Assignment - I

1.What are the most serious problems caused by people’s reliance on private motor
vehicles for personal travel?

People’s reliance on private cars in daily traffic has increased. The increased usage of
personal cars has not only taken its toll on the environment in the form of air pollution but is
also responsible for huge traffic congestions in cities causing a lot of noise pollution.

Firstly, overuse of private cars leads to traffic congestion. Every person has their own
cars, which means creating a lot of traffic. Ultimately, all this cause frustration and stress for
the people who cannot reach at their workplaces in due time. Moreover, the sound and
environmental pollutions are increasing.

Secondly, more motor vehicles mean more pollution. The harmful gases exhausted from
the vehicles results in air pollution and leads to various health problems. For example-
respiratory diseases. Moreover, ozone layer depletion as a consequence of pollution can cause
skin problems.

Traffic congestion and pollution are the arising problems of extensive use of private
means of transportation. Nevertheless, the use of public transport is the one way to resolve
the problems.

2.What are the main factors caused to occur traffic congestion? And how to solve this
transportation problem?

The main factors caused to occur traffic congestion are-

 urbanization
 specialization within cities
 the problem of matching supply and demand temporally
 supply often stimulates demand

The necessity of increasing investment in public transportation offerings across the

country. Reasons for increasing public transit use include reducing oil consumption, reducing
traffic congestion, and decreasing our national environmental footprint. Additional quality of
life and economic advantages accompany avoiding personal vehicle ownership, such as no
longer needing to budget for vehicle maintenance and gas costs. Investing in public
transportation can fuel job market growth more robustly than equivalent spending on
highway maintenance or spending projects. While city planners or local legislatures often
scrutinize significant public transport overhauls because of the perceived high cost,
sometimes less is more.

For example, the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is an alternative to a high-cost
metro rail that uses dedicated bussing corridors in metro areas, a more efficient and
accessible form of transportation, according to the Institute for Transportation and
Development Policy. Creative minds could take existing public transit infrastructure and
create brand-new possibilities that not only curtail a variety of growing problems but provide
the capacity for growth for towns, cities, whole states or countries, and beyond.

Greater demand for better public transportation will be driven by rising national and
global populations; increasing calls to reduce reliance on fossil fuels; decreasing costs of
alternative energies and technologies; and slow but steady societal behavior shifts that propel
more people into lifestyles that reduce personal vehicle ownership.
3. Is there any justification for providing public transportation service in small cities
and towns? If there is, explain about this justification.

Yes, there is justification for providing public transportation service in small cities
and towns. Transportation justification means the reasons given for a project from a
transportation planning and engineering standpoint. The justification should address the
current condition of existing roadways or bridges, the relationship of the project to
connecting roads, anticipated large truck traffic, proposed major design features, roadway
function and the reasons the proposed alternative was selected over other available
alternatives.

Public transportation provides people with mobility and access to

employment, community resources, medical care and recreational opportunities in
communities. It benefits those who choose to ride, as well as who have no other choice: over
90 present of public assistance recipients do not own a car and must rely on public
transportation. Public transit provides a basic mobility service to these persons and to all
others without access to a car.

Obviously, congestion is more serious in large cities than in small ones. In smaller
places, it would be physically feasible and perhaps economically efficient, to handle a travel
by automobiles (including rental vehicles and taxis). There would be some congestion but it
would be tolerable by any objective standards. No city has an ideal street system, but
incremental improvements are made. A street system could be developed in a city of a few
hundred thousand people that would handle all travel adequately. Public transportation also
helps to reduce road congestion and travel times, air pollution and energy and oil
consumption, all of which benefit both riders and non-riders alike.

4. What can be done to increase the demand for transit? Would you favor making
transit use more attractive, making automobile use less attractive, or doing some of
both?

Population growth and density, as well as economic growth and development, play
an important role in driving transport activity. Urbanization has had far-reaching effects on
transport demand as well as on energy efficiency, economic development, social equity and
paratransit. Additional factors influencing transit demand include energy prices, polices
related to transport and land use, as well as people's shifting behaviors and needs. Buses,
trams and heavy rail take away many of those issues- it's why I have a corporate travel pass
to commute with and whilst the car stays at home.

The glory days for the global automobile industry are over as it runs up against
the megatrends of greater urbanization, the shunning of car ownership by millennials and the
emergence of the subscription economy. As more people live in cities, governments are
investing heavily in public transport networks while discouraging car ownership which
contributes to congestion. Millennials are also less interested in buying cars than previous
generation, while subscription economy also poses further headwinds.

The road networks in many large towns and cities are creaking at the seams due to the
demands placed on them by ever increasing numbers of vehicles is a traffic congestion. Lack
of available parking when you get there is another factor, as is declining air pollution. So, I
would favor making automobile use less attractive.