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China has experienced major economic growth and urbanization in the last few decades. Though growth is necessary to ensure socio-economic progress, it brings along its own challenges and issues like traffic congestion (Shen, 1997).
This has been necessitated by the lack of infrastructure and the growth of jobs in the rural areas. Due to the mass and rapid influx of population from rural areas, city planners face many challenges.
For one, the pressure on traffic, congestion of roads and deficient services to citizens pose a huge problem. According to Peng (2004), traffic congestion is one of the main problems in many cities.
For instance, the average speed in central Beijing was 45 kmph in 1994, which dropped to 12 kmph in 2003. Many arterial roads are more choked than others, with speeds of 7 kmph. 20% of the roads are always grid locked in rush hour.
The average speed of buses dropped from 35 kmph in the 1950s to 10 kmph in 2004 in Shanghai. It is the largest metropolis in China and planning for the future of the city will help reduce the challenges that people may face in later years.
We will examine the following facets related to Shanghai – problem of motorization and traffic congestion, effects on sustainability, causes of rapid growth, transport characteristics and data, types of transport, pressure on transport systems, challenges faced by city planners, options available to solve or reduce the impact of the problems, and recommended solutions.
While it is a concurrent facet of economic growth, it is important to understand and analyze the reasons for the rapid urbanization in Shanghai; with a view to plan effective remedies for the future.
One of the main reasons for the rapid growth is the national policy - to increase automobile ownership. This was done to improve the growth rate of the economy, but it has created many other problems which is affecting urban areas and quality of life of the people in the large cities.
While the disposable incomes of people went up and people were able to afford more cars, the consequences of this growth have not been very fruitful. To circumvent the problem of rapid urban growth, roads have been expanded and mass transit systems like subways, rapid bus transit and light rail systems have been implemented.
As detailed in the Shanghai Metropolitan Transport plan of 2002, the plan was to increase the network of roads and build rail capacity. City planners and municipal bodies have gone ahead and enhanced the infrastructure to keep pace with rapid population explosion.
However, this is a supply-side strategy and remains questionable. Government bodies have been keen to showcase modernized transport systems as great achievements, but this limits the planning and innovation needed to build systems for the future.
Planning and implementation of modern infrastructure has become limited to modernization of the system, with no emphasis on non – motorized modes of transport. Alternative transport options like buses, bicycles, waterways, have not been considered as viable solutions.
There is a need to study the transport habits of rural and urban populations before deciding on a course of action. This is particularly true for the urban poor. Many of these residents use buses or prefer biking and walking. These are important since the distances travelled by such urban poor are generally not as long.
Many of the urban poor rely on contract labor jobs and need cheap access to their workplace and other services like health and shopping. By banning the use of bicycles, accessibility of the urban poor has been restricted. In addition many of the older zones in the city have been redeveloped; so many urban poor are forced to move to suburban zones.
Modern mass transit systems have helped to some extent, but the higher prices and geographical locations makes it very difficult for the urban poor to access these systems. Therefore there is a growing chasm between the demand and supply of urban infrastructure (Riano, n.d.).
Many surveys have indicated the causal factors for the pressure on transport systems in Shanghai. Influx in to the city and movements of housing zones within cities, have largely resulted in people taking more number of trips, longer trips and independent trips (non-transit).
Urgent steps will need to be taken to understand the demand and supply of future travel and incorporate solutions in the city’s planning process. Statistics relating to the transport system in Shanghai reveals that from 1900 to 2000, there was a 40% increase in the total length of roads, corresponding to a four-fold increase in the number of cars (1 million) (Riano, n.d.).
It is estimated that by 2020, Shanghai will be home to around 2.5 million private cars with the daily motor trips increasing to 7 million as compared to 3 million in 2000. These are really alarming figures and more needs to be done, quickly to stem this tide. Delays and inaction will give rise to more challenges in mass transportation and sustainability of the city, impeding economic growth (Yulin et al., n.d.).
With the increase in number of private cars, the city is facing high levels of traffic congestion and pollution. Effects of Carbon Monoxide and greenhouse gases are detrimental to health.
One of the key reasons for the traffic congestion, especially in downtown Shanghai is due to the rampant development of the land and street facades being used for commercial activities.
According to Pardo, (n.d.), the role of transport in any urban metropolis cannot be underestimated. Cities will continue to grow and become centers of trade, commerce and industry.
The sector is also mainly responsible for health issues in Shanghai, like air pollution, noise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and accidents. The growth of the transport systems should co-relate with the growth in delivery of social services.
Planning must involve a more integrated vision and care must be taken to include factors such as social impact, environmental impact and cultural impact. Cities must become more livable and planning should be more focused on developing a sustainable future.
According to Riano, (n.d.), an analysis of transportation data throws up some interesting facts. We see that there are about 1 million cars but 66% of trips in Shanghai are done by use of bicycles and scooters. Bicycles form an important part of the system and we are building 180 km of bike lanes.
Metro system has been effective and the five lines built since 1995 have transported around 1.8 million people every day. Shanghai has grown rapidly, comprising an area of 7,037.50 km2 with seven suburban districts, Chongming Island and 11 satellite cities and 22 large towns. Despite all this growth and 1 million cars, bicycles remain as the number one mode of transportation in the city - with 14 million bicycles in 2003, growing at 1 million a year.
Many of the challenges that we face arise out of the rapid rise of motorization. Though there have been many efforts at modernizing the transport system and infrastructure, deficiencies remain. The deterioration of the city’s environment remains a cause for great concern.
