Urban transport Issues for India

Transcription

1 Urban transport Issues for India Professor Ken Gwilliam Institute for Transport Studies University of Leeds formerly Economic Advisor, Transport Sector, World Bank 1

2 A stylized characterization of the urban transport problem Too much traffic demand for existing road space A growth rate of traffic greater than the possible growth rate of road space Therefore Increasing congestion Increasing noise and air pollution Increasing accident rates 2

3 With a hot Indian curry flavor Already high congestion levels Already high pollution levels Despite GDP/capita on an S shaped car ownership /GDP curve below take-off level A high rate of income growth Physical constraints on adding road space in many historic cities So a pretty dire outlook 3

4 A typical stylized solution All you need to do is Manage land use planning to limit private transport demand Manage existing road space efficiently Restrain private transport demand Improve public transport Produce transport cleanly and safely Establish the appropriate management and financial institutions to implement the above 4

5 Which defines six critical issues 1. Land use and development planning 2. Traffic management 3. Demand restraint 4. Efficient public transport development 5. Environmental protection 6. Institutions Each of which raises some very specific problems for India 5

6 Critical Issue 1. Managing land development. High general urban population growth Growth of the middle sized cities Policy requirements Integration of landuse and transport policy Take a pro-active view in the development of segregated mass transit corridors as towns grow Ensure that the development controls support the corridor strategy by higher FARs in the corridors. Plan with the market allowing capital to be substituted for land in areas of high demand at nodes by higher FARs. Ensure that parking standards support the strategic objectives 6

7 Critical Issue 2. Traffic management Increasing motorization, mixed traffic, poor driving discipline. Policy pointers Good traffic management is probably the highest return expenditure available Traffic management should support city transport strategy, including priorities for public transport A Traffic Management Unit should be responsible for traffic safety as well as traditional traffic management functions All cities should have a well staffed and resourced TMU Police should enforce the policy, not make it 7

8 Critical issue 3 Demand management Even with low income and car ownership roads are congested Policy pointers Restraint of private car traffic is essential to control congestion and to encourage people to use public transport Low transport fares are not very effective in shifting people from cars to public transport, but high costs of motoring are. Direct congestion charges are not worth introducing unless they can be set at a fairly high level Parking policy should be a major responsibility of the traffic management unit. Simple administrative devices like number plate use restrictions can be effective in the short term. 8

9 Critical Issue 4 Public Transport attractiveness Several aspects are important Matching private transport performance affordably Selection of mass transit technology Defining a role for intermediate public transport Integrating the modes physical and farewise Procuring services economically 9

10 Critical issue 4a Mass transit development. Need to match private transport performance Policy pointers Segregating mass transit appears to be the only way to match private transport performance Costs vary greatly between BRT and MRT, so BRT is likely to be the right starting point in smaller cities Above about 20,000 passengers per hour per direction BRT struggles to maintain performance. A strategy for graduation from BRT to MRT is therefore necessary for larger cities. Better integration of suburban rail 10

11 Critical issue 5 Environmental protection Choice of fuels Policy for the motorcycle Vehicle emission standards and fuel standards Facilitating NMT 11

12 Critical issue 5a Choice of transport fuels Heavy air pollution largely SPM Policy pointers Full life cycle analysis is important in making the choice of fuel especially in taking a view about electric vehicles or biofuels Fuel taxation differentials do have significant effects, for example in encouraging the use of CNG in Chinese cities Once ultra-low sulfur diesel is available, the clean diesel car is probably less polluting, as well as less costly, than the gasoline car. But without the right fuel the opposite is true. CNG has generally proved economical only when introduced on a scale sufficient to justify the costs of a local distribution system. 12

13 Critical Issue 5b Policy for the motorcycle Motor cycle ownership as a precursor to motorization Policy pointers Bans on motorcycle purchase are not likely to be effective Enforce mandatory use of crash helmets by all motorcycle users Encourage electric motorcycle use for environmental reasons 13

14 Critical Issue 5c. Facilitating non-motorized transport Low, but increasing, car ownership Policy pointers Integrating NMT in a multi-mode structure Safe segregation of road space is the most important requirement Provide bicycle parking facilities at all new rail and metro stations Require NMT plans in all cities 14

15 Critical issue 6a. Urban transport institutions Poorly developed strategic institutions Policy pointers A strategic transport planning authority (STA) is crucial for the achievement of effective functional co-ordination. Integrated long term vision, medium term plan and budget procedure at local level Public transport co-ordination also requires a single purpose PT planning and procurement organization (PTA),. With limited supply of technical skills development of a national pool and training programmight be appropriate 15

16 Critical issue 6b Financing of urban transport strategy Low incomes, low municipal financial resources Policy pointers Local responsibilities for urban transport accompanied by financing powers or resources. Inter-governmental transfers used to give proper local incentives Integrated financing in multi-modal systems Land based financing can contribute to the costs of infrastructure development, but need careful monitoring Private sector participation in mobilized in the context of a clear urban level infrastructure development plan 16