Citation

Kuranami C, Winston BP, Guitink PA. Transp. Res. Rec. 1994; 1441: 61.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

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Abstract

Although the numbers of automobiles and motorcycles are increasing in Asian cities, nonmotorized vehicles (NMVs) such as bicycles and cycle-rickshaws still play a significant role. Some cities have experienced substantial growth in NMVs over the past several decades as a result of pervasive rural poverty and subsequent migration to urban areas. Because city buses usually provide poor services to the low-income areas in the periphery of cities and often are very crowded, and because motorcycles and private cars have been unaffordable for the majority of households, many persons still depend on NMVs. They offer low-cost personal mobility, are nonpolluting, use renewable energy, are labor intensive, and are well suited for short trips in most cities in Asia. However, NMVs operate at relatively slow speeds, are incompatible with the faster-moving flow of motorized traffic, and compared with buses, tend to reduce road capacity in city centers and at certain intersections where they are heavily concentrated. For example, city officials in Dhaka (Bangladesh) criticize NMVs as the main cause of crime and the principal obstacle to the city's modernization; consequently, they plan a phased elimination of NMVs by continually introducing NMV-restricted streets. On the basis of a World Bank-funded inventory of NMV needs and opportunities in 10 Asian cities, major NMV issues in the categories of (a) urban transport systems issues, (b) economic, social, and environmental issues, and (c) general NMV planning and policy issues were addressed. Recommended policies are presented in response to each issue.

Language: en