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urr P UNION INTERNATIONALE DES TRANSPORTS PUBLICS INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT INTERNATIONALER VERBAND FUR ISFFENTLICHES VERKEHRSWESEN
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1965 Congress Tel Aviv
Ten Years' Fight Against Congestion
Summaries by Derek Moses
I C‘ T is absolutely urgent to reconsider the problem of traffic congestion on every occasion imaginable. To put it short, it is life and death of our transport systems—yes, much more than that, it is life and death of our cities if we do not find a way out of the present critical state." This point is made by Mr. E. Nielsen, former general manager of Kobenhavns Sporvejo. Copenhagen, in a paper to be presented at the UM' CongresS in 'rel Aviv next week.
The paper is a report on progress made on this subject, and follows other papers on the same subject presented at previous LIITP Congresses—the first one in Naples in 1955. lnformation received from about 80 transport undertakings demonstrates that the situation in• urban traffic has considerably worsened during the past JO years, that traffic congestion has spread in time as well as area, and that irregularity in the road service--to the considerable inconvenience of passengers—is becoming more frequent.
Mr. Nielsen states that it is the key point of present-day urban traffic to find the right composition of space-saving public transport and space-wasting private transport and--last, hut not least—to make the broad majority of car owners realize what it is all about. As there is clear evidence for everyone that the congestion problem in most cities has taken a very bad turn and that something drastic must he done, there are good prospects of obtaining substantial improvements in the traffic situation of urban communities. But authorities need to act with determination and speed.
Whilst during the past 10 years there has been a rather sharp increase in the population within continuously built-up areas, there has been a decrease in the population within the central business areas in the majority of towns. This is tied in with an -increase in the number or jobs avail
able in the central area of towns, and whilst this would suggest that more passengers went by public transport just the opposite applied in most towns. For towns with a " normal development it was not uncommon to register a loss of about 15 to 30 per cent during the 10-year period. However, the loss of passengers at peak hours is comparatively insignificant in several undertakings. In some instances, particularly in America, there are indications that the downward trend has reversed itself.
Changes in the pattern of traffic congestion have occurred during the past 10 years. •Congestion is now spreading from central areas, which have become saturated, and several undertakings report increasing congestion on approach roads to the city centre. Furthermore, whilst some years ago traffic difficulties were limited to peak hours, they now also occur during the intervening hours. Consequently practically all undertakings state that it is more difficult to maintain a regular service today than previously and delays are more frequent and of longer duration. This would appear to be the most serious and most essential point in the situation today.
Altar of Motorization
The problems of parking private cars in city centres are dealt with at length—one gets the impression that these problems have quite overwhelmed the responsible authorities and that each town, individually, tries to help itself by any available means. More and more of thehistoric and beautiful squares and other open recreation spaces in European town centres and more and more pedestrian walks have been for are going to be) sacrificed on the altar of motorization and transformed to parking facilities.
The number of multi-storey or underground car parks in, central areas is comparatively small, but some undertakings
mention that parking facilities are planned or are under construction. The American view that there should be no parking facilities of this kind in the central area, and that parking space at new buildings in this area, should be provided only for local traffic (goods distribution, service traffic and the like) but not for those employed, seems to obtain increasingly more recognition. One disadvantage of parking meters is that short-term parkers have taken over from long-term parkers, and Turin claims that their frequent driving into and out of the parking places causes more inconvenience to the general flow.
Only 10 towns have established park-and-ride arrangements, and five or six towns are planning or constructing such parking facilities. These are almost entirely at suburban or metropolitan railway stations. Mr. Nielsen believes that much more attention should be applied to this system in the future, and there is no doubt that it is one of the Most neglected sections in public transport operation in European cities.
The number and total length of one-way streets increased remarkably during the past few years. In 32 European towns the total length of one-way streets has increased from 140 to 356 miles in 10 years. One-way streets burden public transport with costly constraints and inconvenience (lengthening of routes in general and extension of stops). The appreciable decline in patronage observed in recent years on motOrbus routes operating through one-way streets has been thd result. In cities where trams predominate it is usually claimed, and put into practice. that tram operation in one-way streets must be allowed in both directions. Again, trams are usually permitted left-hand turns (equivalent to our right-hand turns) where such turns are prohibited to other vehicles, including buses.
Other preferential treatment for public transport, such as reserved bus lanes and tramway tracks, special rules for buses swinging out from stopping places and so on has, until recently, usually met with strong opposition in all circles. As the shortage of space increasingly manifests itself, however, things seern'to have entered upon a new and—for public transport—more favourable phase.
There is no doubt that undertakings operating trams have found it easier to procure priorities such as reserved sections, Hariover (mainly trams) having procured many priorities for public transport, and in Cologne no less than 60 per cent of the tramway tracks are placed in a reserved track area. Few towns have positive --and often not very impressive—results to show for reserved bus lanes, however. A notable exception is Milan, where five kerb lanes and four in the middle of the street have been reserved for buses in different parts of the city.
A warning of the dangers of providing urban motorways comes from Atlanta where new motorways to the centre of the town have been introduced in the past decade. But the effect on traffic congestion has simply been—increased congestion. It is now a general rule in the USA that the planning and construction of freeways in large urban communities must be co-ordinated with the planning of future rapid transit systems. The cost of acquiring the additional right of way for rapid transit, as freeways are constructed, is very small compared with the costs that would be incurred laterl by the acquisition of a separate area for this purpose.
All planning for future transport systems must embrace the entire conurbation, regardless of old-fashioned boundaries, and all components affecting traffic problems such as housing, town planning, road works and so on must be taken into consideration. Concerning long-term solu
tions there is no doubt that vertical separation between private and public transport will be more frequent, at least in metropolitan cities. Medium cities and smaller towns will probably concentrate on horizontal separation.
Amongst his conclusions, Mr. Neilsen mentions that we have had too much confidence in road improvement schemes and traffic engineering measures which are only palliatives, so long as they are not covered by a deliberate limitation of cars. In a recent Gallup Poll in Great Britain 86 per cent of the motorists questioned agreed that some limitation on the use of cars in the larger towns would be necessary in the future, and 80 per cent would accept some limitation on the use of cars if this meant that congestion would be eased.
Data Processing nRGANIZATIONAC steps in the development of data
processing in public transport, and the economic considerations involved, are discussed by Mr. M. Mross, Vorsitzer des Vorstandes der Hamburger Hochbahn AG, Hamburg, in a report to be presented to the International Automation Commission next week.
Electronic data processing has gone through several phases in a relatively short period. Its beginnings were in the traditional punched card system. The second phase coincided with the development of electronic technology, and today we are in the third phase of development, that of integrated electronic data processing. New fields of application are opening out for public transport, far ahead of any possibilities exploited until now.
A classification into small, medium and large categories of installations is necessary in order to establish the relationship between requirements and size of installation. Undertakings carrying a yearly average of 60 to 80 m. passengers and employing staffs of about 1,500 satisfy the basic criteria for small installations. Larger undertakings will require the so-called medium installations, whilst undertakings employing staffs of 40,000 and upwards are adapted to the use of large electronic centres.
If a transport undertaking is not able to acquire its own installation, recourse should be had, in so far as possible, to joint or co-operative installations. When introducing electronic data processing an undertaking must choose between purchasing and leasing the installation. The advantages and disadvantages of both alternatives can only partly be evaluated.
Relations Between Road, Rail and Water
THE need for controlling or co-ordinating road, rail and I water transport so as to eliminate wasteful competition is discussed by Mr. C. T. Humpidge, general manager, Sheffield Corporation Transport, in a report which notes developments in various countries since 1945.
Mr. Humpidge points out that all the national railway systems of Europe are showing deficits; railways have to bear all track and signalling costs whilst, as yet, there is no true system of road pricing for road-transport operation. Public road transport is relatively cheap to operate compared with rail, but both road and rail are suffering from private car competition: inland waterways do not really enter the picture as f'ar as passenger traffic is concerned, this being limited to scenic tourist routes.
Three methods by which general co-ordination can be achieved are discussed: (1) By price control economically: those systems which are uneconomic to cease operation. (2) Control by licence or taxation to enable each form of transport to deal with what it is best suited for. (3)
Complete national control and direction.
The first method could lead to the wasting of valuable assets and a system useful to the national economy might be scrapped. Judging by replies to a questionnaire, the second method seems to be the main one in use today. However, the third method is perhaps the only logical way of looking at the problem. Railways are with us, and are ideally suited to the carriage of large numbers of persons at high speeds. Road vehicles are mainly suited to the carriage of a small number of passengers over medium distances at medium speeds, except on modern motorways. Waterways have .a very limited passenger usetheir main value is for pleasure traffic. Each system could be given the sphere of operation for which it is best suited.
Where they parallel the railway, long-distance express road services should not be allowed, the road service acting as a feeder at convenient exchange points. In many European countries long-distance road services are severely rationed in number and frequency, whilst in some they are not allowed at all in order to avoid competition with the State railway system.
