Transport Issues in Developed and Developing Cities - Essay Example

Running head: Transport Issues in Developed and Developing Cities Transport Issues in Developed and Developing Cities Insert Insert Insert Instructor’s Name 6 March 2012 Transport Issues in Developed and Developing Cities Introduction Transportation involves the movement of goods and people from one location to another; therefore, it impacts positively on people’s lives by fostering convenience. Needless to say, transportation is also beneficial to the economy of a country; for instance, the assembly of raw materials and the distribution of the end products to the place of consumption is only possible via effective transportation. According to Coyle, Novack, and Bardi (2000, p.4), “transportation is the glue that holds supply chain together.” As a result, transportation is influenced by the level of globalization of a country. In addition, transportation influences mobility of labor and capital through the continuous movement of people from one location to another. The transportation industry also creates jobs for millions of individuals who work as drivers, pilots, and captains, among other jobs. According to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (1992, p.13), transportation is vital for any economy, and grows with economic expansion. Needless to say, transportation varies between developed and developing cities. The developed cities enjoy advanced transportation, which may include electric trains and airplanes, whilst the developing cities have to rely on manual trains or busses as their main modes of transportation. Moreover, some individuals in different cities prefer walking as their mode of transportation, which saves cost of fares. Berlin has developed a highly complex transportation infrastructure, providing very diverse modes of urban mobility. In addition, public transport in Berlin is free from barriers. These transportation modes are timed, and as a result, waiting time is minimal. Moreover, busses are the main mode of transport in Berlin, and as a result, they are widely available; however, trams are also available in Berlin. All in all, the Berlin transportation system is effective and technologically advanced. Sydney is among the developed cities in the world, and public transportation is the main mode of transportation in this city. However, there are different modes of transportation in the city such as ferries, trains, trams, buses, airplanes and cabs among other modes of transportation. Needless to say, its low population is advantageous, with busses accounting for half of the public transport journeys. Riyadh is a developing city in Middle East; this city experiences traffic congestion mainly in the freeways, mainly as a result of inefficient traffic management and affordable cost of motors, leading to an increased number in car ownership. According to Gamboa (2008, p.5), the city’s expansion has led to over-reliance on cars, and as a result, an unfriendly pedestrian environment is created. Therefore, transportation in Riyadh is a pressing issue due to high population, which results to traffic jams, and crowded streets (Arab news, 2011).This essay will discuss transportation issues, including similarities and differences, in three major cities, Berlin, Sydney, and Riyadh. Differences in the provision and use of transport facilities and in travel and transport conditions in 1995 Sustainable urban transportation is necessary in every nation. According to Vivier (2001, p.8), cities in the developing countries mainly rely on cycling, walking, and public transportation. For instance, in Middle East, which has a density of 77 inhabitants, 27% of its population uses bicycles, public transport, and foot as their means of transport; this costs 9.2%. In Oceania, which has a density of 15 inhabitants, only 21% rely on foot, bicycle, and public transport for traveling, which cost 13.4%. Western Europe, consisting of 55 inhabitants, has 50% relying on cycling, public transportation, and walking, which cost 8.3% (Vivier, 2001, p.8). FIGURE 1: Differences in the mode of transportation CITIES INHABITANTS Mode of transportation: Cycling Walking Public transportation COST MIDDLE EAST 77 27% 9.2% OCEANIA 15 21% 13.4% WESTERN EUROPE 55 50% 8.3% It is evident that in cities in the developing nations, transportation mobilizes a large part of resources compared to developed nations. In developed nations like Oceania, 12.3% is the cost of using a private car, while public means costs 1.1%, adding up to 13.4%. In Western Europe, where Berlin is one of the cities, 6.7% of Gross domestic product is used on private transportation, while public means costs 1.6%. In addition, Middle East, which consists of Riyadh, the cost of using private means of transportation adds up to 7.7%, while the cost of public means is 1.5%, which adds up to 9.2% as the total journey cost for this city in a developing nation (Vivier, 2001, p.9). In Berlin, the cost of a car trip is $167.49, while the use of private transport costs $188.19; in addition, the cost of public transport in Berlin City is $47.77. In Riyadh, the cost of a car trip is $109.02, while private means of transportation costs $102.85; the cost of public transport is $126.73. Finally, in Sydney, the cost of a car trip is$108.20, while the use of private transport adds up to $102.07 and the cost of public transport is $32.55. Therefore, the city of Riyadh in the Middle East has the highest cost in public transportation, despite the fact that it is a developing country (Millennium cities database, n.d). Figure 2: Cities database CITY cost of a car trip Cost of private transport cost of public transport BERLIN $167.49 $188.19 $47.77 SYDNEY $108.20 $102.07 $32.55 RIYADH $109.02 $102.85 $126.73 Changes in the transport and land-use patterns within these cities between 1995 and recent years According to the science daily (2011), transport has improved in the city of Berlin since 1995, with the latest model of car being computerized, and