Urban Transport in the OIC Megacities
153
planning framework for new developments which can be a very good starting point for a paradigm
shift.
However, infrastructure projects should also be planned and built taking into account the local
environment. For example, the common practice to build more bypasses and flyovers to alleviate the
congestion in central areas should be abandoned as it has been proven ineffective. Key infrastructure
projects that do not disrupt the urban environment should be built in an integrated traffic
management system so as to avoid induced traffic and should be maintained appropriately in order to
deliver their value. It should be noted that another common misconception is that the megacities’
problems can only be resolved by megaproject, which has also been proven unsuccessful. Big
infrastructure projects, particularly highways and bridges are known for disrupting the cohesion and
social continuity of the urban environment and contribute to its environmental degradation.
6.2.2. Mode availability and shares
However, influencing existing transport and urban development patterns is more challenging and
requires further investigation of the potential synergies between different policies and measures.
Curbing motorization is possibly the most challenging task for transport planners in megacities and
therefore requires the utilisation of a combination of tools, measures and policies. It is considered that
the most important synergy in this case is the combination of private vehicle purchase and circulation
restrictions and public and non-motorized transport improvements. Banning or restricting private
vehicles from central areas without providing a better alternative is unlikely to be successful. Gradual
but consistent restrictions and improvements are more likely to encourage the population to make
more sustainable mobility options. However, measures should be selected carefully in order to match
the local conditions in a city. For example, park and ride facilities combined with dedicated free buses
going to city centres have been proven successful in many cities in the developed world but they may
not be a particularly good measure for cities in the developed world where land is expensive and
housing needs are urgent.
In the case of Islamic megacities particular attention should be paid in order to provide balanced,
solutions for all modes, especially to those that have received little attention in the past. In most cases
this is NMT which has been widely ignored in favour of motorized modes over the past two decades.
Curbing the use of private cars is essential in order to promote NMT and coordinated actions are
needed in order to achieve the desirable results in both cases. The complementarily between the
introduced measures and strategies should be examined as a whole but not in isolation of the existing
conditions.
The organic patterns of development particularly in the cores of Islamic megacities can be more than
a challenge. The dense street networks and the mixed uses favour movements by NMT which means
that there is already a viablemobility alternative to private car. In addition, the formal public transport
operations have the potential to be complemented by the existing informal operations, by allowing
them to act without or under loose regulations in order to maintain their current functions of
providing accessibility in informal areas, covering the need of in new housing areas and offering
employment to new citizens. Finally, the existingmodal mix on streets and the multiple trade activities
can be preserved by introducing traffic calming regulations and therefore improve the existing
conditions without disrupting the current social activity taking place on the streets. Embracing local
conditions can in many cases be more efficient and effective than completely altering them to achieve
western standards.
6.2.3. Institutions and organizational structure
Sustainable urban transport requires institutional and organizational coordination in order to ensure
that appropriate rights and authority are given to both bottom up and top down planning. On the one
hand, a clearly defined institutional framework should support the consolidation of responsibilities
and coordination of activities of all stakeholders. Examples of central transport authorities in