HOW DO WE KEEP PEOPLE MOVING?
TRAFFIC CONGESTION & THE GROWING POPULATION
TRAFFIC CONGESTION
- As population increases commuting can be a challenge.
- If traffic is not well-managed-- it leads to traffic congestion-- eventually leading to economic loss and pollution.
- Solution: build more roads & efficient transport system.
- Challenge: limited land & continous growth in population.
- Mobility refers to the movement of people and goods from place to place, in a reasonable amount of time and at an acceptable cost.
- Why do people need to move about?
URBAN TRANSPORT
Characteristics
VARIETY OF TRANSPORT MODES
- Modes of transportation=types of transport used to facilitate the movement of people or goods.
- Private Transport- transport owned by individuals (e.g. motorcycles & cars)
- Public Transport- transport provided by the government or private companies (e.g. buses, trains, and cabs)
- Mode of transportation in cities vary to cater to different needs and capacity to spend of people.
URBAN TRANSPORT
Characteristics
DENSITY OF TRANSPORT NETWORKS
- Transport network= system of transport routes connecting a set of nodes.
- Nodes- place where lines in network cross or join (junctions and terminals)
- The greater the number of routes and nodes, the greater the network density.
URBAN TRANSPORT
Characteristics
QUALITY OF TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
- Transport infrastructure= roads, railway tracks, and bus terminals.
- Quality can be measured by capacity, efficiency, reliability, safety, and comfort level.
- Example: Well-paved and well-lit roads with many lanes is a high-quality transport infrastructure.
- Traffic congestion is a situation where there are more vehicles than the road can handle
- Characteristics:
slow travelling speed (10 km/h)
build-up of vehichles on the road
vehicular queues of more than 15 minutes
TRAFFIC CONGESTION
WHERE IS TRAFFIC CONGESTION FOUND IN THE CITY?
- Traffic congestion can occur for different reasons: accidents/road work/peak hours.
- Traffic congestion is likely to be concentrated in specific parts of the city.
Concentration of traffic congestion
CONCENTRATION OF TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN THE CITY
- CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT (CBD):
- commercial centre where businesses are concentrated
- most well-connected part of the city (high pedestrian and vehicular flow)
- high flow of the traffic on the roads is usual-- many people commute to and from the CBD
- traffic congestion is common especially during PEAK HOURS
- Traffic congestion tends to occur during peak hours when many people are on their way to work in the mornings or on their way home from work during evenings.
- Refers to a part of the day where the traffic volume is the highest.
- Useful tool to find out where traffic congestion occurs in a city.
- Show traffic information in real time and is updated regularly.
Why does traffic congestion occur?
- Distance from work and homes
- Inadequate transport infrastructure
- Poor weather conditions
- Road construction or accidents
CAUSES OF TRAFFIC CONGESTION
Separation of work & residential areas
SEPARATION OF WORK AND RESIDENTIAL AREAS
- Places of work are often located away from housing areas-- results to the need to commute.
- Commute means to travel some distance between one's home and place of work on a regular basis.
- Commuting=private or public transport
Movement for goods and services
MOVEMENT TO OBTAIN OR PROVIDE GOODS AND SERVICES
- Purchasing goods from specialised stores or attend classes.
- Delivery of products.
Inadequate transport infrastructure
INADEQUATE TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE AND POOR PROVISION OF TRANSPORT SERVICES
- City's transportation facilities are not capable of handling the amount of traffic it receives (roads not having enough lanes/unreliable train system)
- City has only a small fleet of public buses and trains are not enough for all the commuters.
- This results into people driving their own cars.
How does traffic congestion affect people and the environment?
EFFECTS OF TRAFFIC CONGESTION
- Traffic congestion is a common problem faced by people in cities.
- Negative impact of traffic congestion is a great concern for people.
Reduced Productivity
- Productivity = rate at which goods and services are produced, measured in output per unit of labour.
- Productivity also involves engaging in activities that bring about economic benefits.
- Traffic congestion reduces productivity because people have to spend more time commuting.
- Time wasted in traffic = time that could be spend on productive work = economic loss
Stress on Physical and Mental Health
STRESS ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH
- People caught in traffic congestion often experience stress and anxiety.
- Long traveling times = fatigue = drivers lose concentration = accidents
- Traffic congestion also pose another health hazard because of fumes of vehicles-- leading to lung diseases.
AIR POLLUTION
- Traffic congestion increases pollution level of a city.
- According to US Environmental Protection Agency, more than half of the air pollution in USA is caused by cars.
- Emission of greenhouse gases (carbon monoxide) causes temperature to rise.
- Cars also contribute to poor air quality such as smog.
NOISE POLLUTION
- Traffic noise is harmful to the health of people.
- Excessive noise seriously harms human health and interferes with daily activities.
- Noise can disturb sleep, cause cardiovascular effects, and provoke annoyance responses and changes in social behavior.
Managing Traffic Congestion
MANAGING TRAFFIC CONGESTION
- Cities introduced measures to cope and manage traffic congestion.
- The strategies include making public transport a choice mode and managing road usage.
MAKING PUBLIC TRANSPORT A CHOICE MODE
- PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION should be convenient and accessible to encourage people to choose this transportation mode.
Making Public Transport a Choice Mode
Integrated Public Transport System
INTEGRATED PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM
- Public transport system should be seen as a whole.
- Strategies:
- using a re-loadable smart card to pay for transportation.
- timing of transport mode should be precise.
- Benefits: convenient, accessible, and efficient
- Challenges: extensive planning and high cost.
Bus Lane Scheme
- Lanes specially set aside for private and public buses-- buses are able to enter and exit bus stops smoothly-- improves speed and reliability.
- Benefits: Buses move quickly and will arrive on schedule.
- Challenges: dependent on compliance of roads and road capacity is affected.
BUS LANE SCHEME
Expansion of Train Networks
EXPANSION OF RAIL NETWORKS
- Increasing number of locations that trains can reach.
- Providing more tracks and more stations.
- Benefits: high capacity of trains and more destinations are covered.
- Challenges: expensive and housing and businesses might be affected.
Improvement in Bus and Rail Systems
- Bus and rail system will be upgraded to carry more people and arrive more frequently.
- Benefit: More people are transported within a short time.
- Challenge: High cost
IMPROVEMENT OF BUS AND RAIL SYSTEMS
Managing road usage
- Reduce the number of cars on the road:
- road pricing
- increase parking fees
- enhance traffic monitoring
Managing Road Usage
ROAD PRICING
- Charging drivers when they use certain roads.
- Peak hours=higher payment
- Benefits: (1) higher cost discourages driving during peak hours, and (2) drivers use alternative modes of transport
- Challenges: traffic is diverted to other roads to avoid the payment
INCREASED PARKING FEES
INCREASED PARKING FEES
- Parking fees can be increased to manage road usage and encourage people to take public transport.
- Benefits: discourages people to use their own cars and encourages carpooling
- Challenge: illegal parking
ENHANCED TRAFFIC MONITORING
ENHANCED TRAFFIC MONITORING
- Expressway Monitoring and Advisory System shows live information to update drivers about traffic situation.
- Green Link Determining (GLIDE) adjusts green lights in intersection based on current traffic situation.
- Benefit: drivers can avoid places with traffic congestion
- Challenge: diverts traffic elsewhere
OTHER MEASURES
- TELECOMMUTING- working from home or near their home.
- ENCOURAGING CYCLING- better mobility and flexible
OTHER MEASURES