Transport Notes

53 items available

Permanent URI for this collection

The goal of Transport Notes series is dissemination of recent experiences and innovations in the World Bank Group’s transport sector operations.

Items in this collection

Now showing 1 - 10 of 27
  • Publication
    Addis Ababa Sidewalk Safety and Improvement Study: Project Report
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-02-28) World Bank
    Walking is a predominant mode of travel in Addis Ababa representing more than half of the daily trips. The mild climate in Addis Ababa is conducive for this healthy and green mode of transport. However, sidewalks are often narrow, uneven, obstructed, or non-existent, causing discomfort and road safety risks to the most vulnerable road users: pedestrians. Studies done by the WHO and the Government showed that AA has disproportionately high pedestrian fatalities. The World Bank study on Addis Ababa Sidewalk Safety and Improvement takes the approach of integrating digital technology and Urban Inventory in sidewalk surveys, applies the Global Walkability Index in sidewalk assessments, and adapts the global best practice to the local context. The Project Report diagnoses sidewalk conditions and walkability in a Light Rail Corridor, proposes strategies and formulates low-hanging fruit actions to redress the sidewalk deficiencies, and bridges the connection between pedestrians, sidewalks, urban design, and road safety through an integrated multi-sector approach.
  • Publication
    Addis Ababa Sidewalk Design and Maintenance Guidelines
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-02-28) World Bank
    Walking is a predominant mode of travel in Addis Ababa representing more than half of the daily trips. The mild climate in Addis Ababa is conducive for this healthy and green mode of transport. However, sidewalks are often narrow, uneven, obstructed, or non-existent, causing discomfort and road safety risks to the most vulnerable road users: pedestrians. Studies done by the WHO and the Government showed that AA has disproportionately high pedestrian fatalities. The study on Addis Ababa Sidewalk Safety and Improvement takes the approach of integrating digital technology and Urban Inventory in sidewalk surveys, applies the Global Walkability Index in sidewalk assessments, and adapts the global best practice to the local context. The Addis Ababa Sidewalk Design and Maintenance Guidelines seek to promote the development of quality pedestrian infrastructure and environments, based on the condition’s assessment and global best practices. The design specifications and visual rendering provide recommendations for the policy makers to consider when developing the City’s design and maintenance standards for urban roads, sidewalks, public spaces, and transit-oriented development, some of which are being carried out as part of the technical assistance program of the World-Bank financed Transport Systems Improvement Project (TRANSIP).
  • Publication
    Toward Efficient, Sustainable and Safe Urban Transport in Madagascar: Antananarivo and Other Major Cities - Synthesis Report
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-01-31) World Bank
    Madagascar remains to exploit agglomeration economies and urbanization economies to sustain more rigorous economic growth. After several political and economic crises, Madagascar restored its modest but steady growth path with an average growth rate of 3.5 percent in the last 5 years (before the COVID-19 pandemic). Yet, the country’s performance remains less favorably compared with other countries in the region. Poverty is persistently high in Madagascar, with a large spatial disparity in poverty incidence across areas. Most rural residents, about 80 percent, remain poor. Urban poverty is relatively modest but is also an important challenge for Madagascar. The urban poor is particularly vulnerable to external shocks, such as COVID19. The pandemic is likely to reverse more than a decade of gains in poverty reduction in Madagascar. This report aims to: (i) review the trends of urban transport developments in major cities in Madagascar, (ii) analyze the present and future demand for urban mobility with focus on Greater Antananarivo, (iii) review the current public infrastructure governance in the urban transport sector, comparing the government’s urban transport programs and other complementary interventions, to maximize the synergy among the programs, and (iv) provide high priority policy recommendations.
  • Publication
    Electric Buses: Why Now?
    (International Finance Corporation, Washington, DC, 2020-01) Graham, John
    There is a quiet revolution underway in a previously sleepy segment of the transport sector: the electrification of municipal buses and other intra-city vehicles. As McKinsey reported last October, the compound annual growth rate of battery-electric buses has exceeded 100 percent since 2013- surpassing that of every other electric vehicle segment. Investing in battery-electric buses - as well as other high-use vehicles, such as e-delivery trucks - is an effective way for International Finance Corporation (IFC) to move the needle on air quality and greenhouse emissions from urban transportation. The opportunity is massive, and IFC has the capacity to fast-track implementation. It’s time to hit the accelerator. A cocktail of technology, investment, and scale in electric buses (and other high-use intra-city electric vehicles) will soon reach a point where reliability and cost advantages create the death spiral for internal combustion engines. Superior technology and declining costs will eventually overwhelm the old, static, diesel driven transportation paradigm.
  • Publication
    An EV Playbook for Electric Buses
    (International Finance Corporation, Washington, DC, 2020-01) Graham, John
    What are the critical questions to ask if one is contemplating an e-vehicle program? Based on the technical and business proposals International Finance Corporation (IFC) has seen so far, this report presents some factors for e-bus proposals. The broad-based electrification of buses and other urban transport represents a massive investment opportunity for IFC and other investors to invest in higher quality, sustainable transport while addressing climate change and improving air quality. At the same time, this sector is beset with some of the trickiest issues related to transport infrastructure, power, municipal finance, and even local politics.
  • Publication
    E-Bus Economics: Fuzzy Math?
    (International Finance Corporation, Washington, DC, 2020-01) Graham, John
