By Steven Cohen, Ph.D., Director of the M.S. in Sustainability Management program, School of Professional StudiesNew York City’s population density and wealth would not be possible without its mass transit system, and most of New York’s travel takes place on its mass transit system. Despite that fact, even New York City has more motor vehicles than it can handle. Congestion pricing, bike lanes, and improved mass transit will help reduce traffic, but particularly outside Manhattan, automobiles will remain a necessity for daily life. Electric vehicles will help reduce air pollution, but congestion will remain as people and vehicles compete for the same scarce space on the street. Our goal in the United States should be to reduce but not eliminate motor vehicles in urban places. Many European cities are working to reduce their auto traffic, and one of the more visible signs of progress can be seen in Paris. Writing in the Washington Post, Naema Ahmed and Chico Harlan recently reported on dramatic reductions in air pollution and observed that: “The change shows how ambitious policymaking can directly improve health in large cities. Air pollution is often described by health experts as a silent killer. Both PM 2.5 and nitrogen dioxide have been linked to major health problems, including heart attacks, lung cancer, bronchitis and asthma. Paris has been led since 2014 by Mayor Anne Hidalgo, a Socialist who has pushed for many of the green policies and has described her wish for a “Paris that breathes, a Paris that is more agreeable to live in.” Her proposals have faced pushback — from right-leaning politicians, a car owners’ a …
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