To the Editor:
Cycling and public transportation are two common forms of getting around for many people who either don’t have access to cars or do not use one.
Many people enjoy daily rides as a form of exercise or just pure enjoyment and many people take public transportation in order to travel across town. But as a Miamian myself, I can say firsthand that cycling and public transportation in Miami is certainly not perfect.
It’s often unsafe, inefficient, and impractical. In addition, a major concern that both cyclists and people who use public transit must take into account is the horrendous air quality that they are exposed to either while walking/waiting at public transit stops or during cycling along streets with automobiles. The research I did while participating in an air quality fellowship with the CLEO institute using a Plume Labs Flow air quality sensor proves this point and is evidence that action must be taken to solve this problem.
The data that I collected while driving along streets in Miami typically showed a moderate AQI of around 20-30. This may not sound horrendous, but it is shown to be worse than the average AQI I found when I was in my house and neighborhood (Palmetto Bay) which is in a suburban area with very little traffic. The AQI in this area ranges from 10 to 20, which is in the low range.
In addition, the AQI that I found while at my school, which is in Pinecrest, was found to be constantly fluctuating but it mainly remained the moderate to high range which is obviously less than ideal. The school I attend is next to a street which has generally a lot of traffic which is constant throughout the day.
This is obviously extremely harmful as students remain at school for the majority of their day and my school, like many schools in Miami, is mainly outside. Also, I walk a minimum of four times a week along 88th Street. This is a four-lane street with a large amount of car traffic. The AQI when I walked it was on average 40 to 50 which is moderate-high.
Increasing bike mobility in Miami can not only increase people who cannot drive or do not have mobility, but it can also increase air quality to some extent. This is due to the fact that the majority of non-electric cars are run by fossil fuels and emit large amounts of carbon dioxide. Miami is capable of adopting a cycling model similar to the Netherlands.
The Dutch model involves using cycling as a daily and common form of transportation.
Forty seven percent of the Dutch population owns cars and 91.55 percent of the U.S. population has cars.
Car-free streets are another great solution that Miami could adopt. One of the most popular car free streets is Strøget which is in Copenhagen. It has the best air quality of any Danish city. Small businesses in Strøget thrive as it increases foot traffic which is really what small businesses are reliant on. People enjoy walking along car-free streets instead of alongside cars and more people who do not or cannot drive are able to enjoy the street. Also, these streets can even improve safety as without cars, emergency vehicles can more quickly reach their destinations.
The Dutch word for this model is autoluwe. It technically means nearly car free, as there is limited car access for emergency, handicap, and delivery vehicles. In neighborhoods which have adapted this model, across Europe, air quality can increase even more as former parking spaces are turned into green spaces. Almost every city/town in the Netherlands has applied autoluwe to at least some neighborhoods and the Netherlands plans to expand it to make large parts of Amsterdam car free.
In order for this model to be applied to Miami and the U.S. in general, then a car-first mindset must be abandoned. This means that these car-free streets must be in areas with both housing and commercial areas combined. People must not be expected to drive to these areas.
In a study conducted by the ECF (European Cyclists’ Federation) it was found that cycling can improve air quality. However, it was made clear that cycling can improve air quality but needs to be a part of a larger movement all together to reduce air pollution. This includes investing in renewable energy of all forms and ensuring equitable access to it. Also, cycling models can not only improve air quality but also increase mobility and happiness among children, low-income people, and people with disabilities.
In addition, if Miami adopted better public transport, then overall emissions would decrease and the air quality would improve. Using public transportation would produce 95 percent less carbon dioxide, 92 percent fewer volatile organic compounds, 45 percent less carbon dioxide, and 48 percent less nitrogen oxide according to “Conserving Energy and Preserving the Environment: The Role of Public Transportation” by Robert J. Shapiro. One in two bus riders were affected by the cut of service on 39 bus routes in 2018 in Miami.
Metrorail usage hit a high of 12.9 percent in 2013. This shows how horribly inefficient Miami’s public transportation is. In addition, the U.S. in general can adopt high speed rail which is electric and could also decrease plane usage altogether.
Sophie Bonanno
Palmetto Bay
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