Urban Transport Strategy. Management in Developing Countries John A Cracknell

Introduction

The World Bank is carrying out an “Urban Transport Sector Strategy Review” (UTSSR) with the aim of formulating policy guidelines in the urban transport sector.  To assist in providing the context for the UTSSR, a number of background papers dealing with specific key aspects of urban transport have been commissioned including the current paper.  The preparation of the paper has been funded by the UK Department for International Development and has been coordinated by the UK Transport Research Laboratory and the World Bank.  The Review is not intended as a “traffic management planning/design handbook” and thus does not contain detailed guidelines on planning procedures.  The primary objectives of the Review are:

♦       to examine experience in traffic and demand management in developing countries with particular attention to the institutional requirements for sustainability;

♦       to determine the issues affecting successful planning and implementation of traffic management and demand management components of Bank projects.

Urban Transport Issues

In cities in developing countries population growth rates of 3%-5% are common.  Population growth leads to increased demand for travel and population pressures which in turn leads to spatial expansion of urbanised areas and to increased journey lengths.  Parallel growth in city economies and household and personal incomes also lead to further increases in travel demand, car ownership and car use.  These factors, together with the inability, for whatever reason, of cities to plan transport systems, to manage travel demand, to relate land use and transport and to provide adequate resources for transport coupled with the high cost of facilities (particularly capital intensive mass transit systems), combine to produce the common transport effects present to varying degrees in most cities (i) increasing traffic congestion; (ii) declining attractiveness of road based public transport; (iii) increasingly high costs of travel; (iv) high levels of (road) accidents; and (v) increasing road traffic related emissions and atmospheric pollution.

Urban Transport Strategy

Although traffic and transport problems are desperate in many cities, the situation is not without remedy.  Indeed, improved traffic and transport conditions are essential if urban areas are to thrive.  The general directions of a sound traffic and transport policy are likely to include:

♦       Management – to make the most productive use of existing roads, traffic systems and public transport by improving operational efficiency and quality (the subject of this Paper);

♦       Maintenance – to ensure that existing transport facilities are fully available for use;

♦       Demand Management of Road Traffic – to manage demand recognising that new road construction alone cannot meet unconstrained future travel demand by private vehicles;