Title: Cities, will buses cope economically with traffic?

Authors: L. Lesley

Addresses: Senior Lecturer in Transport Planning, Liverpool Polytechnic, UK

Abstract: Buses are the most used form of urban public transport across the world. This paper looks at conflicts, problems and a variety of strategies for improving transport in cities of the |first| and the |third| worlds. In a laissez-faire situation, rising income and expectations of the population tend to result in a downwards spiral for public transport: reduced demand is accompanied by higher fares, poorer services and increased traffic congestion. Labour costs are an important element in the economy of public transport and the work is such that staff are difficult to recruit and retain. The difficulties tend to increase as more diverse employment opportunities develop in a city. Also, the cost of fuel will increase in the future. Therefore it is suggested that planning should include: (a) increased labour productivity through larger vehicles; (b) systems of priority and segregation to mitigate the effects of traffic congestion; (c) development of systems which can match the quality of service provided by private cars, e.g. with short waiting times, fast overall speeds and comfortable seating. These requirements indicate higher levels of capital investment in public transport than is seen in most cities at present.

Keywords: urban buses; city traffic; traffic congestion; private cars; public transport; road space; transport systems; capital investment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.1988.061510

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 1988 Vol.9 No.1, pp.122 - 130

Published online: 26 May 2014 *

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