Codatu VIII in 1998 - Cape Town (South Africa)
Topic of the conference : "Urban transport policy - a sustainable development tool "

Summary of proceedings by Christian Jamet and Peter Freeman, Co-Presidents of the International Scientific Committee.

Ladies and gentlemen ,
Over 250 proposals were submitted to the International Scientific Committee of CODATU VIII and of these, 180 were invited to submit papers. On hundred and fifty seven papers were accepted to be published in the Conference's proceedings and about 130 presented in the technical sessions over the past three days.
These figures clearly demonstrate the great interest of the many authorities responsible for urban and suburban transport and of the international community of scientific and technical experts for the conference's main theme "urban transportation policy : a sustainable development tool ".
The Organizing Committee chose the theme in the context of the findings of the Conference of the United Nations on Human Settlements "Habitat II".
The authors of the papers have come from over 40 different countries, and the participants of the confernece from over 50. Both presentations and discussions have been excellent and we will now try to summarise the main ideas on your behalf.
These conclusions are the result of a magnificent effort by the International Scientific Committee and both Co-Presidents would like to thank all members most sincerely for their efforts in the run up and during the Conference.

The point of departure for these conclusions is clear : urban transport in many developing countries is in crisis ! From the feedback received from many papers during the Conference, we are able to make the following conclusions concerning the general context, service levels, need for mobility and environmental effects of different policies:

- against a background of an ever-increasing urban population, there is often a lack of co-ordination and integration between urban and transportation planning ;
- a failure in institutional organisation to clarify "who is responsible for policy, planning and implementation and who is financing what? " ;
- a financial crisis in terms of provision of infrastructure and the operation of services ;
- the difficulties met by urban public transport and the financial fragility of public or private operators ;
- a significant proportion of per capita income is being dedicated to transport, especially by the low income groups ;
- a strong need for access and mobility is demanded by urban residents, but is not always satisfied ;
- a rising number of motorised vehicles, resulting in a worksening of traffic congestion on a deteriorating road network ;
- the worsening and high cost of road safety, leading to a high loss of life and casualties and a drain on medical resources ;
- increasing environmental pollution due to increasing use and growth of motor vehicles and a lack of visionary traffic management measures to minimise the use of private cars ;
- a lack of co-ordination between the different modes of transport and of segregation of non-motorised from motorised modes..
All these problems arise from a lack of priority given to urban transport, but they need to be considered against the various solutions suggested, either global or national.

Let us now come to the main topic of the conference :
- in what way can an urban transportation policy be a sustainable development tool ?
- we will now describe some general issues brought out by most of the papers presented.
The main role of a transport system is to meet the population's need for access and mobility. In this regard, the gradual spread of the location of work and residential areas outside the urban centres (perl-urban) has complicated and increased the demand for transport within urban areas. As mobility is also a factor of sustainable development, a comprehensive and coherent transportation policy is a necessary tool for development, economic comptetitiveness and social cohesion.
Can such a policy be a sustainable development tool ? to answer this question, it is important to emphasise the main factors for durability in regard to the preservation of adequate living conditions for future generations.
This factors include :
- the need to evolve a reliable financing system to ensure the provision, maintenance and expansion of the travel network ;
- the implementation of long-lasting solutions in the different fields of activity ;
- the preservation of the environment and of non-renewable resources ;
- the need for transport systems to be accessible to all of the population, which will help to reduce social and economic inequalities observed ;
- the social agreement on the policies implemented which must be subject to a real consensus between the different social groups.
The definition and the implemtation of an urban transport policy based on these factors is obviously a very ambitious undertaking. Morever, the approach must also take into account :
- durability : an incremental approach is recommended to ensure there is adequate capacity to undertake ambitious long-term projects to meet increasing demand for travel.
- the programme must be carried out with commitment by all stakeholders.
The durability of development linked with the implementation of a comprehensive transport policy depends to a large extent on the continuity of the actions undertaken and on the permanent search for adjustments and improvements necessary to preserve not only adequate living conditions for the coming generations, but also to improve the living conditions of the present generations.
This definition of sustainable development related to urban transport has not been changed by the debates in the Round Table and the Technical sessions. So, we can consider that this point has tacit approval of the Conference.
Although our earlier disgnosis may sound pessimistic, the papers published and prsented do show a real will to implement a comprehensive and coherent urban transport policy.

