Immediate solutions to pollution in large cities

It is estimated that in the Community of Madrid in 2015 there were a total of 5,416 deaths due to high pollution, which represents an average of 14.83 deaths per day. According to the EEA (European Environment Agency), around 15 million Spaniards breathe air that the European Union considers unhealthy. Highlighting the areas of Madrid and Barcelona.

There is an urgent need to reduce air pollution, no doubt about it. There are different sources of air pollution; factories, thermal power plants, fires, diesel heating, vehicles, etc. But in the case of Madrid and Barcelona, what we have are cases of local pollution (points with a high concentration of pollutants) in which internal combustion vehicles play a very significant role.

It is true that buying electric, hybrid or simply new vehicles can reduce pollution, but we need efficient, fast solutions that use the fewest possible resources. Of course, buying these vehicles would improve air quality, but renewing the vehicle fleet in these areas almost entirely at the pace we need is very inefficient, if not impossible.

There are much more tangible solutions that could help improve both air pollution and congestion in cities. In 2017, the average in Madrid was 42 hours per driver per year stuck in traffic jams. There may be many, but the following come to mind:

1. Improving public transport: investing in it so that it is much more flexible, in terms of routes and schedules.
2. Change of mindset: this point is vital to fight against pollution; it is important that drivers opt for alternative forms of mobility to their own vehicle for getting around.
3. Remote work: a model increasingly implemented in eurozone countries that can be very useful for reducing congestion and pollution in cities for office work. It has been shown that this also improves quality of life and productivity.
4. Pollution restrictions: such as Madrid Central was and Madrid 360 now aims to be. In its first year, Madrid Central managed to reduce pollution by 20%, despite being much less restrictive than the rest of the plans approved in Europe. I believe that restricting vehicle use is vital to force drivers, among other things, to change their mindset and habits.
5. Shared mobility: sharing the car both for commuting to work and for short trips using pay-per-minute rental cars such as carsharing services.

Regarding shared mobility, I think it is worth talking about Quikly, a mobility model already in operation in some areas and created by Dealerbest whose purpose is to use the immobilized vehicles of dealerships to create shared mobility models. Working together with city councils to provide real solutions in each area. There are many studies linking Carsharing models with improvements in mobility and therefore air pollution; they complement public transport, in some cases eliminate the need to buy a second vehicle, and can help decongest cities.

Changing mobility in cities is vital to reduce air pollution and improve quality of life.

Shall we talk?

Pablo Díaz
Key Account Manager