Getting Around Town

Urban Transport Goes Green

From bikes to electric scooters to hybrid mini-cars, a variety of new vehicles and programs are now in place to encourage city travel by means other than CO2-spewing, gas-guzzling automobiles

By Jennifer L. Schenker

To combat traffic jams and the adverse affects of climate change, cities across the world are shifting to new forms of personal transportation. According to a European Commission report, automobiles cause so much congestion that in some European cities average traffic speeds at peak times are lower than in the days of horse-drawn carriages. Urban transport also is responsible for around 40% of total road-related carbon dioxide emissions. It's little wonder, then, that cities all over Europe are promoting greener ways to get around, including old-fashioned bicycles and state-of -the-art electric scooters and cars. Cities in the U.S. and Asia also are getting on board. Click on to read more about the latest in urban green transportation.