CIE 128: Principles of Transportation Engineering

Student Activity Sheet #3

Name: __________________________________________________________________________ Class number: ________

Section: ____________ Schedule: _________________________________________________ Date: _________________

Lesson title: Urban Transportation Planning Concept Materials:

Learning Targets: Pen and Paper
At the end of the module, students will be able to:
1. Recognize the significance of Urban Transportation References:
Planning Rodrigue, J.P. Urban Transport
2. List the different Urban Transport Challenges Challenges.https://transportgeography.or
g/contents/chapter8/urban-transport-
challenges/

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW
1) Introduction
Last time, you assessed our country’s transportation system. Also, I have presented to you our
government’s strategic planning in transport sector. In addition, some challenges in transportation sector
development are also discussed. In this module, you will learn about the different urban transportation
issues and the significance of urban transportation planning.
2) Activity 1: What I Know Chart, Part 1

What I Know Questions What I Learned (Activity 4)

1. What is urban planning?

2. Why is it significant?

B. MAIN LESSON
1) Activity 2: Content Notes
Why it is necessary for Urban Planning?
Traffic Engineering is a comparatively new branch of engineering and has grown with the increase in
traffic in recent years. As vehicular traffic began to increase, the congestion on streets began to hamper
the safe andefficient movement of traffic. More and more accidents were caused, and serious problems
of parking and environmental pollution began to felt. It was, therefore, necessary to give increasing
attention to the operational characteristics of highway transportation and study the need for better
geometric design, capacity, intersections, traffic regulation, signals, traffic signs, and roadway markings,
parking facilities, design of bus stands, truck terminals, and street lighting.

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 CIE 128: Principles of Transportation Engineering
Student Activity Sheet #3

Name: __________________________________________________________________________ Class number: ________

Section: ____________ Schedule: _________________________________________________ Date: _________________

Urbanization is the transition from a rural to an urban society. Statistically, urbanization reflects an
increasing proportion of the population living in settlements defined as urban, primarily through net rural
to urban migration. The level of urbanization is the percentage of the total population living in towns and
cities,while urbanization is the rate at which it grows. - (UNFPA, 2007).

Cities are locations having a high level of accumulation and concentration of economic activities. They
are complex spatial structures supported by infrastructures, including transport systems. The larger a city,
the greater its complexity and the potential for disruptions, particularly when this complexity is not
effectively managed. Urban productivity is highly dependent on the efficiency of its transport system to
move labor, consumers, and freight between multiple origins and destinations. Additionally, transport
terminals such as ports, airports, and railyards are located within urban areas, help anchor a city within
a regional and global mobility system. Still, they are also contributing to a specific array of challenges.
Some challenges are ancient, like congestion (whichplagued cities such as Rome), while others are new
like urban freight distribution or environmental impacts.

Urban Transport Challenges

a) Traffic congestion and parking difficulties

Congestion is one of the most prevalent transport challenges in large urban agglomerations. Although
congestion can occur in all cities, it is particularly prevalent above a threshold of about 1 million
inhabitants. Congestion is particularly linked with motorization and the diffusion of the automobile, which
has increased the demand for transport infrastructures. However, the supply of infrastructures has often
not been able to keep upwith mobility growth. Since vehicles spend the majority of the time parked,
motorization has expanded the demand for parking space, which has created footprint problems,
particularly in central areas where the footprint of parked vehicles is significant. By the 21st century,
drivers are three times more likely to be affected by congestion than in the latter part of the 20th century.

b) Longer commuting

On par with congestion, people are spending an increasing amount of time commuting between their
residence and workplace. An important factor behind this trend is related to residential affordability as
housing located further away from central areas (where most of the employment remains) is more
affordable. Therefore, commuters are exchanging commuting time for housing affordability. However,
long commuting is linked with several social problems, such as isolation (less time spent with family
or friends), as well as poorer health (obesity). Time spent during commuting is at the expense of
other economic and social activities. However,information technologies have allowed commuters to
perform a variety of tasks while traveling.

