Green Transportation Policy and Practice in Zimbabwe
摘要
This chapter critically seeks to examine the strides Zimbabwe has made in implementing green transportation. The study deployed a qualitative research method that involved in-depth literature review and document analysis on green transportation. Zimbabwean policies and practice were analysed and compared using international best practice that is based on global climate change agreements like the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change, The 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of 2015 and UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) OF 2021. The paper focused on urban planning, public transport, non-motorised travel, transport demand management strategies and how these policies have been used by other countries to achieve green transport. The results of the study show that there is no awareness of sustainable transport among operators and government policies. This is evident by absence of policy, rules and regulations that will drive the transportation industry towards a greener transport path. Mass transit has not been prioritised in Zimbabwe for the past decade. It is only recently that the government has started purchasing buses for public transport. The provision of informal public transport in Zimbabwe over the year was due to the neglect of public transport leading to congestion and high levels of emissions. There has not been any investment or assistance for the informal public transport operators to purchase new environmentally friendly fleet of vehicles. The main challenge in Zimbabwe is the lack of policy, legislation that deals with transport at national and city level. There are hardly policies, targets, standards on green transport in Zimbabwe. There is no current transport policy that speaks to the current needs to reduce global emissions. Most countries adjust their policies in line with current UN goals or regional goals on sustainability. If Zimbabwe is to achieve green transport, the Transport and Infrastructural Development ministry should shift the urban transport policy from vehicle-oriented policy towards public transport improvement and prioritisation. The country should have legislation on public transport that regulates public transport and funds public transport improvement projects. There should be an authority responsible for executing the mandate of the integrated land use and transport policy.