Reykjavík City announced at a conference in Kjarvalsstadir museum yesterday that public transport is to be improved to encourage people to use buses as part of its “green steps” towards an environmentally friendly city.
The improvements include naming all bus stops in the capital region and to display the station names on the side of the bus. Clocks are also to be erected at every bus stop to show when the next bus will arrive. RÚV reports.
Starting next fall all students in Reykjavík can ride the bus for free.
“It will of course be costly, but we believe that if these ten green steps work, we will save money in the long run,” head of the Reykjavík City Environmental Health and Protection Committee Gísli Marteinn Baldursson said.
The initiative “Green Steps in Reykjavík” also includes free parking for environmentally friendly motor vehicles and footpaths will be broadened and the number of drinking fountains and benches increased.
“The goal is for people to enjoy being outside more, spend time with their families and exercise and we all save money in the long run if people are healthy, the air is clean and the city is beautiful,” Baldursson said.
As part of the initiative, the permitted period for the use of studded tires will be shortened to prevent pollution, as reported yesterday, and 500,000 trees will be planted within the capital region.
All neighborhoods in the city will be given “a face lift” and the street Pósthússtraeti in downtown Reykjavík will be made a pedestrian street with outdoor cafés in summer.
Waste collection service will be improved to encourage people to sort their garbage and recycle more. Every home will get a container for paper, as reports revealed yesterday.
