"Detran at Universities" promotes workshop on traffic and sustainability
Uepa students suggest initiatives to reduce traffic impacts on the environment
Students from the Biological Sciences course at the State University of Pará (Uepa) had a different class this Thursday (11), about traffic and sustainability. The class received education agents from the State Traffic Department (Detran), who conducted the workshop "Paths to Sustainable Traffic", whose premise is to promote critical reflection and the construction of proposals related to the triad of traffic, environment, and sustainability. This initiative is part of the actions of the project "Detran at Universities", which discusses road safety throughout the year with undergraduate students.
The workshop aims to stimulate academic protagonism and the understanding of students regarding the relationship between traffic, environmental impacts, and sustainable development, analyzing possible solutions to real problems involving traffic in the Amazon region.
Panmela Quaresma, manager of Traffic Culture, a unit linked to the Traffic Education Coordination of Detran, explains that the debate at Uepa was conceived by agents Lucas Lima and José Henrique, with the intention that everyone can rethink practices regarding environmental preservation. In the case of traffic, she cites negative attitudes as examples, such as the disposal of solid waste from vehicles, improper disposal of tires, and the emission of pollutants from vehicles. "The academic community has many ideas and is almost always very engaged in these discussions, so this action is a contribution we want to make for future actions," she explains.
In the workshop, participants were invited to reflect on how traffic interacts with sustainability in daily life. The activity began with a roundtable discussion to gauge students' understanding of the theme, followed by a photography dynamic, where each student chose an image that referred to their urban or rural experience. From these choices, debates arose about what it means to live in a more sustainable city.
Next, students participated in the lecture "Safe Traffic and Sustainability" and, in groups, created mini-projects with practical proposals for Belém, connecting their areas of expertise to the challenge of safer and more sustainable traffic. In the end, in addition to exchanges and learnings, each participant took home an eco-bag as a symbol of the collective commitment to sustainability.
The Uepa undergraduate dean, Acylena Coelho, highlighted that the partnership with Detran opens the way for future projects and contributes to enhancing students' knowledge, especially in a sensitive area like traffic education.
Meanwhile, Luciana Farias, a professor in the Department of Natural Sciences, stated that the initiative is necessary to reflect and generate concrete actions to make traffic safer and more sustainable. Student Vanessa Ramos declared that this type of action helps in re-educating traffic, bringing more awareness and responsibility to everyone. "It was very enriching, and I realized that small actions can make a huge difference in traffic," she emphasized.
