The Urban Transport Problem  Fifth Freedom Problem- auto convenience and privacy  Congestion- traffic overloads, poor infrastructure, vehicle diversity  Public Transport Decline-ridership down  Car Parking- should we build more parking space?  Changing Landuse Patterns  Transport Deprived Groups-poor, sick, elderly, disabled  Environmental Problems –pollution, noise, community disruption

Urban Transport Problem Solutions  Investment in Additional Road Capacity- bypasses to divert traffic  Traffic Management Rationalization Measures- one way streets, phasing of traffic light controls, parking restrictions, HOV lanes  Bus Priority and Allied Proposals  Vehicle Restraint Schemes-Congestion Pricing  Rail Rapid Transit  Transport Coordination-Rationalization

Ridership of heavy rail has been climbing faster than any other mode of public transportation. Bus ridership is almost 60 percent of total transit ridership.

Rail Definitions  Commuter Rail – Railroad local and regional passenger train operations between a central city, its suburbs, and/or another central city. It may either be locomotive-hauled or self-propelled, and is characterized by multitrip tickets, specific station-to-station fares, railroad employment practices, and usually only one or two stations in the central business district. Also known as “suburban rail.” Light Rail – An electric railway with a “light volume” traffic capacity compared to “heavy rail.” Light rail may include multicar trains or single cars. Also known as “Streetcar,” “Trolley car,” and “Tramway.” Heavy Rail – An electric railway with the capacity of “heavy volume” of traffic and characterized by exclusive rights-of-way, multicar trains, high speed and rapid acceleration, sophisticated signaling, and high platform loading. Trolleybus – Rubber-tired passenger vehicles operating singly on city streets. Trolleybuses are propelled by electricity drawn from an overhead electric line via trolleys.

The bar graph below compares the actual passenger-mileage growth for the major modes. While motor bus registered some increase, clearly, the major rail transit modes tallied traffic growth well in excess of motor bus. Rail growth outpaced motor bus growth by over 21 times, and LRT growth alone outpaced bus by more than three times.

This final graph illustrates that, among the major transit modes, rail transit is the big winner, in generating the preponderance of transit passenger-miles. It also provides additional evidence of the enormous capability offered by LRT to expand mass transit ridership traffic in America's urban areas.

Transit Commute Mode Share