Fundamental Requirements for Sustaining Mobility

Prof. Dr. Ahmad Farhan SadullahSchool of Civil EngineeringUniversiti Sains Malaysia

30 April 2013

A special Skype telecast to students of Islamic University of Gaza (IUG)

W e l e a dDEFINITIONS

• Mobility– The ability for the people to get from one place to

another place by one form of transport– Mobility induces productivity

• Sustaining mobility– Mobility can be disrupted– Sustaining mobility is critical for any city and for

any locality

W e l e a dCONTEXT OF OUR DISCUSSION

• Gaza and Palestine• Unstable state with uncertainty• Redeveloping the city• Optimising resources and efficiency will be

critical• What can we do to sustain mobility in

Palestine?

W e l e a dThe importance of mobility

• For life essentials• To spur development• To facilitate productivity• To improve the quality of life• How about security and safety requirements

W e l e a dMOBILITY PARAMETERS

• Availability• Accessibility• Affordability• Efficiency• Effectiveness• Safety• Environmental friendly

W e l e a dAVAILABILITY

• The transport supply: its existence• Availability of roads is the fundamental

requirement of supply• What about public transport availability?• Availability will usually be decided by the

government• When the transport supply is not available,

you will not have mobility• Availability must be planned

W e l e a dACCESSIBILITY

• Accessibility to transport is the result of transport availability

• You have access to the transport system when you can use the supplied transport system.

• Accessibility to roads• Accessibility to buses• Accessibility to rail• If you cannot access to any transport system,

there will not be any mobility

W e l e a dAFFORDABILITY

• Any travel on a transport system has an associated cost• Private car is associated with the petrol cost and can also be

associated with other costs like parking fee and toll fee etc.• Public transport will also have associated cost like the fare• If the costs are too high, even though transport is available

they can be inaccessible when they are not affordable• Affordability is much influenced by the business model

W e l e a dEFFICIENCY

• How do we use the road space?• Congestion is a sign of inefficient mobility• Traffic Engineering is the knowledge domain

defining efficiency of mobility• Public transport is more efficient than private

transport– Number of passengers per kilometer– Car vs bus vs rail

W e l e a dEffectiveness

• How the transport system is serving its functions is a measure of effectiveness

• When the transport system fails, mobility may not be assured and sustained

• It is the measure of outcomes.• You may have the transport system, but if the

system fails, the effectiveness of the transport system will not be achieved, thus mobility will not exist

W e l e a dSAFETY

• This is the irony, you may have mobility at the expense of safety

• Safety is a very serious problem especially in low and middle income countries (LMIC)

• It is estimated that 1.3 million road fatalities occur annually in the world, and 90% are from LMIC

• How about Palestine?

W e l e a dENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

• Ineffective mobility may also impact the environment

• Directly, through air pollution and noise pollution

• Indirectly through fuel/petrol consumption• We can make systems more efficient and

effective by ensuring mobility but remain environmental friendly

W e l e a dWHAT HAS BEEN SAID

A sustainable transportation system isone that:

“Allows the basic access needs ofindividuals to be met safely and in amanner consistent with human andecosystem health, and with equitywithin and between generations”

W e l e a dWHAT HAS BEEN SAID

A sustainable transportation system isone that:

“Is affordable, operates efficiently, offerschoice of transport mode, andsupports a vibrant economy”

W e l e a dPERSPECTIVES

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

Environment

Society

Sustainable Development

Economy

Social costProductivityImage

Mobility

Safety

Well-being

Access

Pollution

Image

EnergyGreen house

W e l e a dNON-SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

W e l e a d

THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

• Providing access to everyone – availability and affordability

• Ensuring good quality of life for present and future generations

• Supporting the economy of the country by providing mobility for the nation

• Ensuring minimum environmental impact• Ensuring safety and security of the people• Ensuring sustainability of the world and its people

W e l e a d

CHALLENGES TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

Aspiration Timing Planning Demand Estimation

Investment strategiesDesignConstructionSupply

OperationsSUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

W e l e a d

CHALLENGES IN ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

• The aspiration for it – commitment and will• The timing of it – proactive vs reactive vs too late• The planning behind it – knowledge and ability• The accuracy of demand estimation – knowledge and skill• The will to invest – economic and financial model• The design of it – engineering principles• The construction of it – engineering principles• The supply of it – technical specifications• The operations of it – commitment and efficiency• Sustainability of it – maintenance, continual quality

improvement

W e l e a dCONCLUSIONS FROM CHALLENGES

• Involved many factors both within and outside control

• Sustaining is the main factor – continual commitment

• Local in nature• Many rooms for problems and many rooms for

improvements• Hence, research and innovation is critical

W e l e a dHOW DO YOU ENSURE THIS?

• Governance– Organisational structure– Legal standing– To give the will

• Knowledgeable work force• Appropriate planning• Funding for execution– Good business model

• Sustained operations

W e l e a dLETS GET TECHNICAL

• Demand and supply equilibrium• You need to be able to estimate demand– Four stage demand model• Trip generation modelling• Trip distribution modelling• Modal Split modelling• Trip assignment modelling

– Or the newer hybrid demand models• Based on the estimated demand, you then

decide on the most appropriate supply

W e l e a dTHE SUPPLY SIDE

• Public transport vs private transport• General tendency will be to plan for private

vehicles and neglect public transport• Don’t do the mistake many other cities have• Optimize your systems first before you think of

another higher system (e.g. Use the buses to the fullest, before you think of rail)

• Ensure that the planners dictate, and not others dictating you.

W e l e a dHOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?

• As a planner– Make sure the planning that you do is supporting

sustainable transport and sustainable development• As an engineer– Make sure you know the fundamentals of sustainable

transport planning– Make sure you can carry out demand for transport

estimation– Make sure you know how to plan and ensure transport

supply is available and operates efficiently to ensure mobility

W e l e a dINCREASING YOUR CAPACITY

• Come join us at Universiti Sains Malaysia• We can collaborate with IUG• We can have more training programmes

Thank you

cefrhn@eng.usm.my