therefore autonomous. As a result, the task of the driver has been reduced to only monitoring the car behavior and giving electronic demands. Vivier (2001, p.27) adds that, Berlin is among the most competitive cities in public transport; however, ample parking spaces are provided compared to Sydney where the increase of car ownership has resulted to limited car parks (Vivier, 2001, p.29). Transport pattern in Riyadh has changed over the years. According to Droege (2008, p. 227), public transport services have been weak in the Middle East, and have relied on mini-busses systems, with only 10% of public transport being railway based. In addition, road trafficking management has been a long existing problem; however, road construction has improved over the years. According to Federal research division (2006, p.17), by 2004, Riyadh city had a modern railway system, which transports both passengers and goods. This city also has an international airport, which can handle 7.5 million passengers yearly. According to Xu B and Milthorpe (2001, p.3), Sydney’s population has been increasing continuously. The transport data sector results of 2009 indicated that, the population growth rate had increased by 1.0% between 1999-2007. Below is a table indicating the main transportation modes used in Sydney. However, the patterns of public transportation have decreased from 25% in 1981 to 22% in 2006. According to Vivier (2001, p.13), the level of car ownership has been rising. Fig 2: the mode of transportation hierarchy (Xu and Milthorpe, 2001, p.3) The reasons for the differences in the transport situation in Sydney, Berlin and Riyadh in 1995 Differences are notable in transportation situation between the above three cities. Riyadh is the lesser developed city compared to Sydney and Berlin, mainly because Riyadh is in Saudi Arabia, a developing country. Therefore, the city is associated with several transportation problems, which include traffic jam due to affordable vehicles, and poor transport management. In addition, the level of individuals who prefer walking to their destination is high because of low earnings; it is also notable that in Sydney, the number of individuals who prefer walking and cycling are few compared to Riyadh. This is because majority of individuals in Sydney and Berlin own cars, and as a result, public transport fares are low in the developed cities compared to Riyadh, which has the highest charges in public transport. Therefore, the status of a country determines its citizens’ wellbeing; here, the developing nations consist of citizens who cannot afford private cars compared to the developed nations. The existence of transport related problems in, in Sydney, Berlin and Riyadh 1995 and more recently, and the plans and policies adopted or proposed to address those problems Despite the major transportation problems ending in the 19th century in Berlin after the introduction in new modes of transportation, the city continues to face some other issues in transportation industry. Air pollution is among the problems experienced by this developed city, due to an increase in car owners and the existence of public transit as well. The city of Berlin is to-date experiencing a high level of increasing level of air traffic (airport technology. Com, 2011). However, plans to complete new airport facilities are underway by the Berlin city council, a measure that will reduce air traffic. In addition, the creation of an effective traffic management center commenced in 2003. According to Edward and Smith (2004, p.29), Sydney residents made up to 15.7 million trips weekly by 2005; therefore, traffic management has proved to be a challenge over the years. In addition, traffic congestion is also a nuisance in the city’s central business center. However, the Germany government has committed a total of $335 million, which is aimed at improving the bus priority such as bus speed on specific corridors (Edward and Smith, 2004, p.30). In addition, improvements on bus travel times on 43 specific strategic bus corridors are underway, which will improve reliability. Riyadh city, which is in a lesser-developing country, experiences the problem of traffic congestion, and therefore, the city lacks efficient transportation system, which is as a result of lack of effective planning in Saudi Arabia. Despite Riyadh being a fast growing city, traffic and transportation supply and demand need to be well managed and balanced. Therefore, traffic engineering is necessary in solving traffic related issues in this fast growing city. Needless to say, such developing nations should learn from the developed nations such as German, who are fast planners and invest highly in transport sector, and as a result, their economy benefits from standard transportation modes. Conclusions Transport plays a major role in the lives of people in the society. Easy access to respective locations such as work places, businesses, or recreational facilities is achieved. Therefore, investing in the transportation modes such as roads or rail systems is necessary in improving both social and economic lives. However, various transport problems exist in developed and developing nations. For instance, in Berlin, traffic congestion was evident in their airlines in 2011. While in Riyadh, high levels of road traffic jams exist due to the high level of cheap vehicles, and public costs are high. Nevertheless, Berlin continues to advance its transport sector by expanding on airlines. However, the developing countries such as Saudi Arabia face the challenge of insufficient funds, and hence developments are long-term. Needless to say, the developing nations need to improve on their infrastructure, which will in turn improve their economy. Reference List Airport technology. Com. 2011. Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport, Germany. (Online). Available at: http://www.airport-technology.com/projects/berlin/ (accessed 07 March 2012). Arab News. 2011. 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