November was a great month in green transit news — and for everyone everywhere who wants to commute cheaply, enjoy quiet city streets, and get more exercise.
Last Friday in a bid to reduce congestion and pollution, Madrid banned [most] polluting vehicles from its city center. High-polluting cars owned by non-residents are no longer permitted. Old delivery trucks are now limited to morning hours. Meanwhile, those with electric cars can continue to drive.
Readers in North America will think this is insane (conservatives in Spain say the same), but keep in mind that the city center is a dense, walkable area with tons of transit.
People don’t need to drive into central Madrid, they only want to. In fact, only 15% of the 2 million people who enter each day drive. Every day 1.2 million people ride transit into the city center and 550k people walk into the city center.
The 230,000 people who drive are unnecessarily clogging up the roads for the other 1.7 million. The cars get preferential treatment while the buses are slowed and the half million pedestrians must give right of way to drivers.
The €90 fines haven’t been implemented yet. For now, breaking the rule just gets you a warning, no skin off your teeth. But even with no fines, in just the few days since the law went into effect, neighborhoods are seeing traffic reduction of 5–32%. Buses on one highway clocked in at up to 14% faster. Imagine that your 60 minute commute to work is now closer to 50 minutes. 💪
Madrid residents will see all kinds of benefits. In addition to faster commutes and quieter streets, parking lots can be reclaimed as public spaces. Tourism revenues will go up. Small businesses will benefit. (Small businesses, it turns out, make most of their revenue from pedestrians and cyclists.)
The measure is also a boost to public health. One study showed that 3,000 people in Madrid die prematurely every year from pollution-related illnesses. And countless more from conditions that are preventable through exercise.
Here’s an idea: Some of the smoke-spewing delivery trucks in Madrid could be replaced with UPS’s new truck trikes, about to be rolled out in Pittsburgh, PA as part of a proof of concept test. That’s right: UPS will be testing out delivery trucks powered by drivers on electric-assisted bikes. 🚲
The hope is that the truck trikes can be rolled out year-round in Pittsburghand potentially other cities nation-wide.
The truck trike weighs in at about 5% of the weight of the typical delivery truck, at only 400 lbs. (A typical delivery truck weighs in around 8,000 lbs before cargo.)
The new trikes aren’t as big as a typical UPS truck, but that’s ok. At 9 feet long and 4 feet wide, they can carry 800 lb loads. City dwellers rejoice —less noise, less pollution. Best of all, because of the 4 foot width, that double-parked truck isn’t going to make you late for work. Typical range for the truck-trike is 15–20 miles.
Added bonus: They’re made in the United States.
Great data! I hope they expand to Barcelona. The traffic and pollution there is terrible.
Also Loved the concept of truck trikes.