A Redditor has shared a post of what they call "a normal day in Mexico City." Based on the video, a normal day in the largest city in North America involves heavy traffic, with cars jammed at an intersection and constant honking.
Several large red buses are seen trying to navigate the maze of traffic, and it can make a case for people to use more public transport instead of fighting other impatient drivers. Loads of cars have stopped in the middle of the traffic stop instead of staying in lanes and creating a clearer path to move.
Mexico City has over 22.5 million people, according to Statista. So, unless they're all driving electric vehicles during a "normal day," the exhaust fumes are likely overwhelming.
The post also has the tag "infrastructure gore." The extensive public transport system, which includes trams and buses, is often overcrowded, with 5 million people daily. Therefore, many people still use their cars to get around, making it the 13th most congested city in the world.
Mexico City has come a long way from being labeled as the most polluted city in 1992 by the United Nations and now ranks 917th. However, that many cars still produce lots of carbon pollution — 632 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution annually, according to Tom Tom. That much carbon would need at least 95 trees to absorb it. Plus, while the original poster films the video from high up, you can still hear lots of honking, which adds to noise pollution.
The country has begun to make small strides in EVs, but they are far from becoming standard. Only 5,600 EVs were sold in Mexico in 2022, according to Reuters.
Unfortunately, the nation doesn't have an equivalent of the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides rebates for making energy-efficient upgrades. Jose Zozaya, executive president of the Mexican Automotive Industry Association, told Reuters that "too few incentives from [the] government" exist to encourage locals to buy EVs.
As one person said: "CDMX has one of the best transit systems in North America - but yeah it's possible for a bunch of cars to jack up the surface transit."
Another commentator criticized: "More strict law enforcement to cars is needed. More [technology] in traffic lights, more maintenance to the metro…maybe we should invent something that makes the metro run when it rains."
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Another noted: "It's insane how reliably cars turn people in to a*******. You can build all the infrastructure you want, but the only way to fix this problem is to get the people out of their cars."
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