Your attention is drawn to the following factors in particular:
- a strong decentralising trend has been observed internationally which needs to be managed carefully according to local circumstances ;
- the importance of adjusting different action plans to take account of local peculiarities and circumstances is emphasised ;
- there is a necessity to have a "presentative" policy in small/medium size cities before traffic congestion escalates out of hand and environmental pollution becomes a menace to society.

Further points raised include :
- the acceptance of the regulatory role of government where applicable ,
- a strong need for effective institutional organisations ,,
- the need to define clear long-term objectives and to undertake short or medium term incremental action plans ,
- the search for innovative local technical solutions as opposed to the implementation of technical solutions copied from developed countries,
- the search for technical solutions at a reasonable cost,
- the contention that non-motorised modes of transport must not be neglected in an improvement of the efficiency of the existing networks,
- the need to take actions in order to improve road safety,
- the increasing importance of the concept of intermodality, resulting in an improvement of the efficiency of the existing networks,
- a necessity to prioritise public transport over private car usage and the need to provide better co-ordination between different modes of transport. In this regard, there are ways to achieve such an objective, e.g. adequate provision of public space, good parking policies and provision of good public transport networks and services ; in many countries there is a lack of co-ordination between urban planning and urban transportation.

Over and above these points is the fact that all the efforts made to improve urban transport should involve proper public participation and consultation. The Round Table presenters clearly made this point.
The list of strong points, emerging from the papers presented, would also be incomplete if we didnot mention the case of South Africa. This country is undertaking a process of large-scale reforms. The "Moving South Africa" strategy project suggested that difficult choices have to be made between competing projects. The implementation of an urban transport policy must be undertaken within such a framework, taking into account especially, the need to develop public transport for the use of the active population. "Moving South Africa" is a good example of the definition of a long-term strategy which has now to be implemented.
Most of the papers presented at the Conference show a consistent need to work methodically. They key work of this Conference is definitely "methods" :
- methods to define different aspects of transportation policy, by using surveys,
- methods to clearly formulate the problems to be solved,
- methods to look for a comprehensibe and integrated approach,
- methods to be used even where the actions to be implemented seem comparatively simple - the transport survey and land use/urban development teams for example must work together effectively,
- methods involving experimentation with new indicators to evaluate and monitor different policies at work ; and,
- methods to find coordination mechanisms for the different interest groups concerned with urban transport

In summary, the key word "methods" shows a pressing need felt by the participants for strong expert appraisal. This expertise would provide a solid foundation for the undertaking of action plans -whatever the field - by all stakeholders.
Both the Round Table and osme Technical sessions emphasised the importance of sound institutional arrangements. Moreover, there appears to be a need for strong international cooperation and it is here that CODATU can play a significant role.
Financial aspects have certainly been another of the author's main concerns at the Conference, but it appears to have been tackled in a reluctant manner. To deal with financial aspects, one's first (and main) target has to be to convince policy makers at local, national and even international level that the organisation of urban transport is a priority. If people are not fully aware that an efficient transport system is necessary for sustainable development of the economy and of the social cohesion of their city, the necessary political approval will not be forthcoming. Decision-makers must therefore be convinced that there is a need to provide good quality well-researched plans and objectives, highlighting the importance to the city of an efficient and effective transportation system. We all have a role in promoting this message.

To conclude this summary, we have decided to highlight two main points :
- First of all, this Conference has given the opportunity to over 500 delegates from more than 40 countries to debate our Conference theme : "Urban Transport Policy - A sustainable development tool". Through all the debates, both in the Round Table and in the field of urban and suburban transport. This point reinforces two needs where CODATU can play a significant role - the need for international cooperation via training and institutional strengthening and the need to encourage studies and research in the various fields of urban transport.
- The second point is about financial aspects. This is critical and we think that the main objective should be to convince policy makers at local, national and even international level that the organisation of urban transport is a priority. However, this is very difficult to achieve because of competing development needs in the different sectors ; i.e. housing, health, education and other urban services. Therefore, the solution is to have a comprehensive approach to urban development. Transport is not needed for its own sake but, without efficient transport, cities cannot function. A comprehensive role to urban planning is needed in which transport has an integral key input.