World Resources 1996-97
(A joint publication by The World Resource Institute, The United
Nations Environment Programme, The United Nations Development
Programme, and the World Bank)
(Data edited by Dr. Róbinson Rojas)
4. Urban Transportation
INTRODUCTION
The rapid urbanization occurring across much of the globe means not
only that more people than ever before will be living and working in cities but also that
more people and more goods will be making more trips in urban areas, often over longer
distances. How cities--especially the rapidly growing cities of the developing world--meet
this burgeoning demand for urban travel has implications for the environment, the economic
efficiency, and the livability of these areas.
Cities have traditionally responded to travel demand by expanding the
transportation supply. In much of the developed world, that has meant building more roads
to accommodate an ever-growing number of vehicles, thereby creating a new urban form: the
sprawling metropolis. Motor vehicles offer undeniable advantages such as speed and
convenience; indeed, during the early stages of development, motor vehicles are vital to
economic growth (1). However, the costs of increasing dependence on cars in the world's
cities are becoming all too apparent. These include expensive road building and
maintenance; clogged, congested streets that undermine economic productivity; high levels
of energy consumption, with its attendant economic and environmental costs; worsening air
and noise pollution; traffic accidents; and social inequities that arise when the poor
find transportation services increasingly unaffordable.
These problems are evident to varying degrees in cities across the
globe and threaten to become particularly acute in the developing world, where urban
populations are growing rapidly and demand for motor vehicles is expected to skyrocket.
Bangkok, Thailand, for example, is already plagued with notoriously high levels of air
pollution and congestion, even though motor vehicle ownership per capita is low (72
vehicles for every 1,000 residents) compared with that in many developed cities (where
ownership aver ages about 500 per 1,000 residents) (2). Even so, 300 to 400 more vehicles
are being added to the streets of Bangkok every day (3). Will rapidly growing cities such
as Surabaya, Indonesia, and Manila, Philippines, follow in Bangkok's footsteps, or will
they be able to implement sound transportation policies to avoid the problems of gridlock
and pollution (4)?
The high costs associated with urban transportation are not inevitable.
Indeed, considerable opportunity exists to design more efficient transportation systems
and, in the process, create more livable cities. A critical step for developed and
developing countries alike is to move toward managing urban travel demand rather than
simply increasing the supply--in particular,by reducing or averting overreliance on the
privately owned car.
In cities in the developing world, the greatest transportation
challenge is to improve the mobility of urban residents and the efficiency of
transportation systems. In many of these cities, motor vehicle ownership is still low and
land use patterns are still evolving rapidly. These cities have the option of avoiding the
mistakes made in the developed world and designing urban transportation systems that
facilitate walking, bicycling, and public transportation. However, doing so will not be
easy. To alter the current path toward motorization could be as politically difficult in
developing countries as it is in the more developed world. Nevertheless, given the
dramatic growth of the world's motor vehicle fleet, especially in developing countries and
countries in transition, the case for precautionary action to limit car use in cities is
strong (5).
In the developed world, many cities are already heavily dependent on
cars and have a fixed urban form that would be difficult and expensive to alter. For these
cities, the challenge is to improve existing transportation systems and manage urban
growth more effectively, in part by increasing the efficiency of existing road networks
and providing attractive alternatives to the car. Improving the efficiency and cleanliness
of existing vehicles can also help reduce fuel consumption and air pollution.
Topics Covered in Chapter 4
•Urban Transportation Trends
•Impacts of Urban Transportation Trends
•Moving Forward: Key Strategies and Tools
Boxes
•The Indian Transportation Paradigm
•Setting Limits Pays Off in Portland, Oregon
•Nonmotorized Transportation: What's To Become of Bicycles
and Pedestrians
References and Notes
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