London and Beijing: Transport and Pollution - Essay Example

London and Beijing: Transport and Pollution History shows that in the 17thcentury, most cities in the world had less than one million people. The population of most cities has grown tremendously over the years due to rural to urban migration. As population increases, more houses are built to accommodate the growing population. London and Beijing are two cities that have witnessed tremendous growth over the past century. London had a population of barely one million people for the better part of the 17th century but has grown to about 8 million people. Estimates indicate that the population of the city will reach 11 million people by 2050 (Wheeler 2004). The same trend of population increase has been seen in Beijing. Today, the population of Beijing stands at about 21 million people (Global Times 2014, p. 5). This essay will explore the extent of congestion and pollution problems in Beijing and London and compare what measures are taken by the city planners to relieve these problems. Traffic Congestion Congestion is one of the biggest challenges experienced in both London and Beijing. During rush hours in Beijing, a distance that would ordinarily take a car ten minutes can reach as much as two hours to cover (Wheeler 2004). A similar scenario is evident in London today, though to a lesser extent. To ease traffic congestion in the two cities, the governments of the two cities have come up with various plans. Figures 1 and 2 show traffic jams in Beijing and London respectively. Figure 1: Traffic jam in Beijing, China Source: Hongqiao and Xia (2014). Figure 2: Traffic jam in London Source: Auyang (2014) In Beijing, the government plans to ease traffic by investing heavily on infrastructure. Currently, the government of Beijing has allocated 80 billion yuan towards building infrastructure (Beijing Traffic Management Bureau 2014). The problem of traffic congestion in Beijing has been caused by an increase in the number of vehicles. To ease traffic flow, capital isinvested heavily on railway construction. The logic behind a railway system is that will help ease traffic congestion due to its capacity to carry thousands of commuters at one go. Beijing has already started to construct railway lines in the city, for example the Fangshan and Changping lines (Beijing Traffic Management Bureau 2014). Several other lines are to be launched as well. Furthermore, the Beijing Urban Planning Bureau is already in the process of constructing more subway lines. The authorities plan to open at least a new route yearly until 2015 as shown in figure 3 (Hongqiao and Xia 2014). The aim of the urban planners is to increase the total distance of the Beijing subway by at least 561 kilometers by the end of 2015. Similarly, London city authorities have already built many rail networks to help ease traffic congestion in the city (Hongqiao and Xia 2014). To reduce traffic congestion, the public transport system is promoted by constructing several railway lines linking London to various parts of the country and residential places as shown in figure 4. As a result of this measure, London is considered the center of the British railway network today and is widely considered one of the best in the world. Figure 3: Beijing subway plan Source: Hongqiao and Xia (2014) Figure 4: Map of London rail network Source: Newman and Thorley (2011) Studies show that traffic congestion, which was characteristic of London during rush hours, has decreased significantly since the opening of the London Underground. The rapid transit system has 12 lines and serves about 270 stations. With a length of slightly over 400 km, the system serves several places and thereby playing a great role in keeping private vehicles off the road (Douglas 2007). As noted by The London Toolkit (2014), the Underground has proved to be the fasted way to travel around London town. The system is integrated with underground networks, rail lines, and underground networks. Transport For London has ensured that the Underground is well integrated with modern technologies to make it more efficient and user-friendly. For its efficiency, speed and relatively low cost, many people in London prefer to use the system to taxis and personal cars. Statistics show that about 3 million passengers use London Underground every day, translating to about one billion passengers annually, easing traffic on the roads greatly (Douglas 2007). Figure 5 shows passengers in the London Underground. Figure 5: London Underground Source: Newman and Thorley (2011). Beijing has also embarked on constructing more roads and expanding narrow roads as another way of dealing with congestion (Hongqiao and Xia 2014). In fact, Beijing roads are among the widest in the world. However, widening roads within the city appears only to have encouraged an increased use of private vehicles. The magnitude of traffic congestion in the city demonstrates that the strategy of building more roads and enlarging narrow roads in Beijing has failed to solve the problem. Contrary to the strategy pursued by Beijing’s urban planners, London’s urban planners are currently employing smart technology as a means of easing traffic flow in the city. A state-of-the-art IT-enabled traffic control system has been built in London, allowing for the monitoring of the entire transport system centrally and on a real-time basis (Douglas 2007). When the system detects the traffic flow to be abnormal, the algorithm immediately adjusts the traffic phasing signal automatically. The IT system also allows the traffic police at the control room to come up with appropriate intervention promptly. Another measure that the authorities in Beijing are taking to solve the problem of traffic congestion is replacing junctions and roundabouts with flyovers. A study conducted in the city shows that most junctions and roundabouts in the city have been replaced by modern flyover systems (Salet, Thornley and Kreukels 2003, p. 16). The systems work such that vehicles do not have to come to a stop hence not contributing to traffic buildups. In London, planners have also replaced some junctions and roundabouts with flyovers. They have also launched a programme aimed at improving road junctions, giving priority to pedestrians over vehicles. In this regard, the London city planners intend to ease traffic in the city by making London more pedestrian-friendly (Douglas 2007). Pollution Global warming and pollution is a major environmental problem nowadays mainly caused by human activity (McKibben, 2011). Urban planners of the two cities have embarked on a raft of initiatives to deal with the problem. Firstly, in both cities, the authorities have designed enough waste-water treatment and sewerage systems to ensure that waste-water flows efficiently to places for treatment. Secondly, they have designed and constructed enough drainage systems to ensure that rain water channels and flows freely. Since air pollution is also a problem, urban planners of the cities have come up with different plans to solve the problem. The level of air pollution in Beijing as measured by the U.S. Embassy has been classed as unhealthy. Figure 6 shows air pollution statistics as measured on October 27, 2014. In Beijing, the urban planners are considering the idea of building wind corridors, which they believe will help mitigate air pollution in the city (Wencong and Xin 2014, p. 1). The wind corridors which the Beijing city planners are considering for use will involve large tracts of land along the direction of the wind to assist in diffusing hot air and small particles. In contrast, as it is definitely a smaller problem in London, city planners are tackling the problem by planting more trees in the city (Arboricultural Association 2014). A study conducted in London showed that about 2,100 tons of air pollutants are eliminated by trees every year (Arboricultural Association 2014). The authorities in London intend to introduce trees to areas known to experience high pollution to ensure clear air quality. Figure 7 is a pollution map for London as of October 27, 2014. Figure 8 is a map showing the air quality indices for different parts of London city as of October 27, 2014. Fig. 6: Beijing Air Quality Statistics Source: aqicn.org/city/beijing/us-embassy/ Fig. 7: Pollution map : London Source: http://www.londonair.org.uk/ Fig. 8: Air Quality Index Source: aqicn.org/map/london/ Both London and Beijing also tackle pollution problems by ensuring that industries are built far away from residential areas and city centers. Beijing city planners, for instance, have ensured that all industries are built within designated areas,away from residential areas. The same applies to London as demanded by law (Greater London Authority 2014). Additionally, both governments have established emission thresholds that industries are not expected to exceed. London authorities, for instance, have established London Low Emission Zone to ensure that companies do not exceed the levels. Beijing’s city planners also aim to solve the problem in the city by implementing a number of control measures. The control measures include promoting the introduction of new energy vehicles, as well as supporting the manufacture of ‘green car steams. Currently, the Beijing government has at least 412 environmental friendly buses to help solve the pollution problem in the city(Greater London Authority 2014). London city planners have taken a similar initiative; increasingeco-friendly buses, promoting cycling by constructing bicycle lanes, as well as improving energy efficiency in homes (Greater London Authority 2014). Conclusion London and Beijing share similarities to how traffic congestion is tackled. In both cases, capital has been put in rail line construction, widening roads, and replacing roundabouts with flyovers. However, the planning of the two cities differs in the sense that whereas London tackles traffic using a state-of-the-art IT-enabled traffic control system, Beijing still uses old school traffic lights not controlled from a central point. Traffic in Beijing is still controlled manually by police officers deployed at areas of traffic. Perhaps Beijing continues to use an old system due to the high costs of a central system. Additionally, whereas planner in London has given priority to pedestrians at junctions, Beijing planners still give cars priority. Moreover, whereas London planners intend to introduce more bicycle lanes, it was not clear whether Beijing also has a similar plan. For controlling pollution, planners in both cities are tackling water pollution by constructing modern drainage and sewer systems. Pollution is minimized by ensuring that industries are built far away from city centers andresidential areas. However, planning of the two cities also differ significantly in some aspects. For instance, whereas London planners tackle pollution by planting trees, Beijing planners have used the idea of building wind corridors. Additionally, London planners tackle pollution by regulating the emissionscontrol limits for companies to meet. However, it was not clear whether Beijing planners have established any regulation to do the same. References Arboricultural Association 2014, Trees tackle air pollution, viewed 27 October 2014 http://www.trees.org.uk/aa/news/Trees-tackle-air-pollution-272.html Auyang, E. 2014, ‘Just building more roads and rail lines wont ease Hong Kongs congestion,’ South China Morning Post, 3 March, 2014 viewed 27 October, 2014 http://www.scmp.com/author/evan-auyang Beijing Traffic Management Bureau 2014, Beijing strives to solve traffic problems, viewed 27 October, 2014 http://www.bjjtgl.gov.cn/publish/portal1/tab165/info12532.htm Douglas, R. 2007, The London Underground: A Diagrammatic History (8th ed.), Capital Transport, London. Global Times 2014, ‘Beijing population reaches 21 million,’ Global Times, 23 January, viewed 27 October, 2014 www.globaltimes.cn/content/839072.shtml Greater London Authority 2014, Clearing Londons air, viewed 27 October, 2014 https://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/environment/clearing-londons-air Greater London Authority 2014, Mayor’s new scheme to tackle old, polluting construction machinery & boost air quality, viewed 27 October, 2014 https://www.london.gov.uk/media/mayor-press-releases/2014/08/mayor-s-new-scheme-to-tackle-old-polluting-construction Hall, P., & Falk, N 2013, Good cities, better lives: how Europe discovered the lost art of urbanism. Routledge, London. Hongqiao, L., & Xia, Z 2014, Beijings plans to fix traffic problems with congestion fee stuck in slow lane, 22 January, viewed 27 October, 2014 http://english.caixin.com/2014-01-22/100632198.html London Toolkit 2014, The London Underground - 2014 Fares And How To Use, viewed 27 October, 2014 http://www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/underground.htm McKibben, B. 2011, The Global Warming Reader, OR Books, London. Nadin, V. & Stead, D 2008, European spatial planning systems, social models and learning. The Planning Review, 44, 35-47. Newman, P., & Thorley, A 2011, Planning world cities: globalization and urban politics. Palgrave, London. Salet, W., Thornley, A., &Kreukels, A 2003, Metropolitan governance and spatial planning: comparative case studies of European city-regions. Routledge Spon, London. Wencong, W., & Xin, Z 2014, ‘Beijing considers air corridors to reduce pollution,’ China Daily, viewed 27 October 2014 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-08/04/content_18240394.htm Wheeler, S 2004, Planning sustainable and livable cities (3rdedn.). Routledge, Cambridge. Read More