The rise of our population out of poverty has enabled them to buy more private forms of transportation. There are 3 times more motor vehicles per 1000 people, today than in the last 3 decades. Ownership of a car is highly aspirational for the population (Peng, Sun and Lu, 2012). Public transport is seen as largely inadequate or unsafe.
We, as city planners traditionally have been focused on a car focused approach to transport policy like in the developed nations. However I feel that the model is flawed due to many reasons.
For one, the growth in population in many developed nations is either slow or declining, as compared to China and Shanghai. Consequently many developing nations are re-focusing their goals from a car based approach to a public transit and non-motorized approach.
Environmental sustainability should remain a key focus area. Future influx of population may result in the increased use of mass transit systems, but its dependence on bus modes, will further add pressure to the traffic congestion. Demand for door-to-door services with buses or similar modes will add to pressure and purchase of private cars (Hayashi et al., 2004).
Countries around the region are experimenting with new ways to improve the transport system. One such approach is to re-allocate road space for public transport and non-motorized modes. In many cities, the space available for driving cars or parking has been reduced drastically.
In other countries, road taxes and congestion taxes have been imposed which are quite expensive and prohibitive. In Singapore, car purchase is monitored by the government and is restricted.
We, in Shanghai were the first in China to implement a policy of restricting vehicle registration by using the bid-auction method. This has had some success in reducing the car population in the city, but the overall problem of congestion still remains (Peng, 2004).
One of the major issues of expansion of roads and similar infrastructure, in response to growth, is a total disregard for environmental systems and the delivery of quality of life for people.
Studies have shown that such expansion, though beneficial in the short term, will have negative consequences in future; leading to more traffic congestion. As mentioned earlier, air pollution is one of the main issues of concern to city planners.
Many cities, including Shanghai, face high levels of pollution and struggle to stay below the norms set by the World Health Organization (WHO). High levels of pollutants lead to many respiratory diseases – like Bronchitis, Asthma and cardiovascular diseases too.
In the year 2000, about 15,000 cases of chronic bronchitis and 7,200 premature deaths in Shanghai were attributed to particulate matter (PM10), causing a loss of around $880 million.
Another issue which is central to the rapid growth of motorized transportation is the increase in the number of road accidents and its effect on safety. Lack of road safety has reached dangerous proportions, globally, with more than 90% of road deaths in low to middle income countries.
In view of the above data and analysis, it is important that we as city planners for Shanghai think of new approaches to plan for our future. To begin with, we must look at an integrated view of the problem (Pan, 2011).
This should be based on the following factors – 1. Land use for commerce – ensure coordination between all the different wings of the government to focus on sustainability 2. Transport and housing – take in to account distances from work 3. Greater focus on environment – less cars, control on emissions, fuel standards and enforcement 4. Focus on non-motorized transport – have car-free days in downtown areas and encourage use of bicycles and walking
5. Enhancing mass transit 6. Restrict use of private transport – higher fees, odd and even number plan, taxation 7. Development linked to transit corridors – plan new housing and offices closer to mass transit zones 8. Management of travel demand – understand demand patterns 9. Incentivize use of new technology and work ideas – electric cars, work from home options and so on.
Our planning also should be more focused on two very important population segments – the physically challenged and senior citizens.
Special parking slots and barrier free options should be encouraged during construction of new facilities. Modes of transport should be synchronized in rush hour for easier changeovers. All these efforts will help us build a sustainable transport system for Shanghai - by improving mobility, cost efficiency, enabling more accessibility, safety, comfort and becoming people and environment friendly.
References
Hayashi, Y., Doi, K., Yagishita, M., and Kuwata, M. (2004). Urban Transport Sustainability:
Asian Trends, Problems and Policy Practices. EJTIR. 4 (1), pp 27-45.
Pan, H. (2011). Implementing Sustainable Urban Travel Policies in China. International
Transport Forum. Retrieved from:
http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/jtrc/DiscussionPapers/DP201112.pdf
Pardo, C. F. (n.d.). Shanghai Manual – A Guide for Sustainable Urban Development in the
21st Century. un.org. Retrieved from:
http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/susdevtopics/sdt_pdfs/shanghaimanual/Chapter%204%20-
%20Sustainable%20urban%20transport.pdf
Peng, Z. R. (2004). Urban Transportation Strategies in Chinese Cities and Their Impacts on
the Urban Poor. Wilson Center. Retrieved from:
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/urban-transportation-strategies-chinese-
cities-and-their-impacts-the-urban-poor
Peng, Z. R., Sun, J., and Lu, Q.C. (2012). China’s Public Transportation:
Problems, Policies, and Prospective of Sustainability. ite.org. Retrieved from:
http://www.ite.org/membersonly/itejournal/pdf/2012/JB12EA36.pdf
Riano, Q. (n.d.). Shanghai Mobility On Demand Urban Implementation Case Study. mit.edu.
Retrieved from: http://smartcities.media.mit.edu/pdf/Mobility_on_Demand_ShanghaiCaseStudy.pdf
Shen, Q. (1997). URBAN TRANSPORTATION IN SHANGHAI, CHINA: PROBLEMS
AND PLANNING IMPLICATIONS. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. 21 (4). P 589-606.
Yulin, J., Liguang, F., Wu, H and Xu, R. (n.d.). Challenges and Policy Options for
Sustainable Urban Transportation Development in China. vref.se. Retrieved from:
http://www.vref.se/download/18.53e8780912f2dbbe3a580001426/5.Challenges+and+Policy+Options+for+Sustainable+Urban+Transportation+Development+in+China.pdf
