Bangkok Skytrain
When was it started and why was it deemed necessary
In service since December 5, 1999, it was needed in order to revolutionize travel within the congested Thai capital. The system is spotlessly cleaned, fast, efficient, and relatively cheap. Previously a trip between two busy commercial centers of Silom and Suriwongse would have taken at least an hour by taxi.
How it operates
Computerized ticketing save busy travellers’ time. The system consists of twenty-three stations along two lines: the Sukhumvit line running northwards and eastwards, terminating at Mo Chit and On Nut respectively, and the Silom line which plies Silom and Sathon Roads, the Central Business District of Bangkok, terminating at the National Stadium and Wongwian Yai.
Impact on the environment
There’s less air pollution compared to cars as it runs on electricity. However it still uses a fuel that is largely generated by fossil fuels and so it does not have a clean carbon footprint.
Success
Daily commutes by hundreds of thousand Bangkok residents much less stressful than in the past.
Over the last three decades, successive Thai governments have been able to provide basic infrastructure to meet the country’s economic and social needs.
Failures
Long flights of steps up to the stations have been cited as the main reason why elderly and disabled would-be patrons are still taking the bus. The situation is likely to change after a South Korean government offer of escalators for all station. Installation is expected to be completed by the middle of year 2000.
It is overcrowded and conditions are cramped.
Sustainability of the option
Oxford Park & Ride
When was it started and why was it deemed necessary
Park and Ride schemes were first put forward in the early 1970s as a way of dealing with increasing traffic congestion. They were seen as a cheaper alternative to road
building; a way to encoura ge people out of their cars and onto buses and a generally more environmentally acceptable policy. They were a different kind of ‘public transport’ – a dedicated bus service that was cheap, fast and frequent that would change the image of buses.
How it operates
Park and ride (or incentive parking) facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system (rapid transit, light rail or commuter rail), or carpool for the rest of their trip. The vehicle is stored in the car park during the day and retrieved when the owner returns. Park and rides are generally located in the suburbs of metropolitan areas or on the outer edges of large cities.
Impact on the environment
The efficiency of Park and Ride in reducing overall traffic levels is questionnable – it simply redistributes traffic to other parts of the conurbation particularly to roads feeding into a park and ride site. In the UK, there is little or no evidence to show that it actually reduces congestion; on the contrary it actually generates more traffic. Edge of town Park and Ride sites may be successful in reducing traffic levels in inner urban areas and town centres by intercepting car journeys at the periphery of a town, but these journeys are just redistributed to other areas.
Large areas of land devoted to car parking is an inefficient use of land which could be put to another more productive use. Large car parks on the edge of towns and cities become an eyesore, and are totally unacceptable if they eat into greenfield sites.
Success
- accommodate traffic growth, thereby preventing traffic congestion in town centres reaching a level that would be detrimental to the viability of that town;
- attract people to use the town with the Park and Ride instead of other towns, thereby giving a competitive advantage;
- reduce the need for major urban road construction.
In addition, Park and Ride is generally:
- achievable within the present policy framework;
- popular – seen to be a ‘green’ solution by many people;
- gets people thinking in terms of public transport for at least part of their journey;
- frees up space in the town centre for development other than parking e.g. housing;
- makes other policies like pedestrianisation and bus priority measures more feasible.
Failures
- Park and Rides can cause problems by:
- becoming eyesores on the periphery of towns
- ‘urbanization’ road lighting, signs and associated development and the loss of greenfield sites are often involved;
- relying on car ownership, and therefore representing a further subsidy to car owners and promoting car use;
- taking riders away from existing public transport rendering it less viable. This can undermine public transport services;
- encouraging extra journeys that people would not have made had it not been for the convenience of Park and Ride and fuelling traffic growth;
- leading some motorists to travel greater distances to reach the Park and Ride site than if they just drove into the town centre with consequent increases in car mileage;
- taking business away from other local towns and shops in the same catchment area;
- encouraging more car use from rural to urban areas and fuelling traffic growth in rural areas;
- using limited finances for construction and on-going local authority bus subsidies.
