Slobodan Mitric

Strategic Urban Transport Issues in Belgrade Presentation on July 21, 2003

Generic structure of an urban transport strategy

 What is to be done?

– “Routine” matters – Policies (regulations) – investments  How will it be paid for? (funding)  Who is going to do it? (institutions)

What is to be done? (1)

 “Routine” matters – Road maintenance – Traffic management – Parking management – Traffic law enforcement – Public transport operations

What is to be done? (2)

 Public transport policies – Network/service design – Fare policy – Operating arrangements (public, private) – Regulatory instruments (contracts, concessions, ..)  Road use policies – Restraint, pricing  Parking policies – Supply policy – Restraint, time control, pricing – Operating arrangement

What is to be done (3)

 Investments (links, interchanges, bridges)  Road investments  Terminals and parking structures  Public transport fleet & equipment  Public transport infrastructure

Financing

 User fees (transfers, locally-generated)  Public budgets (transfers, locally generated)  Private investments  Borrowing

Institutions

 Organizations (local, regional, national)  Jurisdiction (systemic laws, regulations, local ordinances, …)  Staffing  Funding  Processes  Instruments (budgets, studies, plans, ..)

Belgrade (1)

 1.3m population, 1.8m region  low natural growth, but in-migration due to wars, much illegal construction  225 people/ha density in central core, but “socialist” density pattern  located on a t-intersection of two major rivers (dependence on bridges)

Belgrade (2)

 High unemployment  Average monthly wage $175  Poverty (Serbia): 11% under EU 2.4 expenditure per HH/day  Another 22% close to the threshold  Huge rise in inequality due to war, unruly transition

Belgrade (#)

 Motorization rate: 180 cars per 1,000 population in the region, 200-250 in the inner city  Modal split: – 40% public transport – 35% walk – 19% cars

Belgrade (4)

 Road network: – low-capacity – TM effort in disarray – little parking control – little law enforcement  Parking: – little-off street capacity – chaotic on-street, on-pavement parking

Belgrade (4)

 Public transport system: – Municipal Transport Company (1,100 street based buses and trolley-buses, and trams on mainly protected track; 870 in peak service) – 350 buses privately owned and operated under contract to the City Gov’t (fixed fare, no subsidy) – Beovoz: low-frequency regional rail service on a 100-km network, underground inside city

Belgrade: diagnostic

 Fierce competition for scarce street space  “Routine” institutions in disarray  Presence of low-income and poor people constrains fare policy (30-35% cost recovery)  Large size “choice” market calls for high-quality PT services  Weakness of regional road network implies much through traffic, but collapse of road funding on national level, and transfer mechanisms, means little action

Belgrade: strategic issues

 Management of street space not effective  Municipal company – an outdated organizational form  Regulation of private operators – incomplete  Inadequate pricing policies  Investment decisions: weak processes, out-of date instruments, absence of economic and financial criteria

Belgrade: metro vs. light-rail controversy

 Long history of debate, interrupted by decade of wars  Update of Urban General Plan: leans towards light-rail in 2-3 major corridors  SYSTRA Study: leans towards near classical metro in 3 corridors; price tag EU2,800m (2003-2021) for a 42-km system, but …..

Belgrade: metro vs. light rail

 … but: – No recent demand surveys, models – No thorough comparison of options: SYSTRA used a multi-criteria approach to eliminate all but do-nothing and metro options – Pressure to take a “build” decision without further planning studies

Belgrade paradox

 Bus and tram vehicles received as gifts from governments of Japan, Switzerland,..

 City Government is starting to lean towards starting the first metro line