Urban Transport in the OIC Megacities
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For more information on see Appendix A2 - Cycling in the Netherlands: Lessons Learned from
Integrated Environmental, Urban and Transport Planning
3.4.3.2. NMT of megacities in developing countries
In the developingworldmegacities, non-motorizedmodes are often associatedwith poverty. Although
in many developing countries cycling is also considered a leisure activity, particularly for the middle
class, there are large parts of the population that rely completely on NMT for their mobility. Walking
is very often the only mode of transport for the very poor. The accessibility levels and the quality of
walking and cycling environment are significantly reduced by increasing motorization that is taking
over the footways and deteriorates air quality and safety in megacities. Official planning for NMT is
often completely absent, which means that even efforts to improve other modes are failing to achieve
their full potential as it becomes increasingly difficult to undertake connecting walking or cycling trips
in the cities. In addition, the forms of NMT in developing world megacities are not limited only to
walking and cycling but also include animal and human drawn vehicles and various forms of non-
motorized rickshaws and taxis. This usually creates a varied mix of modes on the streets which
reduces the efficiency of the traffic and also proves that planning should cater for non-motorized
modes to the same extent as for motorized.
Historically, developing cities often had a richer diversity of land uses and a more walkable urban
environment than their developed counterparts. Lax or non-existent land use regulations have
favoured an organic pattern of mixed land use in many developing cities. However, studies have
shown that the influence of dense and mixed land uses on residents’ mobility patterns is not as strong
as the design attributes of a neighbourhood, such as street connectivity and sidewalk provision.
Expanded, improved and upgraded pathways and streets are often important parts of slum upgrading
programmes. It is also suggested that smaller city blocks can also encourage foot travel in developing
cities. In Ahmedabad, the modal share of walking trips for neighbourhoods with an average block size
of 4 hectares was 13 percent, compared to 36 percent for otherwise similar neighbourhoods with an
average block size of 1.2 hectares. Another study found that in Shanghai, residents who lived in areas
with smaller blocks and denser road networks averaged around half the car ownership levels as those
living in more car oriented, superblock districts (Cervero, 2013).
In addition, NMT is critical for the economic functioning of developing world cities and particularly
for the urban poor as walking and cycling are often the only modes of transport they can afford. In
African cities, a third of all trips are walking trips while in places like Dakar and Douala this share is
much higher, over 60 percent. Cycling often represents a trade up from walking. In many of the
developing countries only middle income households can afford bicycles. Unlike in developed
countries, walking and cycling are less often associated with pleasure or exercise. In total, NMT
accounts for between 40 and 60 percent of all trips in several major cities while in poorer cities in
Africa this proportion is even higher. Modal share studies in developing countries have shown that
NMT is embedded in the mobility patterns of people across all ages as its share of each age cohort
correlates closely with its share in total mobility (World Bank, 2002).
Best practice case study: Cycling in the Netherlands: Lessons learned from integrated
environmental, urban and transport planning
The Netherlands is probably the leading country in planning for cycling and integrating cycling policies
in wider transport strategies. The OIC megacities can borrow from the Netherlands low cost
infrastructure, safety, and promotion policies that can be adapted to the local physical and socio-
cultural environment. The comparison with Rio de Janeiro proves that best practice can be shared with
big success. In the case of cycling, integration and consistency in planning across years and different
local governments are probably the biggest success factors. As promoting NMT does not entirely
depend on infrastructure (for example, Amsterdam has a lower total length of dedicated cycle lanes
than Santiago, Chile), political commitment and public support can provide a sufficient basis for
building strong cycling cultures.