Life Cycle Assessment of CO₂ Emissions from Intra-urban Transport Modes

—Evaluation of Environmental Friendliness of Bicycles—

Abstract

The transport sector accounts for approximately 20% of total CO₂ emissions. In order to identify the most suitable low-carbon transport systems it is necessary to first evaluate CO₂ emission amounts according to the various modes of transport. This study focuses on bicycles and Light Rail Transit (LRT), generally considered to be low-carbon transport modes. In this analysis, the effects of CO₂ reduction for bicycles and LRT, as compared to passenger cars, are evaluated using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. Results show that CO₂ emissions from the bicycle life cycle, including vehicle and infrastructure emissions, amount to 83-96% (passenger-km base) less than that of passenger cars. When bicycle lanes and LRT tracks are introduced on existing streets however, the total CO₂ emission may be higher according to whether the demand shift for passenger cars is low. Also, CO₂ emissions from electric bicycles were found to be lower than that of LRT, unless LRT is in high demand.