Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
34
Urban transport and traffic problems
Brian Turton
Figure 34.1
Stages In the urban transportation planning
process.
THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM
The pressure of excessive flows of motorised traffic
upon urban road networks is the principal
component of the urban transport problem in
most towns and cities of the Western and the
developing world. The identification of the
difficulties caused by vehicle movements in urban
areas and the efforts made to apply effective
solutions form the basis of this chapter, but urban
transport also has a significant impact upon many
aspects of the urban environment, such as air
pollution and landscape conservation, which are
discussed elsewhere in this volume.
The continually increasing rates of transport
congestion and its detrimental impact upon the
social and economic functions of towns and cities
has stimulated the production of a wide range of
problem-solving exercises, which constitute the
urban transport planning process (Pass 1995) (see
Figure 34.1). This varies in complexity and scope
according to the urban area involved, and the
efficacy of the planning process has increased with
the number of disciplines that have contributed
to the production of plans and policies (Dimitriou
1990a). In recent years, the environmental impact
both of urban transport problems and of the
solutions advanced has received particular
attention (Banister 1994).
The earliest comprehensive urban transport
plans date from the mid-twentieth century and
were applied to large North American cities,
where rapidly increasing volumes of motorised
traffic were causing severe congestion. A demand-
driven solution was commonly adopted, with the
construction of new high-capacity urban
expressways in city centres and suburbs (Muller
1995). By the early 1950s, car ownership and use
