Today
the Urban Travellers will lead you, our Urban Passengers through a
journey through the streets of the cities of Trinidad with reference
to the pollution issues faced in several cities. So without further
adieu, “Buckle up, Buckaroos!”
The
cities of Trinidad are currently facing nerve wrecking issues of
transportation and as a result the image of a city becomes obscure
and inscrutable. Of these issues pollution is the most prominent
matter, by which several environmental aspects are affected.
Our
First Stop!
Air
Pollution- We all know that cities are compact with not only people
but also vehicles. With this in mind, vehicles are the main source of
air pollution in cities. When gasoline from the fuels of automobiles
combust, they emit several primary air pollutants such as nitrous
oxides and carbon monoxides into the atmosphere. According to the
UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) the estimation of urban
air pollution can cost 2% of the GDP in developed countries and 5% in
developing countries {1}. But, Trinidad is a developing country this
therefore means that if nothing is done to alleviate this pollution
issue, our “Sweet, Sweet T&T” would not be so sweet after
all. The UNEP also stated that 90% of the air pollution in these
cities is attributed to vehicular emissions which is brought about by
low fuel quality and other several factors. Keeping this in mind how
can we the citizens of Trinidad assist in reducing the level of air
pollution in our cities? After all it is our country therefore its
our job to protect our cities, our jewels.
There
are various actions and ideas of how this can be done. Non- motorized
transportation can be a useful form transportation throughout cities
and towns. Taking into consideration that the majority of the trips
made throughout cities are of short distance and walking never
gets old. This should indeed be a lot better because searching for a
parking space is never fun. As a student of the University of the
West Indies, St. Augustine, the use of bicycles is seen everyday
however walking is most dominant. Undoubtedly, the use of bicycles
looks better while other students walk to and from their classes.
Another
approach to reducing the effects of this issue is Carpooling. The
less cars there are, there will be a lower percentage of emitted
gaseous toxins. In a technical way maxis are somewhat
a form of carpooling. However, carpooling is not only done with the
use of motorized vehicles, bicycles can also be used. Although it may
sound weird and may look weird it will most definitely reduce the air
pollution effects.
Second
Stop!
Land
Pollution
Where
there is a lot of people there will be a lot of garbage in the
streets. How is this an issue of transportation? Let’s take a trip
and find out!
Let’s
take a look at the images below. What do you see? Just trash at the
sides of High Street? But, if we take a closer look we can see more
than just trash, but we can see how this can consequently affect
transportation. In this image transportation can be affected in two
ways. Firstly, we can see that garbage is also in the drains of the
streets, but suppose a shower of rain occurred. The garbage would be
washed away to the bottom of the streets getting stuck in main drains
of the City of San Fernando and as a result there can be flooding
which serves as a barrier for vehicles to pass.
Secondly,
many times we’ve seen paper and plastic bags floating across
highways and streets. For both drivers and passengers this can be
life threatening as it can cause accidents and as a result may lead
to death as drivers swerve away from these flying objects. Therefore
for the sake of the lives of our citizens who commute to and cities
as a safety tip- Please do not litter!
 |
| Image of land pollution located near the round-about and entrance of the City of San Fernando |
 |
|
Image
of land pollution on High Street, San Fernando
|
Noise Pollution
According to the
International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences (2008) {2}, “noise
pollution is undesired sound that is disruptive or dangerous and can
cause harm to life, nature or property.” The effects of noise
pollution also vary depending on the frequency, duration and
intensity of sound.
Noise pollution is
an issue that is ever so present in the country of Trinidad and
Tobago, from the many construction sites in urban areas, the results
of development in towns and cities in the form of factories,
industries and even generators, the traffic and transportation as
well as the boisterous personalities exuded by some 'trinis'. :)
However, close attention will be paid to traffic and transportation
and how noise pollution is produced from it.
Thousands of
citizens travel into the cities of Port-of Spain, Arima and San
Fernando as well as other urbanised areas such as Chaguanas and Point
Fortin on a day to day basis and this is a major contributor to noise
pollution in Trinidad and Tobago. Transportation and traffic can
produce noise pollution in two ways which will be further discussed.
Certain vehicles are just manufactured to give off loud and
disruptive sounds, for example large trucks, PTSC buses, maxi taxis
and motorcycles, they all have many conditions in common but in this case, they
all produce noise pollution. We all know how loud those vehicles are!
I personally have had to pause conversations in the past if a large
truck is passing by because the noise can drown out people's voices.
Noise pollution in Trinidad is also produced by the daily traffic
congestion on various routes and faulty urban planning.The more
vehicles that go into the main cities everyday, increase the chances
of traffic congestion which increase the chances of noise pollution....EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Cars, trucks, buses and maxi taxis
all honking and beeping their vehicles out of frustration as well as
poor driving usually displayed on our roads. Deficient urban planning
contributes to noise pollution as well when roads are made either too
narrow, to close to other roads and in close proximity to major
buildings in urbanised areas such as schools, police stations,
churches, hospitals and commercial centres.
As Trinidad
continues to develop, noise pollution will become even more pervasive
than it is now. Noise pollution has major effects on a person's
health and well-being as it can increase anxiety, stress levels,
fatigue, headaches and above all, a person's hearing can be damaged
terribly. Now if we pay close attention, we would realise that noise
pollution is more prevalent in the core and just on the outskirts of
the semi-peripheral areas of urbanised cities and towns in Trinidad,
roads in the cities and towns as well as roads leading into the
cities and towns is where noise pollution can be experienced at the
highest level. Now if you're a fan of peace and quite, then we would
recommend living away from these urbanised places!
The video below will
display the prevalence of noise pollution throughout the streets of
Chaguanas....
Be a part of the
Noise Pollution Solution!!!!!
Well that's all for
today passengers! We hope you've been informed and learned something
new from this pollution-based post in regards to transportation, and
even if you didn't learn something new, we still hope that you
enjoyed reading this post. :)
'Til next
week.....two urban travellers signing out!
{1} http://www.unep.org/urban_environment/Issues/urban_air.asp
{2} http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/noise_pollution.aspx
You have good links but are not tying your entries to theory.
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