Thanks to a poorly structured public transport offer, intermodality, insufficient coverage, and road insecurity, mobility in Santo Domingo is currently inefficient and unsustainable since it is generating a negative impact in environmental terms.

The Dominican Republic, but especially the metropolitan area, presents the challenge of sustainable mobility, which implies the movement of people from one place to another in an efficient, fast, comfortable, safe, and environmentally responsible manner. It seeks “friendly” means of transport contributing to climate response, economic growth, and sustainable development.

What did I glimpse? The role of sustainable mobility is to reduce the environmental footprint by using more sustainable means of transport, whether collective or individual. “It is using the car less and modes such as public transport, walking, cycling, to get around. Otherwise, the second strategy is to use cleaner vehicles”, explained Juan Pablo Bocarejo, director of the Support for the Implementation of the Sustainable Mobility Plan of Greater Santo Domingo (Aipmus).

Currently, Santo Domingo offers alternative and environmentally friendly transportation, the Santo Domingo Metro, the Cable Car, electric vehicles, bicycles, OMSA buses, and transfers on foot.

Benefits

In general, terms, using sustainable means of transport constitutes an environmentally friendly city, which is interesting for other people to get to know (tourism) and, in addition, conceives citizens with less stress and anxiety; with a better quality of life, more productive and who enjoy what the environment offers.

Economic savings for users. Bocarejo said that, ideally, a bicycle or public transport user spends less money than a person can spend in their car daily and even more in terms of time.

An essential contribution to health. Reducing travel by motor vehicle contributes to lowering the mortality rate from lung cancer, respiratory diseases, or problems with children’s cognitive development, among other factors.

In addition, according to information from the Ministry of the Environment, the use of alternative transport means less oil exploitation, the creation of thousands of jobs, greener and more beautiful cities, and the promotion of central areas without the abusive presence of cars.