4.3.8. Issue 5 - inadequate regulatory powers for effective traffic management - traffic management cannot be implemented, enforced or play its full role in transport strategy without the necessary supporting legal structure. Issues include (i) lack of adequate traffic regulations and powers to enable effective schemes to be implemented and enforced, (ii) lack of powers to apply adequate charges (say for parking), (iii) lack of adequate sanctions for violation of traffic regulations – the levels of fines for contravention of traffic regulations in many developing cities is derisory and act as no deterrent to drivers who contravene regulations etc.
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Comment on resolution of Issue 5 |
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If traffic management is to be successful, any traffic management program must consider the legal framework within which it has to operate. In many cities, there is an understandable reluctance to seek amendments to laws as this is a time consuming process and the political dimension often means the outcome of seeking change is uncertain. However, if there is need for changed levels of traffic fines or parking charges or regulations for effective traffic schemes to be implemented then the issue must be faced, for example, in Mumbai the municipality by virtue of its existing constitution had no legal right to introduce traffic schemes and thus traffic management has been slow to take hold; in some cities, the levels of fines for traffic offenders are so low that they are meaningless but current law prevents realistic charges; new types of measures will require new laws – for example congestion charging is almost certain to be illegal in some countries. |
4.3.9. Issue 6 – Low levels of staffing and professional capacity - development and implementation of traffic management measures requires specialised staff skills and intensive professional staff input and many cities lack these necessary staffing levels and staffing skills. The lack of status and recognition of the importance of traffic management by cities means that there is often no career structure for staff in traffic management and this is compounded by the likelihood of changes in staffing due to political changes (see Issue 3).
§ In developed cities, to overcome staffing issues there is a need to improve staff, or potential staff, training (see Chapter 5). Furthermore, traffic management staff must be provided with reasonable salaries, working conditions and, most importantly, career paths. The depoliticisation of traffic management functions and thus creating career paths is important (see Issue 3). Additionally, the difficulties in many countries of recruiting and maintaining staff at the low municipal salaries are well known and low salaries have been one of the main reasons for the creation in some Latin American countries (see Issue 2 above) of independent traffic agencies outside the municipal structure
§ Traffic management can generate revenue from (i) parking charges, (ii) fines on traffic regulation offenders and (iii) in the future, probably from congestion charges. However, most cities would find it difficult to devote these latter revenues to the staff salaries of a traffic management unit for obvious reasons such as equity with other staff in city employment, public acceptability - it is hard to imagine public acceptance of congestion charges going towards salaries. Thus, if the traffic management agency is retained within the city structure (rather than as some form of independent institute) reasonable payments for traffic management staff must be considered as part of the wider problem of providing reasonable incentives for any municipal staff.
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