Can we prevent traffic jams?
It’s frustrating to be stuck in traffic. So should our cities cater less for cars and what are the alternatives?
It’s frustrating to be stuck in traffic. Listener Collins from Nairobi, Kenya, spends at least three hours a day in traffic and he counts himself lucky. Many of his friends will easily spend six hours in traffic jams to get back and forth from work. Collins wants to know whether there is hope for his hometown – has any city managed to eliminate the worst of the traffic hot spots and how did they do it?
Collins is not alone in his frustration. CrowdScience finds that congestion plays a major factor in the happiness and health of urban citizens. Commuters have been measured to have stress levels equivalent to that of riot police facing angry protesters.
So should our cities cater less for cars and what are the alternatives? Presenter Gareth Barlow heads to Copenhagen to meet the politicians and urban designers who have transformed the Danish capital from a city for cars to one for bikes and people.
Presenter: Gareth Barlow.
Produced by Louisa Field
(Photo: Afternoon traffic along Likoni road in Nairobi's Kilimani susburb. Credit: Getty Images)
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Could changing transport make you happier?
Duration: 01:21
Broadcasts
- Fri 28 Jun 2019 19:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service except South Asia
- Sat 29 Jun 2019 23:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service
- Mon 1 Jul 2019 04:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service Online, UK DAB/Freeview, News Internet & Europe and the Middle East only
- Mon 1 Jul 2019 05:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service Australasia, Americas and the Caribbean & South Asia only
- Mon 1 Jul 2019 06:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service East and Southern Africa & East Asia only
- Mon 1 Jul 2019 10:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service West and Central Africa
- Mon 1 Jul 2019 13:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service Australasia
- Mon 1 Jul 2019 17:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service South Asia
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CrowdScience
Answering your questions about life, Earth and the universe