Planning of National Transport Infrastructure
In the Islamic Countries
124
integrated transport demand model and microscopic simulation models for short term solutions
of traffic problems. Data analysis is the phase before the decision is being taken for the
implementation plan of the proposed measures and policies in a five-year horizon. The model is
used for the required transport planning tasks, like the development of the road and the public
transport network and services.
Commercial entities do not release data for use in transport planning. Respondents also indicate
that availability of data for public, commercial or for academic use is limited and could be
improved.
3.5.7. Monitoring System
A stable system of monitoring and evaluation programs can ensure the sound implementation
of public policies and strategic program with maximum impact. A rigorous program is essential
for prioritizing policy and regulatory actions. Qatar Vision, being the responsibility of the
Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics Surveys, has 14-16 strategy teams that decide
and monitor the implementation of the strategy. In Qatar implementation agencies do the
follow-up of the implementation of the NTI actions. In the evaluation phase, intended as the
periodic assessment of overall achievements, the highlighted major bottlenecks of the NTI
planning are usually related to data collection difficulties and the successful promotion and
implementation of the NTI plan. In particular, the former challenge is generally object of further
analysis in a final assessment of the case study and usually its main difficulty is that it takes
longer than the allowed time, therefore delaying and extending stakeholder consultations,
meeting and presentations to decision makers for directions.
The overall assessment of the effectiveness and success of the previous NTI planning practices
has been positive up to now when comparing objectives with outcomes mainly from the
Transportation Master Plan of Qatar (TMPQ), Qatar Strategic TransportationModel and concept
design for roads in Qatar phases 1, 2 and 3. However, the issue is whether the objectives in the
plan are the right ones. The questioning of planning decisions is appropriate because they have
led to increased use of private vehicles, congestion, pollution, high levels of land use, traffic
accidents and enormous consumption of energy. The question remains whether the economy
has really benefited from such, as may be called, extravagance. It is right to ask these questions.
The results of the questionnaire point at the need to stimulate the education of monitoring and
evaluation in tertiary education in Qatar.
3.5.8. Conclusions
In summary, the transport sector has been involved in the high-speed development, which has
characterised Qatar in the last decades. It is interesting to see if Qatar will comply with the
objectives set by the Qatar Vision 2030 and will also be able, 8 years before this conclusive time
period, to face the global event of the World Cup 2022. Transport infrastructure and especially
public transports will have to face a consistent wave of tourist and football-lovers coming from
all over the world and needing to move from a stadium to another in a short time. Therefore, a
high effort is needed by entities to guarantee a sound and fast commuting not only in every-day
life but also in occasions of these big events. Based on the analyses in the previous sections, the
conclusion for each NTI planning aspect can be drawn as follows: