Traffic progressively decreases within and between cities insuring seamless mobility across Lebanon

Build an efficient public transportation network so mobility is seamless and clean within Lebanese cities and between them

A Clean, Preserved and Resilient Environment

1.As demand approaches the capacity of a road (or of the intersections along the road), extreme traffic congestion sets in. Traffic congestion can lead to drivers becoming frustrated and developing mental health issues. It also constitutes a very high cost for the economy measurable in terms of losses in GDP

2.Congestion is usually measured by the number of vehicles that pass through a point in a given window of time

3.Congested roads can be seen as an example of the tragedy of the commons. Because roads in most places are free at the point of usage, there is little financial incentive for drivers not to over-use them, up to the point where traffic collapses into a jam when demand becomes limited by opportunity cost

4.Traffic congestion and high transport costs have huge detrimental effects on the development of lagging regions

1.Time travel index

2.Number of cars

3.% of green vehicles

4.Number of cars entering main cities daily

5.Average age of the fleet

6.Cost to the economy: 5-10% of GDP

7.CO2 and NO2 emissions

8.Modal split

9.Hours spent in traffic per year

1.Private cars make up approximately 90% of all vehicles in Lebanon

2.The roads of Lebanon are badly maintained and poorly designed

3.Lebanon’s endemic traffic congestion problem is estimated to cost the economy between 5 and 10 percent of its GDP annually

4.Due to poor transport connectivity, it takes more than 1 hour to travel 20 km to Beirut

5.This dynamic has the dual effect of exacerbating congestion in Beirut and increasing poverty in other regions

6.Improvement of traffic conditions in secondary cities, such as Tripoli and Saida, are overlooked

7.In small jammed roads, valet parkers and parked vehicles cause traffic

8.Traffic is one of the 3 main sources of air pollution in Lebanon

1.Commuting distances and time are growing because:

• Urban sprawl and the separation of work and residential areas
• Most economic activities are concentrated in Beirut

2.A major constraint to the development of Lebanon’s transport infrastructure is the high cost of land and the inability of the government to finance large land expropriations

3.The political clout of car importers

4.Lebanon’s hilly geography and narrow coastline

1.Formulation of Options for Transport Sector Policy in Lebanon, OMSAR, 2002

2.Eur-Med Transport Project (Summary Country Report for the Republic of Lebanon), 2003

3.Schema Directeur d’Aménagement du Territoire Libanais, 2004

4.CDR Development Program 2006-2009 for the transport sector

5.World bank project for a Bus Rapid Transit in Lebanon, a component of the Greater Beirut Public Transport Project for Lebanon, to improve the speed, quality and accessibility of public transport for passengers in Greater Beirut and at the city of Beirut’s northern entrance

Policy Action

Governance (institutional change):

1.Establish a public authority for land transport with a clear mandate to favor public and green transportation modes

Public Transportation (service provision):

1.Implement the WB Bus Rapid Transit project, a “high-quality bus transit system similar to a light rail or metro system”

2.Develop a feeder shuttle network at the caza level

3.Make cycling and walking safe and attractive options (service provision, nudges) (cf. Walkability and Bikeability, O8.b)

4.Explore a high speed ferry public transportation system

Private cars:

1.Progressive swap of the taxi fleet towards hybrid and/or fuel efficient cars (taxes and subsidies)

2.Increase taxes on SUVs and luxury cars (taxes and subsidies)

3.Hybrid and/or fuel efficient cars (taxes and subsidies)

4.Introduce tolls on select highways at select hours (taxes and subsidies)

Parking:

1.Develop park and ride facilities linking parking lots with coastal public transport connections (service provision)

2.Increase parking fares or charges within cities (taxes and subsidies)