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 CIE 128: Principles of Transportation Engineering
Student Activity Sheet #3

Name: __________________________________________________________________________ Class number: ________

Section: ____________ Schedule: _________________________________________________ Date: _________________

c) Public transport inadequacy

Many public transit systems, or parts of them, are either over or underused since the demand for public
transit is subject to periods of peaks and troughs. During peak hours, crowdedness creates discomfort for
usersas the system copes with a temporary surge in demand. This creates the challenge of the provision
of an adequate level of transit infrastructures and service levels. Planning for peak capacity leaves the
system highly under-used during off-peak hours, while planning for an average capacity will lead to
congestion during peak hours.

d) Difficulties for non-motorized transport

These difficulties are either the outcome of intense traffic, where the mobility of pedestrians, bicycles,
and other non-motorized vehicles is impaired, but also because of a blatant lack of consideration for
pedestrians andbicycles in the physical design of infrastructures and facilities. On the opposite side, the
setting of bicycle pathstakes capacity away from roadways as well as parking space. A negative outcome
would be to allocate more space for non-motorized transport than the actual mobility demand, which
would exacerbate congestion.

e) Loss of public space

Most roads are publicly owned and free of access. Increased traffic has adverse impacts on public
activities,which once crowded the streets such as markets, agoras, parades and processions, games,
and community interactions. These have gradually disappeared to be replaced by automobiles. In many
cases, these activities have shifted to shopping malls, while in other cases, they have been abandoned
altogether. Traffic flows influence the life and interactions of residents and their usage of street space.
More traffic impedes social interactions and street activities. People tend to walk and cycle less when
traffic is high.

f) High infrastructure maintenance costs

Cities facing the aging of their transport infrastructure have to assume growing maintenance costs as
well as pressures to upgrade to more modern infrastructure. In addition to the involved costs,
maintenance and repair activities create circulation disruptions. Delayed maintenance is rather
common since it conveys the benefit of keeping current costs low, but at the expense of higher future
costs and, on some occasions, the risk of infrastructure failure. The more extensive the road and
highway network, the higher the maintenance cost and its financial burden. The same applies to public
transit infrastructure that requires a system-wide maintenance strategy.

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 CIE 128: Principles of Transportation Engineering
Student Activity Sheet #3

Name: __________________________________________________________________________ Class number: ________

Section: ____________ Schedule: _________________________________________________ Date: _________________

g) Environmental impacts and energy consumption

Pollution, including noise generated by circulation, has become an impediment to the quality of life and
even the health of urban populations. Further, energy consumption by urban transportation has
dramatically increased, and so the dependency on petroleum. These considerations are increasingly
linked with peak mobility expectations where high energy prices incite a shift towards more efficient
and sustainable forms of urban transportation, namely public transit. There are pressures to
“decarbonize” urban transport systems, particularly with the diffusion of alternative energy sources
such as electric vehicles.

h) Accidents and safety

The growth in the intensity of circulation in urban areas is linked with a growing number of accidents
and fatalities, especially in developing economies. Accidents account for a significant share of
recurring delays from congestion. As traffic increases, people feel less safe to use the streets. The
diffusion of information technologies leads to paradoxical outcomes. While users have access to
reliable location and navigation information, portable devices create distractions linked with a rise of
accidents for drivers and pedestrians alike.

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 CIE 128: Principles of Transportation Engineering
Student Activity Sheet #3

Name: __________________________________________________________________________ Class number: ________

Section: ____________ Schedule: _________________________________________________ Date: _________________

2) Activity 3: Skill-building Activity

In the word puzzle below, find the different challenges to urban transport.

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 CIE 128: Principles of Transportation Engineering
Student Activity Sheet #3

Name: __________________________________________________________________________ Class number: ________

Section: ____________ Schedule: _________________________________________________ Date: _________________

3) Activity 4: What I Know Chart, Part 2

Proceed to What I Know Chart for this part.

4) Activity 5: Check for Understanding

Among the different urban transport challenges mentioned above, choose two problems you think are the
major problems in urban transport and explain why.

C. LESSON WRAP-UP
1) Activity 6: Thinking about Learning

A. Work Tracker

You are done with this session! Let’s track your progress. Shade the session number you just
completed.
P1 P2 P3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

KEY TO CORRECTIONS:

Activity 3

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