    Electrifying the global urban vehicle fleet depends on the convergence of several economic, technological, and political factors. However, the big shift to electric vehicles will likely take place only when the economics of owning and operating electric becomes a no-brainer. Using the example of electric buses, two factors must fall into place before the electric option can take off: first, the upfront cost needs to come down and second, there needs to be a change in procurement culture towards lifecycle cost or total cost of ownership (TCO). If utilities can structure out fluctuations in power costs (through PPAs) and the marketplace moves to leasing and other fixed-price operations and maintenance arrangements, these calculations can standardize across the board quickly. This is when the math starts to get a lot less fuzzy.
  • Publication
    Bumps in the Road: Challenges to E-bus Implementation
    (International Finance Corporation, Washington, DC, 2020-01) Graham, John
    Dozens of municipalities are experimenting with e-buses, while some last-mile delivery companies are using pilot fleets to test performance. At the same time, a smaller group of operators are pushing ahead with more drastic, big bang efforts to put dozens or even hundreds of electric vehicles into service. The authors saw how some locations have already reached total cost of ownership (TCO) parity, while other places will require further reductions in costs and perhaps some forward-thinking tax and tariff policies. The bad news is that the track record for electric buses to date has been mixed, and e-bus adoption has not scaled up as fast as many had hoped due to institutional, technical, and financial challenges. For those seeking to stay the course with internal combustion engines, there are plenty of valid arguments. This report will bring some of the problems out in the open.
  • Publication
    Motorization Management in Ethiopia
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017) Gorham, Roger; Hartmann, Olivier; Qiu, Yin; Bose, Dipan; Kamau, Henry; Akumu, Jane; Kaenzig, Robin; Krishnan, Raman V.; Kelly, Alina; Kamakaté, Fanta
    Motorization management is the process of shaping, through public policies and programs, the profile, quality, and quantity of the motor vehicle fleet as motorization occurs. Across Africa, governments are struggling to manage the effects of rapid motorization and urbanization. In the past two decades, Africa has been the fastest urbanizing region in the world, growing at 3.44 percent on average which is much higher than the rate of other rapid developing regions, such as Asia and Latin America. Given that Africa remains the least developed region, the rapid urban growth pace will likely accelerate motorization development and challenge the limited resource base to meet the demand of the growing urban populations. While this motorization potentially means that more African people will be able to claim the benefits of improved access to opportunities and mobility, it raises alarming questions about the sustainability of this future. Will countries be able to build and maintain infrastructure to accommodate these vehicles Will the quality of the vehicles support African development goals and the region’s ability to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and climate obligations This report lays out plausible motorization policies that can be implemented by the government of Ethiopia.
  • Publication
    Motorization Management in Kenya
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017) Gorham, Roger; Hartmann, Olivier; Qiu, Yin; Bose, Dipan; Kamau, Henry; Akumu, Jane; Kaenzig, Robin; Krishnan, Raman V.; Kelly, Alina; Kamakaté, Fanta
    Motorization management is the process of shaping, through public policies and programs, the profile, quality, and quantity of the motor vehicle fleet as motorization occurs. Across Africa, governments are struggling to manage the effects of rapid motorization and urbanization. In the past two decades, Africa has been the fastest urbanizing region in the world, growing at 3.44 percent on average which is much higher than the rate of other rapid developing regions, such as Asia and Latin America. While this motorization potentially means that more African people will be able to claim the benefits of improved access to opportunities and mobility, it raises alarming questions about the sustainability of this future. Will countries be able to build and maintain infrastructure to accommodate these vehicles Will the quality of the vehicles support African development goals and the region’s ability to meet the sustainable development goals and climate obligations This report lays out plausible motorization policies that can be implemented by the government of Kenya.
  • Publication
    Accessibility of Urban Transport for People with Disabilities and Limited Mobility : Lessons from East Asia and the Pacific
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-04) Babinard, Julie; Wang, Wei; Bennett, Christopher R.; Mehndiratta, Shomik
    Accessibility of transport is not always a priority in transport planning and implementation. There can be barriers in the physical environment and delivery of services that render transport inaccessible. The principle of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD) brings new momentum to ensuring accessibility in the delivery of transport infrastructure and services. The CRPD recognizes that obstacles and barriers to indoor and outdoor public facilities and buildings and the physical environment should be removed to ensure equal access by people with disabilities and all members of society. This note summarizes the analysis done of the accessibility features of recent transport projects in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region. It seeks to highlight good practice in national laws, policies and project implementation to improve the welfare of transport users across projects. The overarching objective is to suggest how to improve the implementation of accessibility features in transport projects for people with disabilities and people with limited mobility. Mobility and access requirements of people with disabilities should be considered by planning and designing barrier- free transport systems. This implies an understanding and identification of the circumstances that create barriers for people with disabilities. Many countries have made progress in reducing barriers in the transport environment, particularly in high income countries. Countries have implemented regulation and design guidelines which explicitly consider accessibility for people with disabilities.