Urban Transport in the OIC Megacities
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3.4. Mode Availability and Shares
There is a great variety in the mobility patterns encountered in different cities across the world,
primarily in terms of mode choice and trip lengths. This is the case even among cities of similar levels
of wealth, indicating that socioeconomic factors are only one among several determining factors. The
differences in contemporary urban mobility are largely determined by the relationship between land
use and transport. At the same time, this relationship is not isolated from broader trends within and
across different urban transport modes. Most significantly the rapidly accelerating global levels of
motorization in the last five decades and the substantial shift away from non-motorized transport
(Rode et al, 2014).
In the analysis provided here, three main categories of urban travel are differentiated: private
motorized, public and non-motorized transport. For each mode the current trends are examined both
in developed and developing contexts. Finally, measures focused on each mode are analysed and it is
explained how current unsustainable modal splits can change in order to achieve sustainable urban
mobility.
3.4.1. Private motorized transport
3.4.1.1. Private motorized transport in megacities in developed countries
Over the past 50 years, private motorized transport has grown rapidly in cities around the world.
Between 1960 and 2010, the number of registered cars worldwide increased more than sevenfold,
from nearly 100 million to over 700 million, while the number of registered trucks and buses
increased more than tenfold, from nearly 30 million to over 300 million. By 2010, the total number of
registered motor vehicles (excluding two-wheelers) in the world was equal to 1 billion. In absolute
terms and in spite of the stabilizing growth rates in private vehicles, developed countries still have the
highest number of passenger cars per 1000 inhabitants (Rode et al, 2014).
However, as urban networks reach saturation and the contribution of automobile to the deteriorating
quality of urban life becomes clear, restrictive policies for vehicles become more popular. Despite the
global trend towards increasing motorization, new and alternative patterns of transport planning
have emerged in recent years, and several cities have increased their share of public and non-
motorized transport and reduced car ownership. For example, between 2000 and 2010 levels of car
ownership in New York, London and Berlin have been declining. There is evidence that shows that
although the correlation between wealth and car ownership at a country level is very clear, there is a
less clear relationships for cities above a wealth level of 20,000 USD/capita (Rode et al, 2014).
Fiscal policies
Various policy measures have been implemented in developed countries in order to reduce the use
and the impacts of motorization. To begin with, effective fiscal policy is considered a key tool for
delivering equitable and sustainable urban mobility. Fiscal instruments are used widely in the
transport sector in order to manage the total transport demand, shift users from private cars to public
and non-motorized transport, improve the performance of sustainable modes and collect the
necessary funds in order to shift cities away from carbon and resource intensive mobility patterns.
The rationale of fiscal policies is to internalize the external costs of transport (congestion,
environmental costs and accidents). In relation to private motorized vehicles, fiscal policies can be
applied to vehicle purchase, circulation and use. Vehicle purchase taxes and circulation charges such
as registration or road tax can be applied differentially to meet a range of policy objectives, and may
be used to influence both aggregate demand for vehicle ownership and vehicle choice. Fiscal policies
can also be targeted at improving overall fuel efficiency and emissions standards, and key
performance drivers such as vehicle size and weight, engine size, engine technology and fuel type
(Rode et al, 2014).