Transport, but How?

Sometimes I just wish people could just teleport themselves to wherever they want.

Like today.

Today is an extremely stormy day. Days like this genuinely make me want to rot in my bed and do nothing, but I'm still out there staying strong and going to school. This already sounds bad, but that's not it. On my way to school, cars and trucks are speeding past me, splashing water all over the road, which definitely sounds like a total fun for someone whose socks are already 80% wet from the rain, right? But what stands out even more are the motorcycles—lined up at every red light, squeezing between cars, engines humming nonstop. In Taiwan, motorcycles are everywhere. According to the Taiwan SETNEWS, Taiwan has around 14 million motorcycles with around 60 motorcycles per 100 people. This high ratio of motorcycles to population places Taiwan among the highest in the world in motorcycle density. In a small island like this, motorcycles are convenient, affordable, and fast. But when millions of them fill the streets every single day, the environment slowly pays the price.

It's not just Taiwan; many other countries also use motorcycles as one of their primary mode of transportation. It's just living in Taiwan, a country that is one of them, that makes me ponder, if all we care about is the convenience, then who is going to be taking care of the sustainability part? The earth is ours, but it's not just ours; we hold the responsibility to protect the environment, EVERYONE's environment.

What if getting around did not require this much pollution?

Public transportation offers a different way to travel. They're definitely not perfect, but it moves more people with fewer emissions. A single bus or train can replace dozens of motorcycles. Or maybe switch to electric scooters. Electric scooters not only protect the environment by producing fewer eco footprints and not needing gas, but it also brings lower fueling costs and superior, quiet performance. Or maybe, be a nice person and give your friend a ride! Carpooling with someone is basically turning your car into a "private public transportation", and it also turns your travel into a more fun and interesting journey! Maybe we can't teleport ourselves to wherever we want, but we sure can make the environment a better place, making this wish less necessary.