The prospect of motorization is haunting large cities in low- and mid-income countries of the world. Ownership and use of motor vehicles rise alongwith increasing urban size, population, economic activities and incomes. Motorization can be led by cars (as in Central and Eastern Europe); by taxis and other forms of for-hire vehicles (as in Latin America and Africa), or by motorcycles (in some cities of South and East Asia). Globally, aggregate transport emissions of greenhouse gases are contributing to climate change and the rise in aggregate demand for energy may not be sustainable. The main structural weakness of the sector is that urban roads do not generate revenue directly and revenue-earning potential of public transport services is entangled with affordability issues. Adding in weak land marketsand taxation, it is difficult for cities to respond to surging demand forinfrastructure and services, since there is little direct linkage betweenincreasing population and wealth on the one side and city budgets on the other. Since urban transport issues cut across its chief concerns for growth, poverty reduction and environment preservation, the World Bank has been active in this sector since 1970s, with a stream of development projectsand policy advice. At present there are about 22 ongoing projects and about 10 in preparation. Every 5-10 years, the Bank reviews and updates its policies and strategy for dealing with urban transport problems. Historically, Bank-funded urban transport projects of the last 15 years exhibit a wide diversity of features, reflecting inherited local conditions, the nature and rhythms of socioeconomic changes underway, and client-Bank relations. Yet, a strong central tendency is also evident, amounting to a coherent and robust strategy. The core strategy, as it is called in the paper, aimsto maintain or nurture the attractiveness of public transport and non-motorized modes relative to individual motor vehicles, with strong emphases on accessibility, equity, safety and environment. It features: (i) for-market competitive model for regulation of public transport services, with privately provided operations and strong public role to protect the communityinterest in both transport and environmental spheres; (ii) allocation of street space favoring public transport and non-motorized modes; (iii) the creation of transport authorities, with urban area-wide jurisdiction; and (iv) an array of supporting investments in roads and public transport infrastructure and equipment. Echoing item (ii), the investment dimension of the strategy is increasingly oriented towards the provision and rehabilitation of public transport modes operating on exclusive tracks. The core strategy as derived from project experience has covered all urban transport modes and has addressed a wide range of critical policy matters, but has been flexible enough to include project designs involving single modes and narrow policy concerns. Importantly, by a judicious selection of policies and investments, this strategic framework has been able to accommodate projects that are poverty- and/or environment-oriented. This said, the pace of urban growth and ever advancing motorization -especially in rising countries like China and India- and global issues like climate change and non-renewable energy call for much stronger policy than has been delivered. An enriched core strategy will need to address pivotal policy matters, such as urban transport funding, congestion pricing, and land regulation. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.
Abstract