Until the eightes public transport had practically only a social function: to provide transport for those who have no car available. Accessibility, reasonable frequencies and moderate fares were most important. Nowadays, however, another function for public transport is showing up: to provide an alternatve for the private car. The government wants to slow down the growth of the mobility by car with its problems of traffic congestion and harm to the environment. This function as a substitute of the private car makes other demands on the public transport system. Particularly the speed plays an important role in the competition with the private car. This thesis deals with the question how such a public transport system should look like. The central hypothesis is that it is possible to design a public transport system for the Randstad Holland, the highly urbanized western part of The Netherlands, that: (a) caters much better for the aims of traffic police; and (b) but doesn't cost more for infrastructure and operation than when continuing the actual policy. The research has been carried out in three steps: (1) System theory: the development of system features for a connecting public transport system that is suited for the actual function in the traffic policy; (2) Design: the design of a number of public transport system for the Randstad, based on these system features; and (3) Evaluation: the comparison of these designs with the actual situation and the situation that will come by continuing of these actual policy regarding the development of the public transport system; this has been done by means of a number of quantitative policy criteria. (A)
Samenvatting