Scientists publish many reports each day, almost always ignored by the government that pays them. It's time to move ahead. As Bagão Felix writes in the book RESSURGIR, 'please do not change a sand-grain so that almost everything stays the same. We are seduced'by the obsession of quantity,futility and uselessness'.
Current research proves that many economic sectors will take five years to recover. Speculation will return if tough measures are not implemented. The huge drop in air transport, passengers and cargo, will remain. In the rail it will be for some 3-4 years. Many users will require certified public transport, up to close to their home, avoiding queues. Many companies will require safe cargo.
The price of petrol will rise, not because of demand, which will remain low, but because of the anxiety of the funds that own oil corporations to offset less profit in other niches.
There is a lot of technology fought by giga-cartels, such as petrol, auto, transport, communication. Governments can take advantage of the pandemic to modernize. For example:
1. Raise the tax on diesel and gasoline and stimulate the production of biodiesel (non-edible oilseeds), biogas (digesters in WWTPs), and ethanol (from beet) to limit pollution and import of petrol, creating jobs in rural areas.
2. Stop at once any expenses with new airports, except for a cargo terminal in Beja, IF a light train line goes there, in the short-term.
3. Use the high-density PVC and aluminum superstructure system and high-strength steel infrastructure for passenger self-propelled coaches. Instead of 100T. in the carriage for 12T of payload, these weigh about 15T. They can be assembled in our workshops, with a minimum of import. This allows for much lighter rails, much cheaper bridges and overpasses. All construction by local/regional builders.
"The price of petrol will rise, not because of demand, which will remain low, but because of the anxiety of the funds that own oil corporations to offset less profit in other niches"
4. The same for freight coaches. This makes it possible to take non-polluting rail transport close to the industrial areas of most cities.
5. Use bus-train to connect populous neighborhoods or towns to large train-stations. It is a bus with a central electric motor, cadmium-lithium batteries with four axles, two with tires and two with wheels in HSS; it runs on rails and on avenues. It is the new, cheaper and flexible version of the tram-train. At each end of the carriage there is a nano-space for the driver, who connects the portable controller, to run the vehicle. It takes 50 passengers, or 68-74, with a 2nd floor.
6. As in many European capitals, raise the parking tax a lot to curb the use of cars in city centers.
7. Allow electric tuk-tuks and halt renewal of polluting taxis/ubers. Finance the transformation of car-engines to ethanol or electricity.
8. In huge capitals, such as Greater Lisbon and Porto, allow for electric tuk-tuk taxis only.
9. Finance municipalities that expand bike paths and lower VAT for six years for bikes.
