Fundamental Requirements for Sustaining Mobility Prof. Dr. Ahmad Farhan Sadullah School of Civil Engineering Universiti Sains Malaysia 30 April 2013 A special Skype telecast to students of Islamic University of Gaza (IUG)

We lead DEFINITIONS Mobility – The ability for the people to get from one place to another place by one form of transport – Mobility induces productivity Sustaining mobility – Mobility can be disrupted – Sustaining mobility is critical for any city and for any locality

We lead CONTEXT OF OUR DISCUSSION Gaza and Palestine Unstable state with uncertainty Redeveloping the city Optimising resources and efficiency will be critical What can we do to sustain mobility in Palestine?

We lead The importance of mobility For life essentials To spur development To facilitate productivity To improve the quality of life How about security and safety requirements

We lead MOBILITY PARAMETERS Availability Accessibility Affordability Efficiency Effectiveness Safety Environmental friendly

We lead AVAILABILITY The transport supply: its existence Availability of roads is the fundamental requirement of supply What about public transport availability? Availability will usually be decided by the government When the transport supply is not available, you will not have mobility Availability must be planned

We lead ACCESSIBILITY Accessibility to transport is the result of transport availability You have access to the transport system when you can use the supplied transport system. Accessibility to roads Accessibility to buses Accessibility to rail If you cannot access to any transport system, there will not be any mobility

We lead AFFORDABILITY Any travel on a transport system has an associated cost Private car is associated with the petrol cost and can also be associated with other costs like parking fee and toll fee etc. Public transport will also have associated cost like the fare If the costs are too high, even though transport is available they can be inaccessible when they are not affordable Affordability is much influenced by the business model

We lead EFFICIENCY How do we use the road space? Congestion is a sign of inefficient mobility Traffic Engineering is the knowledge domain defining efficiency of mobility Public transport is more efficient than private transport – Number of passengers per kilometer – Car vs bus vs rail

We lead Effectiveness How the transport system is serving its functions is a measure of effectiveness When the transport system fails, mobility may not be assured and sustained It is the measure of outcomes. You may have the transport system, but if the system fails, the effectiveness of the transport system will not be achieved, thus mobility will not exist

We lead SAFETY This is the irony, you may have mobility at the expense of safety Safety is a very serious problem especially in low and middle income countries (LMIC) It is estimated that 1.3 million road fatalities occur annually in the world, and 90% are from LMIC How about Palestine?

We lead ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY Ineffective mobility may also impact the environment Directly, through air pollution and noise pollution Indirectly through fuel/petrol consumption We can make systems more efficient and effective by ensuring mobility but remain environmental friendly

We lead WHAT HAS BEEN SAID A sustainable transportation system is one that: “Allows the basic access needs of individuals to be met safely and in a manner consistent with human and ecosystem health, and with equity within and between generations”

We lead WHAT HAS BEEN SAID A sustainable transportation system is one that: “Is affordable, operates efficiently, offers choice of transport mode, and supports a vibrant economy”

We lead PERSPECTIVES SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT EnvironmentSociety Sustainable Development Economy Social costProductivityImage MobilitySafetyWell-beingAccess PollutionImage EnergyGreen house

We lead NON-SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

We lead THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT Providing access to everyone – availability and affordability Ensuring good quality of life for present and future generations Supporting the economy of the country by providing mobility for the nation Ensuring minimum environmental impact Ensuring safety and security of the people Ensuring sustainability of the world and its people

We lead CHALLENGES TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT AspirationTimingPlanning Demand Estimation Investment strategies DesignConstructionSupplyOperations SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

We lead CHALLENGES IN ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT The aspiration for it – commitment and will The timing of it – proactive vs reactive vs too late The planning behind it – knowledge and ability The accuracy of demand estimation – knowledge and skill The will to invest – economic and financial model The design of it – engineering principles The construction of it – engineering principles The supply of it – technical specifications The operations of it – commitment and efficiency Sustainability of it – maintenance, continual quality improvement

We lead CONCLUSIONS FROM CHALLENGES Involved many factors both within and outside control Sustaining is the main factor – continual commitment Local in nature Many rooms for problems and many rooms for improvements Hence, research and innovation is critical

We lead HOW DO YOU ENSURE THIS? Governance – Organisational structure – Legal standing – To give the will Knowledgeable work force Appropriate planning Funding for execution – Good business model Sustained operations

We lead LETS GET TECHNICAL Demand and supply equilibrium You need to be able to estimate demand – Four stage demand model Trip generation modelling Trip distribution modelling Modal Split modelling Trip assignment modelling – Or the newer hybrid demand models Based on the estimated demand, you then decide on the most appropriate supply

We lead THE SUPPLY SIDE Public transport vs private transport General tendency will be to plan for private vehicles and neglect public transport Don’t do the mistake many other cities have Optimize your systems first before you think of another higher system (e.g. Use the buses to the fullest, before you think of rail) Ensure that the planners dictate, and not others dictating you.

We lead HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED? As a planner – Make sure the planning that you do is supporting sustainable transport and sustainable development As an engineer – Make sure you know the fundamentals of sustainable transport planning – Make sure you can carry out demand for transport estimation – Make sure you know how to plan and ensure transport supply is available and operates efficiently to ensure mobility

We lead INCREASING YOUR CAPACITY Come join us at Universiti Sains Malaysia We can collaborate with IUG We can have more training programmes

Thank you