Abstract

Although urban development around transit stations doesn’t lead to a direct financial contribution for the Transit Agency (or other infrastructure or planning body) it is “absolutely essential” to the long term viability of the transit investment (SKMG 1996, p. 4). The transit accessible area around the stations is generally far larger than the Transit Company’s real estate can reach. Many studies have been undertaken to define the influence zone of transit stations, i.e. the probability that at a certain distance from the station an employee or resident is ready to use transit as a transportation alternative for commuting or other travel purposes. “Walking distance” is the general qualification, that means five to fifteen minutes walking time, depending on the travel purpose, the travel alternatives and the system performance. It is obvious that the attraction is more important at stations of highly performing transit systems. Frequent Rapid Transit service has potentially more impact then Light Rail Service, especially when the Light Rail line is short and/or when the station is less frequented. Document type: Book

Abstract

The report seeks to display available evidence on the extent to which recent (post-World War II) major rapid transit improvements in the United States and Canada have influenced urban land use. From this compilation are derived several types of conclusions. The factors governing the size and nature of land use impacts of transit are determined; implications for appropriate Federal policy are drawn; and specific needs for related future research are identified. The report's intended use is as a resource for those involved in the planning and evaluation of possible improvements in urban transit systems. Document type: Report

Abstract

The number of private vehicles increased dramatically during the last two decades in the island of Cyprus. This phenomenon had a negative effect on the bus transport mode which over the years its use has been considerably reduced. As traffic congestion increased considerably during the same period the need for a high quality public transportation system became clear. This need is also supported by the demand for public transportation by the aging and disadvantaged population. The best way to attract people back to public transportation is to have a reliable bus system with a high quality of service which can compensate for the lack of freedom and exibility a private vehicle can provide. However such a system should not have a negative effect on the traffic network in terms of congestion and travel times but should coexist serving both the needs of people who do not drive and those who use the public transport mode. The purpose of this paper is to present the development and evaluation of a number of scenarios aiming at attracting commuters back to public transportation. This idea stems from the fact that surveys among the Cypriot commuters show that people will use buses if buses provide a fast and reliable service. For this purpose, microscopic simulation models are developed in order to examine several scenarios of dedicated bus lanes and bus priority schemes so that the buses can provide the desired level of service with the minimal impact on the rest of the traffic. © 2009 IFAC. 434 441 "p"Sponsors: IFAC Technical Committee on Transportation Systems TC 7.4 Conference code: 85831 Cited By :3

Abstract

Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, faces huge traffic congestion, the cost of which is estimated to be more than 2 percent of the city's gross regional product. Effective policies are needed, based on weighing their overall economic cost and benefit to society. This study developed an empirical model based on microeconomic theory, accounting for production and consumption behavior related to transportation in the Greater Beirut Area, to simulate various policy combinations. A key finding of the study is that individual supply-side policies, such as the expansion of roads or introduction of a bus rapid transit system, are quite effective at reducing traffic congestion while increasing economic output and welfare. They also account for most of the benefits from implementing policy packages with supply- and demand-side measures. The introduction of bus rapid transit with expansion of the road system to feed the bus rapid transit system reduces congestion by about 16 percent and congestion costs by more than 50 percent. This would increase Beirut's gross regional product by roughly 2 percent, and the average social welfare of the residents of Beirut by 4 percent. In contrast, demand-side instruments, implemented alone, lower gross regional product and welfare with limited effects on congestion. Document type: Book

Abstract

Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital is one of the world’s fastest growing megacities, but many are breathing polluted air. This report estimates that in 2018, air pollution caused more than 11,200 premature deaths in Lagos. Children under five are the most affected accounting for about sixty percent of the deaths. The health cost of air pollution was estimated at 2.1 billion US dollars, corresponding to about 1.3 percent of Lagos state’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Abstract

This study looks at the project practice in light of the strategy as declared in the sector paper. The main focus is on the first decade of the urban transport lending program (1972–82). By and large, this batch of projects adhered to the strategy, except there was little effort to engage with land use planning. Project investments included roads in slum areas, improvements of radial corridors and central area road networks, fleet and facilities for city- and state-owned public transport operators, and select investments in major road and urban rail projects. On the policy side, projects strove to improve cost recovery of public-owned transport operators, facilitate the private provision of public transport services, designate street space for exclusive use of buses, and introduce congestion charges. In the institutional dimension, projects assisted in setting up traffic management units and some form of metropolitan transport planning entities. Investment outcomes varied. Some projects were highly successful, notably the two projects in Brazil that focused on roads in slums and bus priority. Others were highly disappointing, as in Tehran, where the government went into major road building rather than pursue traffic management and public transport improvements championed by the project. Project policy initiatives produced mixed results with less than complete achievement of cost recovery in public transport services and a failure to introduce congestion charges. Improved regulation of privately provided public transport had several bright spots (e.g., Kuala Lumpur, Calcutta), but also persistent failures (e.g., Kingston). Efforts to set up traffic management units in the city government gave some very good results (e.g., Tunis), but the creation and nurture of metropolitan transport planning institutions turned out to be far more difficult. Overall, these pioneering efforts in both strategy and practice were well conceived and executed and played a catalytic role in most client cities. Weak aspects include overselling traffic management as a substitute (rather than a complement) to road investments, together with failing to evolve a constructive approach to urban road network development in rapidly growing cities. There were no attempts to tackle urban road funding as a part of the national road funding setup. Instead, over-optimistically, several projects attempted to introduce sophisticated price instruments such as congestion charging, which proved a long shot in the weak policy and institutional environments found in many client cities.

Abstract

The study consisted of developing a compendium of profiles for all free-standing urban transport projects funded by the Bank in calendar years from 1999 through 2009, followed by a first-pass synthesis of patterns and trends. There were 50 such projects. In addition, profiles were done for several projects from this period which were classified as urban or transport, but with significant urban transport components. Also, profiles were done for several operations approved before 1999 or after 2009, because they formed organic sequences with some operations in the 1999-2009 batches, in the same city or the same country. In all, profiles were done for 56 operations. A list of these projects is in annex one. Full profiles are in annex two, grouped by the geographic region, and in the chronological order according to the date of loan approval. The sources consulted in writing the profiles included project appraisal documents, loan and project agreements, restructuring papers, and implementation completion reports. In addition to this introduction, the synthesis report has four chapters. In the next (second) chapter, a brief overview is provided of the batch of projects for which the profiles were done. Chapter three reviews urban transport programs by region. Chapter four presents outcome ratings for completed projects and issues related to their success or otherwise. Chapter five discusses the fit between the projects and a provisional version of the Bank's urban transport strategy.