Underground Roads That Can Protect Against Traffic And Environmental Impact
Concept of underground roads that can protect against traffic & environmental impact
In 1863 the world 1st underground metropolitan railway was launched in an effort to reduce traffic on streets of London. Movement to build it became a tunnel under the River Thames 2 decades ago & soon became a center of attention 4 pedestrians & tourists.
Initially it consisted of underground tracks made in London that were dug a little below the surface and covered from above. But as technology advances iTrain engines run on electricity instead of steam & the underground lines deepen.
Londoners now feel a slight thrill under their feet because of vast network of tube lines that carry passengers from one place to another quickly & efficiently.
Brady Gert is a cultural geographer at University College Dublin. He is the author of Subterranean London a book about underground London.
He says it was very attractive to keep the infrastructure underground. People like things that go on in background. It gives the impression that everything is going perfectly. Almost everything about it is magical.
In addition to trains power lines cables & sewer lines there is another part of the infrastructure that many people want to go underground & that is roads.
Length of the road network worldwide is estimated at more than 64 million kilometers & is likely to increase further in developing countries.
As the world population grows people incomes increase & more & more people are able to own a car.
It is estimated that by the year 2040 the number of vehicles worldwide will reach 2 billion which will increase total level of traffic by more than 50%.
Traffic congestion is not only a waste of time American drivers spend an average of 54 hours a year in traffic but it is also harmful to the environment because it burns more fuel emits more carbon & There is noise pollution as well as air pollution.
Tesla founder Mr Elon Musk said in 2018 that traffic destroys soul it is like acid for the soul.
He expressed these views while addressing a function of his tunneling firm Bourning Company.
Ultimately there something I can do to get rid of this traffic problem Elon said. Dig for better highways & make roads underground.
No 1 including Elon Musk suggested that every highway in the world be buried.
But what if we moved them all underground?
At a time when urban areas are growing imbalances are growing& there is an environmental crisis the perception of its effects can raise important questions about how the global transport system is evolving.
If there are no roads in the world the immediate effect will be that there will be a lot of space in the whole world.
In rural areas this could mean that more land becomes available for cultivation or becomes more like natural landscapes helping to increase wildlife & help release carbon from the air.
It will also solve 1 of the major problems with roads which is the division of land by road.
Highways are an obstacle for animals separating the species from each other or keeping them away from their prey.
The survival of some of the world most endangered animals is at stake as a result of global road expansion.
Bears & tigers are most endangered species according to a recent study. Carbon emissions are also rising because of this distribution. This is happening mostly on the edges of forests where tree mortality is high.
Alyssa Coffin an environmental researcher with United State U.S. Department of Agriculture says the road also affects water flow.
She describes the Namiami Trail as a highway that connects Tampa and Miami & has had a devastating effect on evergreen trees as it has affected water flow.
This has led to an increase in forest fires & affected animals & trees.
Coffin says this is an example of how the highway was built without really thinking about what the impact would be. Fractures between animals & vehicles are also a big problem.
Sarah Perkins is a lecturer at Cardiff University. He is also coordinator of the ongoing project splitter here.
Project is a 10 year old citizen science research project that monitors how wildlife in the United Kingdom UK has died.
We get reports that 10,000 animals die every year says Sarah. But Perkins believes that's just a small part of the actual figure.
Some studies have shown that millions of animals die in highway accidents in Europe alone each year.
She says keeping roads underground will reduce the collision of animals & vehicles as long as the animals don't use the tunnels.
She says it will not use light & noise nor will animals be exposed to bright light that could affect animal behavior around highways.
These are the cities that are estimated to have 70% of the world population by 2050 despite the major environmental impacts on the highways. The new vacancy here will have a profound effect on the people.
Tom Ireland is affiliated with the engineering company Aricon & is director of tunneling there.
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Can you guess how cities will change ? He says.
If you want to change cities you have to make the road pedestrian.
It will create space for trees for linear parks for roadside cafes & for many public needs.
Boost book is an example. This is a big project, which will underground the highway. It has created an open space of 300 acres. It also includes the Rose Kennedy Greenway a lush 17 acre park with fountains and exhibitions & music festivals.
It is hoped that the parking lot will also be made underground.
The same is being done in Amsterdam where thousands of parking spaces are planned to be depleted each year.
Parks & green spaces make any area stronger. As the climate crisis intensifies severe weather events are occurring. The green area absorbs more water than concrete which helps prevent flooding.
