Transport problems in developing countries

In the developing countries, situation of transport related problems are not different form the developed world. Many cities of the developing countries are struggling with the congestion problems and pollution. With the advent of less expensive modes (i.e. motorcycles), the situation has worsened in many metropolis including Bangkok, Delhi, Karachi etc. In the large cities of the developing world, travel times are generally high and increasing, and destinations accessible within limited time are decreasing. The average one-way commute in Rio de Janeiro is 107 min, in Bogota it is 90 min. The average vehicle speed in Manila is 7 miles per hour. The average car in Bangkok is stationary in traffic for the equivalent of 44 days a year (Gakenheimer, 1999). The number of cars is increasing on the basis of increased populations, increased wealth, and increased commercial activities. Accordingly, in much of the developing world the number of motor vehicles is increasing at more than 10% a year–the number of vehicles doubling in 7 years. Although there is much less research and development in the field of planning technique in the developing countries and public budgets are limited, they have certain important advantages in mobility innovation relative to developed economies. These include some cases in which there is

1. Stronger authority to increase mobility. There are countries in which urban governments have much more authority than in the developed world. Many of the countries have more power in central government guidance of local action.

2. Lower personnel cost relative to capital costs. This simply results in different choices of actions, sometimes with consequences worth the attention of wealthier countries.

3. Fewer regulatory and legal barriers. These permit the introduction of guidance that would be halted in the developed world by fear of law suits in the case of malfunction.

4. Less convention in problem solving. In countries where transportation planning is a professional tradition, thinking is more conventional and there may be less scope for innovation.

5. A larger stake in solving mobility problems that better supports public action. This is because the problems are worse. The cities of the developing world have motorized faster, leaving urban structure further out of adjustment than in developed world cities.

6. Perceptibly growing problems. In many developing cities congestion is growing at a rate easily perceived year to year by even a casual observer. This public awareness is leverage toward action in some cities.

Transportation in UAE acquires a great deal of the public services investments. The overall federal and local investment spending on land transport projects in the UAE has touched Dh. 86 billion over the period from 1985 to 2002. According to a study by the Ministry of Planning, most of that amount was expended in construction, replacement, refurbishment, expansion, lighting and landscaping of roads, bridges and tunnels. The study indicates that the lengths of paved highways rose to 3969 kilometres in 2002 that is 393 kilometres more than the 1985 figure (www.uae.gov.ae/mop). The transportation system in UAE experiences many difficulties that may be summarized as bellow:

A study held by the Ministry of Planning, declares that the number of vehicles in the UAE almost doubled to reach 820,000 motors in 2002 from 443,000 in 1985, with an annual increase of 9.2 %, which is remarkably more than the population growth rate of 6.5 % and even higher by 7.1% than the annual national income growth rate. It attributes the increase in number of vehicles in the country to a group of factors, mainly the high living standards and competitive credit facilities on offer by financing agencies as well as other factors. The Abu Dhabi Emirate has the lion's share of vehicles, with 312,833 automobiles passing through its streets; these represent 42% of the total number of motors throughout the country, according to the study, Dubai comes second with 285,951 vehicles (38.4%) followed by Sharjah (9.8%),

Ras Al-Khaimah (3.4%), Ajman (3.1%), Fujairah (2.4%) and Umm Al-Qaiwain (0.9%) (www.uae.gov.ae/mop).

Nowadays, Dubai is a materialized example for traffic congestion in UAE, due to increasing numbers of cars. Recent statistics assert that there are 465,000 vehicles registered in the Emirate, in addition to 5,000 taxi cars (www.dm.gov.ae). However, there is a significant amount of residents of neighbouring Emirates who are working in the city. This means there are more than a million vehicles on Dubai’s roads, making an average of 3.1 million trips each day. Furthermore, the number of vehicles in use is increasing rapidly. The annual growth rate of vehicles in Dubai is currently 12% and the growth pattern is likely to continue. It is expected that Dubai’s population will reach four million in 2020, while the number of trips is expected to go up to a staggering 13.1 million trips per day (Nick, 2005). Likewise, increasing numbers of vehicles affects strongly the other difficulties that the transportation system is undergoing in UAE. There is a common concern over rising pollution levels in UAE. Vehicles are to blame for 80% of pollution. Vehicular violations in the UAE caused environmental pollution through gas emissions beyond the limits allowed by the law set by the country, has ranged between 13 to 25 % during 1999-2003. Problems of environmental pollution resulting from car exhausts, has surfaced as one of the most acute problems of vehicles plying on the road (Mussallam, 2005). Emissions of harmful gases pose health and environmental hazards and need to be reduced to a degree that guarantees unpolluted air and a hygienic environment. This situation demands a thorough consideration of new public transport policies and for that proper assessment of these measures.