Transport Sector Planning in Greater Beirut, Lebanon - Euromedina

Transport Sector Planning inGreater Beirut, LebanonHani MahmassaniUniversity of MarylandTransforming Transportation InstitutionsThe World Bank and WRI/EMBARQWashington, DC. January 25-26, 2007

Downtown Beirut,After the Civil War,mid 1980’s

Rebuilding Downtown:Solidere

BeforeAfter

Downtown Beirut,Rebuilt, and morevibrant than ever

1908: Effective and Sustainable Public Transportation

Main forms of transit:Government busesPrivate sector busesJitneys (“service”)

• PROJECTED TRAVEL DEMANDGreater Beirut AreaPopulation(million)Number of Trips(million)

Integrated Urban Transport Project• Traffic Management Component ($25M):– Signal Systems– Video Surveillance– Traffic Management Center• Grade Separation Component ($65M):• Bus System Rehabilitation Component• Parking Component ($5M)

PROPOSED LONG TERM PLAN FOR PUBLIC TRANSITTHREERAILLINESBRT(3 lines)

LONG-TERM ROADNETWORK ADDITIONS

TRANSPORT PLANNING and DECSION-MAKING for GREATER BEIRUT• Funding controlled at Central Government level (Ministry of PublicWorks, for highway projects)• Ministry of Transport responsibility for policy development,especially re: transit and non-highway modes.• Since 2002, a transport reform plan has merged the two ministriesinto a Ministry of Public Works and Transport, with four directorates:– Directorate General for Land and Maritime Transport (DGLMT);responsible for setting, implementing and supervising all policiesand regulations related to land and maritime transport.– Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA); responsible for airtransport.– Directorate General for Road and Buildings; responsible for thedesign, construction and maintenance of international, primaryand secondary roads, in addition to all government buildings.– Directorate General for Urban Planning, responsible for allregulations related to zoning, land use, building code, etc.

TRANSPORT PLANNING and DECSION-MAKING for GREATER BEIRUT• Municipality of Beirut: weak, no seriousfunding source; other municipalities: ditto• NO MPO-like organization; no formalprocesses for coordinated planning anddecision-making at the metropolitan level(Greater Beirut)• Police in charge of most traffic operations–internal security forces often alsointervene in traffic matters.

TRANSPORT PLANNING and DECSION-MAKING for GREATER BEIRUT• Before the civil war, “Council for Projects ofGreater Beirut” was set up as a quasi-planningboard for the area; reports directly to CentralGovernment (not ministries); no municipalinvolvement.• After the civil war, it was transformed into the“Council for Development and Reconstruction”(CDR), and became the main agency in chargeof major reconstruction projects, especiallyinvolving external sponsoring agencies orlenders.

ROLE OF CDR(COUNCIL FOR DEVELOPMENTAND RECONSTRUCTION)Secure external financingImplement “important share” of projectsPlanning, programming and technical supportjoint studies with ministriesfeasibility studies of selected projects(incl. economic benefit, environmental impact, sector studies)

SOURCES OF FUNDING• External funding• Law 246 (1993)• Ministry of Public Works Plan 2001• Other local sourcesPercent local vs. external financing of projectsEXTERNALLOCAL

PUBLIC TRANSPORT DECISION-MAKING• Public transport sector has historically lackedcoordination• Under aegis of Ministry of Transport, very limitedresources• As part of sector’s restructuring in 2002:new independent body “Office des Chemins deFer et Transports en Commun” (OCFTC)– jointowner and operator of (skeletal) rail system(possibly to be improved) and government’s buspublic transit system; track record remains to beseen

ALL THE RIGHT WORDS…DRAFT MPWT POLICY STATEMENT IN 2002 (yet to beratified by Cabinet)The overall direction of the draft Transport Policy is tofoster transport systems which satisfy the followingobjectives:• Economic and financial sustainability• Environmental and ecological sustainability:• Social sustainability

ALL THE RIGHT WORDS… (ctd.)For LAND TRANSPORT• Providing affordable passenger mobility i.e. land transportnetworks that enable a wide geographic coverage of Lebanon atreasonable prices.• Diversifying transport modal choices available to users throughimproving the public transport quality, reactivating rail transport,ensuring multi-modality / intermodality.• Providing an efficient and cost-effective internal goods movementand distribution system in urban and rural areas e.g. designatedtruck routes, specific hours of operation, truck standards, etc.• Removing obstacles that undercut the competitiveness of theLebanese freight transport providers through facilitating bordercrossings procedures, improving logistics and inter-modal facilitiesat airports and seaports, etc.

ALL THE RIGHT WORDS… (ctd.)For LAND TRANSPORT (ctd..)• Reducing the financial burden of the transport system on the budgetof Lebanon through introducing the concept of a transport fund andincreasing public-private partnership.• Developing and maintaining high standards of visual beautythroughout the transport infrastructure through increased planting,pleasant landscaping..• Ensuring a high level of safety• Ensuring that environmental and social impacts are well consideredin all phases of transport projects• Preserving transport infrastructure and protecting transport assetsthrough adequate maintenance and recurrent rehabilitation of roads.• Building a world class intellectual and entrepreneurial capability inthe transport and logistics field.

KEY OBSTACLES and CHALLENGES• “Greater Beirut” is a geographic entity withoutany organizational or administrative structure• No formal coordination mechanismsadministratively among the municipalitiesaffected• No mechanism for updating master plan, or forcontinuing comprehensive planning role• No mechanism for tying short term projects tolong terms plans• Need for stronger traffic engineering at the locallevel

In closing• “Beirut's recent history - war and reconstruction -lead us to look at the city through the lenses ofexceptionality. But today's planning agenda (asidentified in the National Master Plan by Dar al-Handasah and the IAURIF) has much incommon with several developing cities in theworld:– uncontrolled urbanization,– environmental damage and– the concentration of urban transportation along themain coastal corridor.”Eric Verdeil @ www.worldviewcities.org

Nevertheless,Great Sunsets