[Namsan Ddalggakbari] City and Transportation, What Is the Future of Transportation That Satisfies People, Environment, and City?

City and Transportation / Written by Jeong Byeongdu / Crepas Book / 20,000 KRW

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The reason why this year's novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) spread at an unusually rapid pace compared to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic in 2003 is that Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, the initial outbreak site, is a transportation hub with connections in all directions. Wuhan is located at the confluence of the Hanshui River, coming from the north, and the Yangtze River, making it a key water transportation point since ancient times. Even now, 10,000-ton trade ships pass through, and it is the top inland transportation hub in China, with an international airport, high-speed rail, and highways converging there.

Such convenient transportation networks bring prosperity to the city but also various troubles. Not only infectious diseases but also greenhouse gases emitted by transportation means like cars and trains threaten the environment, change the climate, and negatively affect human psychology through noise and traffic congestion. The book titled "City and Transportation" deals with the traffic engineering of world cities aimed at managing transportation, which can be seen as a double-edged sword, in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.

The first chapter begins with the story of greenhouse gas regulations that started mainly in Europe. Due to greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel vehicles exceeding dangerous levels, global warming is approaching an environmental disaster. The United States and the European Union (EU) are creating various environmental regulations as measures against global warming. The goal is to eliminate gasoline vehicles and increase the proportion of eco-friendly vehicles.

A representative policy introduced is the mandatory sale system for eco-friendly vehicles. The advanced countries aim to replace more than 80% of all vehicles with eco-friendly vehicles such as electric cars by 2030 and to dispose of all gasoline and diesel vehicles. On the surface, this traffic engineering prioritizes the Earth and the environment. However, looking deeper, it is directly linked to the restructuring of the global automobile market. In the case of gasoline vehicles, countries cannot freely provide government subsidies due to tariff issues with foreign countries. However, subsidies can be easily granted for electric vehicles. Furthermore, the EU has been able to build protectionist trade barriers that block the inflow of foreign vehicles into the region through strict environmental regulations. Currently, China dominates more than 80% of the global electric vehicle market. However, China's environmental regulations do not meet the EU's standards. Therefore, Chinese electric vehicles cannot enter the European market. Eco-friendly traffic engineering thus controls international trade.

The spread of eco-friendly traffic engineering destabilizes security in the Middle East. This is because the increase in electric and hybrid vehicles and environmental regulations in various countries reduce oil demand. Until 2007, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which controlled 80% of the global energy market, has now seen its influence reduced to a quarter. Oil-producing countries in the U.S., Russia, and across the Middle East compete over the shrinking oil market share, causing oil prices to become unstable. The livelihood issues of oil-producing countries, whose economic structures are directly linked to oil exports, often lead to civil wars.

Eco-friendly traffic engineering is also internally connected to new tax policies in various countries. Under the pretext of creating a better environment by reducing greenhouse gases and noise, various indirect taxes such as transportation demand charges, congestion charges, carbon taxes, and fuel taxes can be imposed. These are applied equally to all classes regardless of individual income or property. Governments gain leeway to reduce corporate or income taxes to stimulate investment. The Yellow Vest protests across France in 2018 were triggered when the government announced that the tax revenue from increased fuel taxes would be used to reduce corporate taxes, angering the lower classes.

Eco-friendly traffic engineering mainly focuses on privately driven vehicles. However, the greatest impact of traffic engineering is actually in the public transportation sector. Public transportation is like the lifeblood of large cities and is also the most critical factor in determining real estate prices. In any country, the establishment of new bus and subway lines or complex transfer centers often becomes a political issue directly linked to local public sentiment and even elections.

New traffic engineering integrated with IT is one of the main drivers of the sharing economy. All transportation means such as cars, bicycles, and two-wheelers are managed by location and information through social network services (SNS) and global positioning systems (GPS). They are easily supplied to consumers anywhere in the city through unmanned systems. However, this may mean that consumers no longer need to buy cars. As a result, automobile manufacturers, parts suppliers, dealerships, rental car companies, and insurance companies across the board will be significantly affected.

The author hopes that the convergence technologies and eco-friendly policies of new traffic engineering will be linked to the construction of smart cities that improve human life. The autonomous driving systems expected to appear soon can be considered the pinnacle of traffic engineering. City traffic operating in a fully automated and coordinated manner will eliminate worries about traffic accidents, environmental pollution, and frustrating traffic congestion.

Then, what will happen to the workers of the existing traffic engineering, which is not yet smart? Transportation workers account for 30% of the global labor force. If appropriate measures are not taken regarding their unemployment issues, the pinnacle of traffic engineering will not only bring a hopeful utopia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.