which equates to about twenty passengers) does not support your statement that buses create congestion; the alternative in your case (depending on how many couples or families were among the passengers) might be as many as twenty cars. That means more congestion, not less.
And not all buses produce huge amounts of diesel pollution; the latest designs, as with diesel cars, have become greener. To go back to the quarter-full example, I doubt that one bus produces more pollution than twenty cars, or even a lot fewer.
From The Guardian, Jan.2017: "Modern diesel cars produce 10 times more toxic air pollution than heavy trucks and buses, new European data has revealed... heavy-duty vehicles tested in Germany and Finland emitted about 210mg NOx per kilometre driven, less than half the 500mg/km pumped out by modern diesel cars that meet the highest “Euro 6” standard."
Firstly this was what I would expect to be a moderately busy time. I often see almost empty buses off peak. But I did make the point that buses do provide a service and I see no alternative. Using less polluting single deck buses when possible might be better but perhaps they can't do that due to peak needs. As regards congestion, reasons why buses create congestion is because a) they tend to go slower than cars, b) they stop regularly thus holding up traffic and c) they are hard to overtake. In cities such as London doubtless they are preferable to cars.
I don't doubt modern diesel cars produce loads of pollution, Land Rovers et al stink something rotten, so yes that needs sorting. I loathe those people who park their Uber Tank and leave the engine running, making the surroundings smell vile and probably poisoning people.
|
