2005年-世界发展银行全球_A_Study_of_Institutional_Financial_and_Regulatory_Frameworks_of_Urban_Transport_in_Large_Sub-Saharan_African_Cities_170页_1mb

Summary of the SSATP Working Paper No. 82: Urban Transport Institutional, Financial and Regulatory Frameworks in Large Sub-Saharan African Cities

Core Content

This working paper presents the findings of a study conducted by Adam Smith International on the institutional, financial and regulatory frameworks of urban transport systems in four large Sub-Saharan African cities: Dakar (Senegal), Douala (Cameroon), Kampala (Uganda) and Nairobi (Kenya). The study was commissioned by the Sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP), a joint initiative of the World Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The objective was to assess the performance of urban transport systems and identify mechanisms to improve them in different cultural and political contexts.

Main Requirements of a Well Performing Urban Transport System

The study outlines seven key requirements for a well performing urban transport system:

1. Affordability: Transport should be affordable for all users.
2. Safety: Transport systems must ensure the safety of passengers and pedestrians.
3. Reasonable Journey Times: Efficient and timely transport services are essential.
4. Quality of Service: Services should be reliable and comfortable.
5. Environment: Transport should minimize environmental impact.
6. Satisfactory Working Conditions: Operators must work in safe and fair conditions.
7. Appropriate Institutions: There should be effective institutions to ensure sustainability, including financial resource generation, operational efficiency, regulation enforcement and performance monitoring.

Current Performance of the Urban Transport Systems

The study finds that the current systems in the four cities perform only moderately well against these seven criteria:

• Affordability: Many potential passengers cannot afford public transport and are forced to walk long distances.
• Safety: Driver behavior is erratic, and many vehicles are not roadworthy.
• Journey Times: Congestion and poor route structures lead to long and inefficient travel times.
• Quality of Service: Passengers express dissatisfaction with service quality, including comfort and driver discipline.
• Environment: Pollution from vehicle exhausts is a significant health risk.
• Working Conditions: Drivers in East Africa work long hours, which is unsafe for both them and passengers. The problem is less acute in West Africa.
• Sustainability: The informal sector is financially self-sustaining, but conventional bus companies are unable to replace their fleets. Institutional arrangements are not promoting an efficient or orderly transport system, and regulatory enforcement is lax.

Key Issues and Findings

• The informal sector dominates public transport in all four cities, providing dense and frequent services but with low comfort and safety.
• Regulation is weak, with little control over parking and sidewalk use, leading to congestion and reduced road capacity.
• Fare controls are ineffective and often fail to keep pace with cost increases, resulting in deteriorating service quality.
• Road infrastructure is poor and underfunded, contributing to congestion and high operating costs.
• Traffic management is lacking, and there is a need for improved junction design and dedicated bus lanes.
• Route structure is largely determined by operators, which may lead to inefficient service provision and cartel formation.
• Financial viability of public transport is mixed, with the informal sector being more sustainable than conventional operators.

Options for Change

The study outlines several options for improving the performance of urban transport systems, divided into short-term, medium-term and long-term measures:

Short-Term Measures

• Improve road quality and maintenance to reduce congestion and vehicle operating costs.
• Enforce parking and sidewalk regulations to increase road capacity and safety.
• Control overloading to improve service quality and safety.
• Implement traffic management measures, such as bus lanes and traffic light prioritization.

Medium-Term Measures

• Improve route structure and allocation through formal planning or operator proposals.
• Consolidate small operators into cooperatives or companies to enhance service quality and financial sustainability.
• Introduce formal route licensing and franchising to encourage competition and service improvement.
• Enhance public transport terminals and provide independent management to avoid conflicts of interest.

Long-Term Measures

• Develop Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems, though they are costly and complex.
• Implement road charging schemes, which can be expensive and require careful planning.
• Strengthen institutional frameworks to support regulation, monitoring and financial sustainability.

Recommendations

• Increase funding for urban road maintenance to reflect the proportion of urban traffic.
• Strengthen regulatory enforcement, especially for parking and sidewalk use.
• Promote the use of large buses where feasible, as they are more efficient than small minibuses.
• Encourage the consolidation of informal operators into formal entities through incentives and compulsion.
• Develop performance monitoring systems to track improvements and identify inefficiencies.
• Engage with stakeholders to develop a reform process that is inclusive and sustainable.

Conclusion

The study highlights the need for a multi-faceted approach to improving urban transport systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. It emphasizes the importance of institutional strengthening, financial sustainability, regulatory enforcement, and infrastructure development. The informal sector plays a critical role and must be integrated into reform efforts rather than suppressed. The findings are intended to guide policy development and capacity building in the region.