ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

12th Grade 2023

Colegio Bajo Molle.

Unit 2: “Travel and Transport”

Name: Class:
• Read “Sustainable Transport” article to get info. about what it is and how Chile has approached this issue.

Sustainable Transport
Sources: https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/transport/what-we-do/share-road/chile

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT?

Sustainable Transport is sometimes known as Green Transport and it is any form of transport that
does not use or rely on dwindling natural resources. Instead, it relies on renewable or regenerated
energy rather than fossil fuels that have a finite life expectancy. For this reason, it is said to have a low
or a negative effect on the environment since it makes use of energy sources that are sustainable.
Walking, cycling, and sailing are excellent examples of sustainable transport.

IT CAN'T LAST FOREVER

There are now around 750 million cars in the world and predictions are that if the present trend
continues, the number will double in the next 30 years. All but a very few are powered by petroleum-
based fuel.

In 1900 there were just a few thousand cars in the world but as numbers increased, so did the demand
for oil. Estimates suggest that during the 20thcentury about half of the world's accessible oil deposits
were used up.

It is only relatively recently that people began to be concerned about future oil supplies. Added to that,
during the last few years people have simply become more environmentally conscious. Whereas
before, in many people's eyes the resources of the world were simply there to be made use of, there
is now an almost universal appreciation of the fact that the world's resources will not last forever and
that once they are gone, they are gone for good.

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES?

In many areas there have been moves to encourage people to use public transport networks rather
than travelling by car. Cycling has also gained in popularity, both as a means of maintaining fitness,
but also because it is a cheap and often swift form of transport.
There have been moves to introduce cleaner and more fuel-efficient means of urban transport. There
has been much effort and progress made in the development of so-called ''green vehicles''.
WHAT ABOUT CHILE?

Santiago, the capital of Chile has an urban population of five million. Like many countries in the Global
South, walking remains the mode of transport for the majority in Chile, especially for lower-middle
income groups.
In 2015, the Ministry published what is now the core Non -Motorized Transport (NMT) document in
Chile, “Vialidad Ciclo-Inclusiva”, a manual for inclusive road design. Its key goals were to support
national urban development policies regarding NMT and provide technical knowledge to decision-
makers related to NMT. The Guidelines set out the following objectives:

• That all urban roads are cycle-inclusive

• That bicycle paths are by default considered in roads planning, traffic volume and speed-
permitting.
• Where traffic volumes and road speeds are inappropriate for shared spaces, exclusive
facilities will be provided.

SUCCESSES

In 2017, Santiago won the International Sustainable Transportation award for improvements in major
public spaces, cycling, and public transport. The city not only transformed car-centric corridors into
pedestrian friendly spaces, but also incorporated policy changes and education programs with a
design that redistributes road space to create more space for cyclists.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Transport is a vital part of our everyday life. The prevailing 20thcentury view was to rely on fossil fuels
for most of our transport needs and to ignore any consequences. In the 21stcentury we have woken
up to the fact that there is a need for us to care for the world around us.

ACTIVITY: READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES