For my latest project in Environmental Science, The Car Project, we were posed with the question: "How Might We Rethink How We Use Cars in Order to Improve Health, Economic Prosperity, and Quality of Life?"
After being given this question, I came up with two possible ideas that could be implemented in Napa. Option 1 : Downtown Napa has the potential to go completely car-free! Everywhere in downtown is accessible by foot or bike since it isn't a very large area, but it is definitely a very populated area of Napa so the impact of Downtown Napa going completely car-free could be enormous! Several European and South American cities have already implemented a car-free downtown and are seeing happier citizens and lower obesity rates. This eliminates the excessive use of cars and encourages people to walk and bike more often to their destinations. Since not as many roads would be needed in downtown after making it car-free, we could close some roads to allow for more businesses to come in which would help Napa generate a greater revenue. For the elderly or disabled, there could be a shuttle that runs through downtown every 15 minutes so they are able to easily reach their destination. Along with this to make it even easier for the public to get around Napa, there could be Ford GoBikes all around, so people are easily able to rent bikes for cheap. To test this proposal, downtown could go car-free for a day and see the outcome and it's feasibility. Option 2 : Although the proposal for downtown Napa to go completely car-free is amazing and would significantly lower CO2 emissions in Napa, there would be lots of backlash from the public faced over this decision. Another potential solution would be to better market the Napa Valley Vine Trail. The Vine Trail is a trail dedicated to bikers/pedestrians that starts from Kennedy Park and extends all the way to Yountville. A part of the Vine Trail, The Crosstown Commuter Path, can take someone all the way across Napa (including over the highway), on a completely separate path from cars. A better marketing plan would expose the residents of Napa to alternate ways to get around town because from the data I have gathered, not many people are aware of it. Both of these options are great and would address the issue: the rising amount of cars in Napa. There is talk of another parking garage being built in downtown Napa (which would cost $12 Million) because the three pre-existing lots aren't sufficient enough. Rather than building more garages to encourage the use of cars, which will not only contribute to the deterioration of our planet but also our health, we should focus taking care of Earth. I know that these two solutions wouldn't reverse all the damage that has been down to our planet, but I know our efforts could go a long way! Here is an infographic I have created with more details about my proposal:
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AuthorHibah Shafi is a Senior at New Technology High School. Archives
May 2019
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