FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Today my comments will deal with free
public transport.
Luxembourg has just introduced it for the whole of the country. It is the first country doing that. All citizens, its own and everybody else may travel free of charge with trains, busses and trams everywhere in the country. Public transportation has until now been very cheap in the country. But now it is free. The country’s size is 2.586 sq.km, about 20 % bigger than the island of Tenerife. And it has 600.000 inhabitants. About 180.000 people come to Luxembourg from neighbouring countries for work every day, most of them by car. This gives huge traffic problems, esp. with long and long-lasting queues on the roads. And it gives a lot of pollution, not least in the capital, which is also called Luxembourg.
The government has decided to do something about these problems. Free public transportation is one of the means.
But, of course, you cannot know on beforehand how it will work. The plans also include huge investments in material, infrastructure and new connections, etc. The additional costs in the railways will be around 600 € per citizens. The works have started, but it will naturally take some time, before it is all in place. Part of the picture is also that petrol is very cheap in Luxembourg, so there are lots of cars in the country. Will the new free public transport change that?
What does it cost to make public transport free? About 41 mio €. It is actually only about 10 % of the total costs for infrastructure.
Luxembourg is as mentioned the first country to introduce free public transport. But around 100 cities in the world – esp. in Europe – have already done the same. In France about 30 cities have done it – incl. Dunkerque. Paris is reflecting about it. In Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, they made public transport free for the local residents in 2013. They might enlarge it to the whole country. Also a number of cities in Poland have done the same.
Brussels introduced a system some years ago, which make public transport free for public employees. Many of them started to use it. But as the railways did not enlarge the capacity in the trains people often had to stand up all the way, so many moved back to the car. I believe it has improved now.
Amsterdam are also taking a range of initiatives to reduce car traffic in the city. In Germany the cities of Essen and Bonn are planning to do the same.
The question of public transportation is very interesting and very important. It is under study in many places. And it is evident that the new initiative in Luxembourg will be followed with active interest.
Luxembourg has just introduced it for the whole of the country. It is the first country doing that. All citizens, its own and everybody else may travel free of charge with trains, busses and trams everywhere in the country. Public transportation has until now been very cheap in the country. But now it is free. The country’s size is 2.586 sq.km, about 20 % bigger than the island of Tenerife. And it has 600.000 inhabitants. About 180.000 people come to Luxembourg from neighbouring countries for work every day, most of them by car. This gives huge traffic problems, esp. with long and long-lasting queues on the roads. And it gives a lot of pollution, not least in the capital, which is also called Luxembourg.
The government has decided to do something about these problems. Free public transportation is one of the means.
But, of course, you cannot know on beforehand how it will work. The plans also include huge investments in material, infrastructure and new connections, etc. The additional costs in the railways will be around 600 € per citizens. The works have started, but it will naturally take some time, before it is all in place. Part of the picture is also that petrol is very cheap in Luxembourg, so there are lots of cars in the country. Will the new free public transport change that?
What does it cost to make public transport free? About 41 mio €. It is actually only about 10 % of the total costs for infrastructure.
Luxembourg is as mentioned the first country to introduce free public transport. But around 100 cities in the world – esp. in Europe – have already done the same. In France about 30 cities have done it – incl. Dunkerque. Paris is reflecting about it. In Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, they made public transport free for the local residents in 2013. They might enlarge it to the whole country. Also a number of cities in Poland have done the same.
Brussels introduced a system some years ago, which make public transport free for public employees. Many of them started to use it. But as the railways did not enlarge the capacity in the trains people often had to stand up all the way, so many moved back to the car. I believe it has improved now.
Amsterdam are also taking a range of initiatives to reduce car traffic in the city. In Germany the cities of Essen and Bonn are planning to do the same.
The question of public transportation is very interesting and very important. It is under study in many places. And it is evident that the new initiative in Luxembourg will be followed with active interest.
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