Co-ordination for the benefit of the traveller, composite timetables and adjacent railway and bus stations are all considered in the report. Mr. Humpidge concludes that there is no greater problem today than that of complete co-ordination of all forms of transport, and failure to notice this may result in great economic losses. National and regional committees are required to study this. Common ownership is desirable and national or local subsidies seem to be required.
Staff and Staff Policy in Public Transport • THE problem of staff and staff policy in the public
transport undertakings in relation to the evolution of transport techniques is considered in a report by Mr. R. Dc • Clercq, Inspecteur Gene'ral de la SNCV, Brussels. Mr. Clercq elicits the most important factors intervening in a study of productive human resources.
Man is the most important productive resource. the single resource capable of growth and development. One of the most important objectives of management must therefore be to make optimum use of this resource and to preserve it _intact. The problems of staff are included within a complex of economic and social problems, where trade unions and government intervention may also exert consid.erable influence,
At a time when undertakings are required to operate within an ever-closer framework of economic and social conditions, it is essential to promote Productivity, and it is in this field that . the -..problems. of staff management, organization of work,selection and 'training of staff are particularly encountered. The need for appropriate train
ing of officersis emphasized .
Automatic Transmissions "THE multiple applications of automation techniques in
different fields of industry illustrate the contemporary trend towards independent operation of machines, to which trend transport cannot remain indifferent." So states Mr. Ch. Mathieu, Ingenieur General, Adjoint au Directeur du Reseau, RATP, Paris, in a report on automatic transmissions. Following a generaLconskleration of transmissions and an enumeration of technical principles, the report defines the objectives of automation and the advantages to be expected. An attempt at classification under present terminology shows three principal groups—namely, adapted mechanical. . specifically automatic and mixed transmissions.
The different working principles of the three types are considered in the report, as also is the important question of hydrokinetic torque conversion. Mr. Mathieu gives examples of principal gearboxes used by undertakings.
Public Transport in Developing Countries THE organization of public transport in the developing
countries is discussed in a report by Mr. j. Podoski, Professeur a l'Ecole Polytechnique, Warsaw. Object of the report is to show the conditions in which the creation and development of public transport in towns of the rapidly developing countries can reasonably be recommended.
The studies are limited to towns of Equatorial Africa, chosen as a typical example of rapidly developing countries. Preliminary studies are necessary in such towns before any attempt to set up a public transport systern is made, as conditions arc very different from the agglomerations of the older countries.
In the developing towns the volume of passengers often does not reach 300 passengers per hour. Lack of concentrated industry is one of the reasons for this small traffic; competition from private buses and " collective taxis the latter conveying groups of passengers to a certain place or locality at a fixed price only slightly higher than the private bus--is another.
In a complementary report, Mr. Ramon Hat-el, Economic Adviser to the Minister of Transport, Israel, describes the operation of bus services in Israel, which can be regarded as being in the intermediate stage between a developing and developed country.
Mr. Hard describes, in particular, the co-operative type of bus operation, which forms some 87 per cent of the country's regular public transport and 98 per cent oforganized bus routes. One of the co-operatives, Egged. controls 60 per cent of bus transport in Israel. It has 6,000 workers, of which 3.600 are members and 2.400 employees. All managerial posts are held by members of the co-operative, a framework which calls for equal rights and obligations for all members, who earn the same salary regardless of their positions. The general membership elects every two years all managerial, legislative and supervisory bodies.
To join the co-operative a person must buy a share worth about £3,100, so that 3.5 new members can finance the purchase of a new bus. In actual fact, 2-2..5 new members and 1-1.5 new employees join the co-operative " per bus ": Most new members lack financial resources and the . co-operative helps by extending credit which they defray by overtime and savings. Last year 450 new buses were added to the fleet, 250 as replacements and the remainder additions. Some 60 per cent of the cost came from the depreciation fund and fares. 25 per cent from new members' payments and 15 per cent from loans.
Co-ordination and Construction 0 further reports are also to be made to the UITP
Congress next week. Mr. W. Lassow, assistant to the chairman of the New' York City Transit Authority, is reporting on "Co-ordination of underground traffic with other means of transport ". Members of the International Commission on Standardization of Motorbuses are reporting on the progress of studies on this subject. to which is added a paper by Mr. V: Puecinelli. chief engineer of ATAC. Rome, on the " Use of lightweight melqls and plastic materials in motorbus construction ".