Beijing – Learning from international experience in urban transport policy and discussing their relevance for Chinese cities was the main topic of the Urban Transport Development Forum in Beijing on March 10th and 11th. The forum was organised by the Chinese Ministry of Transport, the World Bank and GIZ.
Friedemann Kunst (former Head of Transportation Department Berlin State Senate) presented Berlin’s strategic approach to urban transport planning. He stressed that transport policy in Germany has come a long way: “Since the late 1990s cities in Germany have realised that it is impossible to combine the ideas of a car-friendly city and a city that is attractive and resource-efficient.” The turnaround with an increase environmentally friendly transport modes was only possible through a participatory planning process that has managed to create a unique commitment to sustainable transport objectives across departments and political parties.
How the Transit Metropolis Project continues to improve public transport in China was presented by Prof. Zhong Zhaohui, Senior Engineer with the Ministry of Transport. The project promotes learning between Chinese cities and provides substantial funds for public transport improvements e.g. a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Beijing, integration of timetables in Shanghai and Tianjin and passenger information systems in Suzhou.
A further presentation by Paul Barter, Professor for Public Policy at the Singapore National University, showed that the foundations for sustainable transport in Singapore were laid already in the 1960s and 1970s with transit oriented corridors, fuel taxes and congestion charging schemes.
Daniel Bongardt (GIZ) introduced the policy development process of congestion charging and discussed its prerequisites for a successful implementation. He stressed the importance of developing the policy on the basis of robust model data. The presentation was based on a new joint publication by GIZ and the Asian Development Bank (see below in the Publications section of this newsletter). GIZ has supported Beijing in quantifying the emission impact of congestion charging schemes.
Carsharing is one of the latest additions to the urban transport policy tool box. Reiner Becker, Head of Business Development Asia-Pacific (Daimler AG) presented the requirements and benefits for free-floating carsharing systems in Chinese cities.
All presentations can be downloaded here. The project is implemented on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conversation, Building and Nuclear Safety. Source: GIZ