Trees also help prevent temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius during day.
Ireland says these measures can-make people feel more connected to each other. Separate communities are a big problem because of the long highways.
In the same way being away from each other can deprive people of essential services such as stores of essentials limited transportation income inequality and population disparities.
A 2012 report looked at the impact of Seattle highways & said it could reconnect to surrounding areas & provide up to 4.7 million square feet of space to build homes. ۔
However the study emphasizes that it should benefit every 1so that low income families do not have to relocate.
Pedestrians runners and cyclists will-no longer be forced to park in the city.
Rachel Eldred says traffic is a natural problem for people.
Rachel a professor of transport at the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom says traffic accidents are a major cause of death among people between the ages of ⁵ & 29 & that about 1.3 million people die each year. Are
He said that this would pave the way for use of electric transport instead of fuel in public transport. Such as trims etc. And it will be a more attractive option.
We need to make driving more difficult we need to do active travel that is travel on foot bicycle or scooter without a car & improve public transport a bit he says.
The big question now is whether the underground roads will solve the traffic problem for many people.
Experts say this could happen.
I do not think congestion will-be reduced if the highways are made underground says Tom Ireland.
He says this is what is being demanded.
Highways encourage people to use it so the problem of congestion is almost impossible to solve just by widening highways.
There must be another different solution.
Automatic cars that are moving at a constant and controllable speed can improve the rush if the problem of stopping & starting time of vehicles on the ground is solved.
You get to see a world where owning a private car is no big deal. You can use your phone to call Ride Share which will work for you right away.
However world is now many years away from automatic vehicles due to safety issues. And some reports say that automated vehicles can make traffic worse because people may prefer a driverless car to public transport and may not be willing to share a car.
Garrett says the experience of driving underground may be easier as it makes many people reluctant to drive on land in unpleasant weather such as extreme heat or cold or rain.
You can control everything you can better plan for yourself underground.
This does not mean that the infrastructure we build underground will last long Garrett said.
Brewer says the underground infrastructure has also been shown to have a relatively low risk of earthquakes.
A strong earthquake in Chile in 2010 caused a catastrophic earthquake but the underground metro system in Santiago was severely damaged.
Tunnels & mud go hand in hand. Therefore earthquakes have little effect on the structure of the tunnel.
But in other words underground roads are more dangerous. Floods which are very common & also see that the climate change crisis is getting worse.
According to Brewer this situation poses a threat to pedestrians. Portals for passengers should be a few meters above the ground to reduce the risk of going underwater.
In Bangkok for example entrance to the metro system is built a few meters above the ground to protect it during the monsoon season.
In 2001 an underground fire erupted at the site of the Gothel Tunnel in Switzerland causing temperatures to rise & vehicles to collide.
Brewer says lack of roads can put drivers in dangerous situations after they leave their cars.
In the underground road network we-will need elevators or routes to get people to the surface he said that
If the vehicles are owned by private owners people will have to park them either in garages or possibly in multi storey buildings near entrances to underground stations & then people will get home by other means.
If a person is alone & driving late at night it can be terrible for him.
In terms of social safety it feels like it is not safe because you are a banana says Brewer.
Millions of vehicles that run underground on fuel are also a health hazard.
The risk of an accident is very important in the event of a sudden fire. Being underground will also be important in terms of results because the smoke from fire will not come out by itself.
Garrett says you also have to think a lot about evacuation.
He says the tunnels should be wide enough to allow cars to move off road & reach people for emergency services.
Around 385,000 people worldwide die prematurely every year due to air pollution.
If the road system is made underground it will almost eliminate air pollution caused by vehicles. It will also have a good effect on the air.
But Garrett says the pollution will spread. You also have to think a lot about ventilation in these places.
Brewer says there will be electric vehicles in the next few decades. He says you will eliminate many aspects of pollution.
Although it is estimated that 80% of new vehicles sold by 2050 will be electric long life or sustainability of petrol powered vehicles means that they will still be on road in greater numbers.
Underground highways will control noise which is a form of pollution. Noise pollution is a major form of road pollution in Europe. It is the second most dangerous type of global pressure on the environment.
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World Health Organization also links heart disease stress blood pressure & even premature death. There has been a marked improvement in the physical & mental health of people in quiet & no vehicle areas.
But if we decide that we would prefer to build underground roads will it cost more?
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