Public transportation and environmental problems in Colombia

Abstract

This study seeks to understand the situation concerning public transport in Colombia, by means of literary review and meta-analysis, and deduce its environmental effects in the city of Barranquilla and the surrounding locality of Norte-Centro Histórico. Focusing on cause-and-effect relationships this analysis seeks to understand the environmental consequences of public transport within the study area. The principal finding of this study is that public transportation within Barranquilla and the surrounding locality suffers greatly from problems related to the planning and management of urban mobility within the study area. These planning and management-related problems are principally due to a lack of regulation, updates, and control. Private interests have had severe consequences on public safety leading to an 18% increase in road-related deaths, with those most affected being pedestrians and cyclists. There currently exists an insufficient surveillance system for air-quality containing outdated information. This is especially concerning given the study area’s public transportation is excessively reliant on combustible fossil fuels. The contaminants attributed to public transportation found in the highest concentrations included Nitrous Oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5). These contaminants are associated with negative health and environmental effects, in particular Black Carbon appears within the category of contaminants known as (PM2.5) and is strongly associated with respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. Black Carbon also contributes to climate change and emits ⅓ of the radiative force of carbon dioxide (CO2).