Manchester Metro Link
When was it started and why was it deemed necessary
The need for a light rail system in Manchester was born out of a desire to link the two main railway stations, Piccadilly and Victoria.
New lines will help reduce congestion on our roads with five million fewer car journeys every year, and will increase the number of trips passengers make each day from 55,000 to more than 90,000.
How it operates
Greater Manchester’s Metrolink network is one of the most successful light rail systems in the UK, carrying nearly 20 million passengers every year.
There are three lines which run from Bury, Altrincham and Eccles into Manchester city centre. The Bury and Altrincham lines opened in 1992 followed by the Eccles line in 2000 creating a network of 37 stops covering 37 km (23 miles). A fleet of 32 trams served the existing network until December 2009 when the first of our new trams was introduced.
Daily tickets can be purchased from one of the ticket machines at our stops.
By 2012 four new lines will nearly double the size of the tram network with 20 miles of new track and 27 new Metrolink stops. The new lines will go to Oldham and Rochdale, Chorlton, Droylsden and MediaCityUK.
Impact on the environment
New lines will help reduce congestion on our roads with five million fewer car journeys every year.
Success
Fewer car journeys have been made were lines currently exist.
Failures
Construction of tram extensions has been unable to secure sufficient funding and during development, has caused mass delays for thousands of commuters to the CBD.
Sustainability of the option
Electric run trams do not contribute to air pollution, however, the power is still partially generated from burning coal, generating pollution elsewhere and using a fossil fuel. However, the decreased car use means that less fossil fuels are being used overall.
Congestion Charge in London
When was it started and why was it deemed necessary
The charge aims to reduce congestion, and raise investment funds for London’s transport system. London Mayor in 2000, Ken Livingstone pledged to reduce traffic congestion by 15% by 2010, partly by consulting ‘widely about the best possible congestion charge scheme to discourage unnecessary car journeys in a small zone of central London … with all monies devoted to improving transport’.
How it operates
If your journey takes you into the charging zone (roughly all roads inside the Inner Ring Road) you can pay in advance, pay before midnight that day or, for a small surcharge, pay before midnight the following charging day.
Impact on the environment
TfL has reported changes in air quality within and alongside the Inner Ring Road boundary of the zone. Levels of two greenhouse gases fell, nitrous oxide (N2O), by 13.4% between 2002 & 2003, and carbon dioxide, as well as particulates
Success
Congestion fell by up to 30% compared with 2002 levels. Transport experts add that congestion would be even worse if the scheme was not in place – it has taken 100,000 cars out of central and western London.
Failures
On the first day 190,000 vehicles moved into or within the zone during charging hours, a decrease of around 25% on normal traffic levels, partly due to it also being the half-term school holiday. A report from the Bow Group stated that historically, London congestion is at its worst during the morning rush hour, and that the early days of congestion charging had little impact on that critical time, the main effect occurring after 11 am. Just over 100,000 motorists paid the charge personally, 15–20,000 were fleet vehicles paying under fleet arrangements, and it was believed around 10,000 liable motorists did not pay the due charge
Car Sharing in Los Angeles
When was it started and why was it deemed necessary
It was attractive to customers who make only occasional use of a vehicle, as well as others who would like occasional access to a vehicle of a different type than they use day-to-day. Car pooling also reduces pollution made by cars overall.
How it operates
Car sharing (or Carsharing) is a model of car rental where people rent cars for short periods of time, often by the hour.
Impact on the environment / Success
Car sharing can reduce costs spent on car upkeep, maintenance and fuel, especially if you are splitting fuel between a number of riders. It can also reduce congestion and pollution caused by additional cars on the road.
Integrated Transport Schemes in Merseyside
When was it started and why was it deemed necessary
Merseytravel has a three-year grant funding settlement totalling £52.4m. We are now entering the final year, this will provide the Authority with the opportunity to consider a range of capital projects to improve the rail, bus, ferry and tunnels network and deliver its strategic vision to create ‘a single integrated transport network with access to all’.
How it operates
System that combines various modes of transport (bus, train, cycle etc.).
Impact on the environment / Success
Improvements to public transport mean that there are less cars on the road, reducing congestion and pollution.