Improving Transport Project Appraisals
In the Islamic Countries
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Beyond road sections, a very similar framework was suggested in 2018 for prioritizing urban
arterial/freeway interchange types121.
The MCA is the analysis used by the PTA as well in the framework of public transport
masterplans for mid-size cities. The choice of MCA does not stem from any requirement, but it
is a regarded as a good practice to follow. In the structure of the masterplans, the MCA is carried
out after preliminary studies on the local area (e.g. social, economic, environmental and
transport-specific aspects), travel demand forecasts and the identification of alternatives. The
MCA is performed in order to evaluate alternative options, and leads towards the selection of a
preferred project.
The MCA approach adopted in urban transport masterplans is as follows. The PTA initially
identifies the goals of the study (e.g. social, environmental, economic goals) and relevant proxies
to measure the achievement of these objectives. Subsequently, the alternatives are defined and
the different aspects are measured for each alternative (e.g. travel time, accidents). Alternatives
are then evaluated based on the criteria previously established: criteria are in fact identified for
a series of studies, so that different studies are comparable with each other (for the different
urban transport masterplans, criteria are for instance very similar).
When project alternatives are to be selected, a CBA is sometimes performed as well. The use of
CBA has not been systematic so far, and this is not expected to change soon, despite the study
which will be launched in the near future by the PTA in order to prepare guidelines with a
standardised methodology for assessing costs and benefits of transport projects. As a matter of
fact, no study is in itself sufficient to change widespread practices: proper and timely
dissemination actions, for instance, will need to accompany the release of the guidelines.
Items
According to interviewed stakeholders, an appraisal report typically includes the following
items: project identification; demand analysis; technical design; management plan; time plan;
financial analysis; economic analysis; environmental analysis; performance of the contractor. In
particular, in large scale projects such as the public transport networks for the five largest cities,
these elements are clearly identified, included and detailed.
On a different note, effects of transport infrastructure projects typically included in the appraisal
process are: time savings; safety (to which a very strong emphasis is attached); environmental
impacts; local impacts. More specifically on environment, the 2011 Strategy explicitly mentions
that environmental considerations shall be included into the planning process for all projects
and plans and across transport modes. The following aspects in particular are reported to be
frequently considered in transport project appraisals: air pollution; GHG emissions; the use of
environment-friendly materials; the conservation of groundwater. In the field of public
121 Jamaleddin, K. and Kaysi I., 2018. A Framework for Prioritizing Urban Arterial/Freeway Interchange Types using Multi-
Criteria Analysis , Transportation Research Record.