The Luas - Saving The Day The Greener Way!
By Jessie Nolan
It is a well known fact that one of the main contributors to the problem of global warming is transport. Cars, planes and lorries are some of the ozone layer's worst enemies. Emissions from these vehicles cause so much damage to the world, and unfortunately, there are no eco-warriors with the superpowers to eliminate cars from the roads. There is, however, public transport.
Using Dublin as an example, seeing as it is the busiest city in Ireland in terms of transport, I have decided to look into the methods of public transport that are in place to combat the evils of CO2 emissions from traffic on our roads today.
Probably the most common form of public transport in Dublin is the good old fashioned bus. Dublin bus carries up to 150 million passengers per year, and it's services are available to 93% of Dublin's population. Although the bus's carbon emissions are not super- low, it helps the environment a great deal by the amount of passengers it can hold, thus reducing the need for many cars on the road. Dublin bus is also doing all it can to become more environmentally friendly. It is currently replacing its fleet of older vehicles with new ones that have lower emissions and are to the latest Europen Emission standard. Dublin Bus also took delivery of its first hybrid bus in December 2008, and is currently in the middle of a 3 year trial process. The current CO2 emissions of buses in Dublin (Grams of CO2 per passenger per km) is 20.27, which is less than half of an average car. So by using the bus you are helping the environment and, let's face it, what other form of transport is there where you are able to go upstairs?? Pretty cool.
The DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) also referred to as "The Dorsh" is the rail line that runs along the coast of Dublin from Howth and Malahide down as far as Greystones in Co. Wicklow. It is a popular form of transport among businesspeople and school students. It's CO2 emissions are 10.71 grams CO2 per passenger per km, making it the most eco-friendly mode of public transport in Dublin. It is fast and fairly reliable, however it only serves the coastal areas of Dublin and is therefore not a convenient service for many people. Also, if you don't care for being tightly pressed up against perfect strangers whose briefcases dig into your legs and whose mp3 players drown out the sound of your own thoughts in the sardine can that is the DART at rush hour, this service may not be for you either.
In my opinion, the super-hero of the transport world, the one with the potential to save thousands of CO2 emissions and help the environment in the most effective way, is the Luas. The Luas is a fairly new method of transport, it was only opened in 2004, and it is a modern day engineering masterpiece. Aside from the obvious benefits - The beauty, speed and reliability of the system, not to mention the extreme comfort you will experience on your journey - the Luas has many environmental benefits. It can hold a great number of passengers, reducing the amount of cars on the roads by 24 million in 2007 alone. 15 million litres of fuel from cars were saved that year aswell, thanks to the luas, along with 29 thousand tonnes of CO2. It is an extremely eco-friendly mode of transport, with an emission of only 11 grams of CO2 per passenger per kilometre; thats 5 times less than the average car. The luas produces less air pollution, less noise and less vibration from road traffic, all of which affects the Earth in a positive way. Another main advantage of the Luas is that, unlike the DART, it serves a variety of locations around Dublin... and its route continues to expand endlessly! This eco-friendly mode of transport is truly superb, saving the environment from over one million road journeys by 2016. Now that, I think you will agree, is an eco-hero.
Using Dublin as an example, seeing as it is the busiest city in Ireland in terms of transport, I have decided to look into the methods of public transport that are in place to combat the evils of CO2 emissions from traffic on our roads today.
Probably the most common form of public transport in Dublin is the good old fashioned bus. Dublin bus carries up to 150 million passengers per year, and it's services are available to 93% of Dublin's population. Although the bus's carbon emissions are not super- low, it helps the environment a great deal by the amount of passengers it can hold, thus reducing the need for many cars on the road. Dublin bus is also doing all it can to become more environmentally friendly. It is currently replacing its fleet of older vehicles with new ones that have lower emissions and are to the latest Europen Emission standard. Dublin Bus also took delivery of its first hybrid bus in December 2008, and is currently in the middle of a 3 year trial process. The current CO2 emissions of buses in Dublin (Grams of CO2 per passenger per km) is 20.27, which is less than half of an average car. So by using the bus you are helping the environment and, let's face it, what other form of transport is there where you are able to go upstairs?? Pretty cool.
The DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) also referred to as "The Dorsh" is the rail line that runs along the coast of Dublin from Howth and Malahide down as far as Greystones in Co. Wicklow. It is a popular form of transport among businesspeople and school students. It's CO2 emissions are 10.71 grams CO2 per passenger per km, making it the most eco-friendly mode of public transport in Dublin. It is fast and fairly reliable, however it only serves the coastal areas of Dublin and is therefore not a convenient service for many people. Also, if you don't care for being tightly pressed up against perfect strangers whose briefcases dig into your legs and whose mp3 players drown out the sound of your own thoughts in the sardine can that is the DART at rush hour, this service may not be for you either.
In my opinion, the super-hero of the transport world, the one with the potential to save thousands of CO2 emissions and help the environment in the most effective way, is the Luas. The Luas is a fairly new method of transport, it was only opened in 2004, and it is a modern day engineering masterpiece. Aside from the obvious benefits - The beauty, speed and reliability of the system, not to mention the extreme comfort you will experience on your journey - the Luas has many environmental benefits. It can hold a great number of passengers, reducing the amount of cars on the roads by 24 million in 2007 alone. 15 million litres of fuel from cars were saved that year aswell, thanks to the luas, along with 29 thousand tonnes of CO2. It is an extremely eco-friendly mode of transport, with an emission of only 11 grams of CO2 per passenger per kilometre; thats 5 times less than the average car. The luas produces less air pollution, less noise and less vibration from road traffic, all of which affects the Earth in a positive way. Another main advantage of the Luas is that, unlike the DART, it serves a variety of locations around Dublin... and its route continues to expand endlessly! This eco-friendly mode of transport is truly superb, saving the environment from over one million road journeys by 2016. Now that, I think you will agree, is an eco-hero.
