Guidance on Urban Transportation Choices

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Transportation conditions and needs in different cities around the world vary greatly. However, analysis of many different cities reveals similar patterns in the choices urban leaders and managers face, even though the range of realistic financial and technological options may be very different. Here are some of the most common ones:

• Allocating new growth, meeting needs: How to choose among different parts of the city or region to receive new or substantially expanded transport infrastructure and services.
  
  
• Servicing unserviced developments: Where development has already taken place, with or without the permission and approval of municipal authorities, how to select which to provide increased and/or renovated public transport services, and at what level or standard of service.
  
  
• Endorsing or choosing transportation technology: How to choose among different urban transport products or technologies offered for solving specific mobility problems, such as traffic congestion in the downtown core, air pollution, lack of suburban service, and high rates of accidents.
  
  
• Engaging residents: How to adopt and implement appropriate systems and approaches to deal with transport-related demands from residents of cities, and to encourage appropriate behaviour, such as payment of fares to sustain the public transport system.
  
  
• Finding investors: How to find and attract investors in urban transport systems, from the private sector or International Financial Institutions.
  
  
• Reducing environmental impacts: How to reduce negative environmental impacts of different patterns of urban transport development while maintaining jobs and attracting investors.
  
  
• Discarding past solutions: How to decide when a transport solution chosen in the past is simply not working, and must be replaced or fundamentally changed, and how to do so without major disruption to residents and businesses.

Assessing Different Urban Transport Solutions

Solutions	Description	Comments on Application
Increase pedestrian accessibility	Dedicated pedestrian routes expanded or established. Pedestrian precincts created.	As income rises, tendency is to increase per capita use of motor vehicles. Safe pedestrian areas can support higher quality of life.
Increase bicycle accessibility	Dedicated bicycle lanes and pathways created. Workers encouraged to ride bikes to work with bike racks, showers, change rooms, etc.	As income rises, tendency is to increase per capita use of motor vehicles. Safe cycling can support higher quality of life.
Improve animal haulage and cartage, separate from motor vehicle traffic	Urban roads made safer and more convenient for use by both motor vehicles and draught animals.	May be difficult to achieve in practice, due to road space requirements and need for sanitation.
Expand use of "jitneys" and taxis	Systems established and financed to encourage private sector operators of jitneys and taxis to serve as lower-cost urban transport.	Requires transparency of administration and fairness in allocating licences.
Provide for expanded use of individual motor vehicles	Urban roads and streets widened and extended to facilitate faster and higher-volume use by individual automobiles, taxis, and trucks.	Tendency for wider roads to attract more traffic. Can be mitigated partly through car-pooling requirements or incentives.
Expand routes and service of buses and trolley buses	Urban buses and trolley bus services expanded; increased ridership promoted.	Mixture of bus and automobile traffic tends to slow both. Dedicated bus lanes offer some relief.
Use electric streetcars/trams	Urban streetcar lines and services expanded; increased ridership promoted.	Substantial capital cost; works best where higher-density residential and commercial areas are served.
Offer underground rapid transit	Transit services built or expanded; increased ridership promoted.	High capital cost; high densities needed; technologically complicated.
Offer elevated rapid transit	Transit services built or expanded; increased ridership promoted.	High capital cost; high densities needed; technologically complicated.
Expand railway commuter systems	Commuter rail services created or expanded, stations added; increased ridership promoted.	Using existing lines can offer lower costs than dedicated mass transit lines.

Connections

Transportation Connects to:	How	Implications
Community/Regional Planning	Determining development areas; laying out land uses; providing for transport services.	Determines wider patterns of urban land-use and land values.
Culture and Recreation	Providing transport services to residents.	Quality of life.
Education	Providing transport services to residents.	Economic viability. Investment attractiveness. Quality of life.
Energy Supply	Choice of transport technology.	Environmental impacts, especially on air quality. Vulnerability to natural, technological disasters.
Industrial Development	Providing convenient access to jobs for residents.	Economic efficiency and attractiveness to investors.
Non-Residential Buildings	Providing accessible, convenient transport services to visitors and residents.	Economic efficiency and attractiveness to investors.
Social Services	Providing access to services to residents.	Social stability. Quality of life.
Solid Waste Management	Providing access to solid waste removal and recycling.	Basic necessity. Vulnerability to natural and technological disasters. Environmental impacts of solid waste management.
Telecommunications	Providing complementary and competing infrastructure and services to businesses, residents, and visitors.	Economic necessity. Vulnerability to natural and technological disasters. Environmental impacts.
Wastewater and Sanitation	Roads and streets typically used to provide routes for piping systems that remove sewage.	Vulnerability to natural and technological disasters. Environmental impacts of leaks on road systems.
Water Supply	Roads and streets typically used to provide routes for piping systems that remove sewage.	Vulnerability to natural and technological disasters. Environmental impacts of leaks on road systems.

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Source: Cities Solution Network 2001 (no longer operational!)