Urban Transport - India Environment Portal

30 Urban Transport Strategy to Combat Climate Change in the People’s Republic of Chinaother activities through the public transport system. This contributes to efficientpublic transport use, and walking to various locations is encouraged as transferdistances between different means of transport are shortened.In recent years, several Asian cities have put into place various forms of rail-based publictransport systems. Bangkok, Manila, and Shanghai have installed light rail systems,while several PRC cities and Delhi have invested in metro systems. While such railbasedsystems tend to have a high public profile, they cater to a rather modest share ofoverall urban trips (usually less than 10%) while requiring large subsidies due to theextremely high investment cost.Tram System in Vienna, AustriaSource: ADB.Bus rapid transitThe trend in many cities worldwide is toward bus rapid transit (BRT) systems that offerlow investment cost and low operating cost. These systems have the flexibility to respondto the preferences of urban commuters and usually consist of high-capacity buses (mostoften articulated) operating in exclusive bus lanes, with rapid loading and unloading ofpassengers at stations that provide level boarding platforms, electronic fare pre-payment,and obstacle-free waiting areas, and have access to feeder services. Such systems includecentralized, coordinated fleet control, which provides monitoring and communicationsto schedule services and respond to problems that arise along the routes. When investingin such systems, city authorities usually carry out traffic flow improvements at the sametime, including bus priority traffic lights, enforced elimination of left turns, continuitygiven to right turns, and improved signposting.BRT seeks to combine the high capacity, high frequency, and punctuality and smoothtravel advantages of a metro system with the low costs and flexibility of a bus system.Compared with a standard bus service, BRT systems, with dedicated right-of-way, canprovide many more passenger miles without increasing rolling stock and personnel.