Public transport planning should be based on needs

The travel needs and travel patterns of customers should be the decisive factor in planning public transportation projects, local and foreign experts said at a workshop in HCM City yesterday, June 10.

Clearly identifying project stakeholders and their needs, adapting the project to meet these needs and evolving effective and comprehensive communication strategies were other prerequisites for the success of a project, they said.

The two-day “Introduction to Public Transport Planning, Operations and Management workshop” sought to present an overview of urban public transport including contracting and financing arrangements.

It was held by the HCM City Department of Transport in co-operation with World Bank and the bank’s Public Private Infrastructure Assistance Facility (PPIAF) in Viet Nam.

Samuel Zimmerman, the World Bank’s Urban Transport Planning Consultant, said: “Travel market should drive the planning of public transport network services.”

Functionally differentiated networks would best serve multiple travel needs, he added.

Moreover, public transport planning should target the provision of a customer-friendly experience and make the system more efficient and cost-effective, he added.

Tran Quang Phuong, head of the HCM City Department of Transport, said that developing a stable urban traffic system with modern and effective public transportation was one of HCM City’s key targets in order to develop the city.

However, public transport in the city lagged far behind, meeting just 7.3 per cent of residents’ demand, Phuong added.

Bui Xuan Cuong, deputy head of the department, said that the city currently has 3,250 buses operating on 150 routes.

The city is currently working on short and long-term plans to develop public transportation, he said.

They city envisions buses as the primary means of public transport until a railway network is built by 2020. The buses then will focus more on carrying goods, Cuong said.

By 2015, the city was planning to have a public transport that is a combination of urban railway and buses meeting 12-14 per cent of travel needs, he said.

However, the city faces a lot of challenges in developing an effective public transport system. And, capital among the most important ones, Cuong said.

The availability of land for terminals is another daunting challenge, he added.

The city planned to build terminals on 30 hectares, but had only 17ha at present, he said.

Viet Nam News

Tags: Vietnam Public transportation, Vietnam transportation