GeoJournal 12.3 243-253

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© 1986 by D. Reidel Publishing Company

Urban Public T r a n s p o r t Planning in Kuwait Abu-Ayyash, Abdul-Ilah, Dr., Ministry of Planning. POB 555, Amman, Jordan Abstract : The demand for urban public transport services in Kuwait emerged as a direct result of rising immigrating labour in the Country which witnessed sudden oil wealth in early 1950s. The main objective of this paper is to discuss and to evaluate the most relevant issues associated with the introduction and the development of the public transport system. Kuwait Transport Company (KTC) is considered the backbone of such a system. The company has recently changed its name to Public Transport Co (PTC). The paper also addresses three major issues: 1) The need and the demand for public passengers services; 2) Indicators of public transport growth and development; 3) The need for ambitious public transport policies and strategies in the light of the recommendations proposed by the studies associated with Kuwait Master Plans.

I ntroduction The problem of automobile clutter in the streets of Kuwait cannot be beaten off unless strict measures and traffic restraints are enforced. Traffic restraint and control could help reducing dependence on the private car and diverting more ridership towards public transport facilities. Many areas are close to saturation levels. Roads are choked with vehicles. Congestion is the product of loose and uncontrolled movements of cars and pedestrians. The traffic dilemma in Kuwait is worsened by the physical structure of Kuwait City where about two thirds of surrounding areas are covered by the sea. In absence of methods and plans to deter private cars, traffic flow in the city center will reach a deadlock. And the question remains for how long the road network will be able to accommodate an unlimited rise in the number of vehicles? An effective public transport system becomes the answer to these traffic problems. Kuwait Transport Company (KTC) is considered the backbone of passenger services in this study. The services which started at a small scale and were confined to a small geographical area began to witness continuous and rapid expansion associated with more problems and complications. With so many factors to deal with the analysis and the evaluation of public transport activities become a difficult task. The study is directed toward three issues. 1) The need for public transport services; 2) Development and growth of public transport services in Kuwait; 3) General transport

policiesand specificpublic transport strategiesas set out in Kuwait Master Plans and associated studies. Mobility is the essence of modern life in urban areas. Yet increasing mobility creates serious social, economic, and environmental problems. In an era of rising car ownership, public transport services are facing tough competition from private automobiles. The continuous increase in the number of cars on the road network poses further threats to traffic movements. This is entailed by traffic congestion, slower flow, more accidents, waste of time, money and efforts. Severe traffic conditions are reflected on the efficiency of the public transport system. People become dissatisfied with these inconveniences. The reasonable solution to these acute traffic problems lies in developing an efficient public transport system which can provide an attractive and convenient alternative to the private car. Public transport services are badly needed by the most vulnerable groups of the communities. They include the poor, the old, children, and the handicapped. The absence of effective urban public transport could worsen the quality of urban life for the unprivileged groups of the society in particular. "Experience has shown that, in the absence of sound transport system, the situation can arise where the urban poor are isolated in town center 'ghettos' without access to employment and with deteriorating education, and social opportunities" (The Tyneside Authority 1973). The quality of a public transport system is among other items controlled by efficiency, flexibility, high mobility,

244

regularity, and reliability. It must satisfy the requirements for accessibility to centers of activity and population. This entails that public transport must be able to run along axes serving major residential, industrial, commercial, recreational and other activity areas. In modern societies, the need for public transport is not a matter of luxury, it is a matter of future urban growth and survival. Planners, officials, and community developers have been thinking high of public transport and mass transit schemes. However, "the unfullfilled public expectations of mass transport have triggered questions about the logic of present public transport arrangements, and to look for cheaper and more effective alternatives. Appraisal of mass transit programs in many cities around the world convinced planners and decision makers of the need for a fundamental restructuring and reform of public transport activities in urban areas" (Orski 1982). The White Paper on Public Transport for 1976 in Britain stressed that successful passenger service systems must take into consideration the following needs (Daniels; Warnes 1980): Operation of the basic network of urban passenger transport services is best carried out by publicly owned bodies rather than by private companies responsible to shareholders. Investment in local public transport must be grant aided by the central government just as investment in the principal network. The provision of transport can no longer be considered in isolation from other developments. It should be understood that public transport and private automobile in many cases complement each other. Respective facilities must be offered in a balanced way to both. The tough challenge which still faces the development of successful public transport services lies in the fact that people who can afford tend to prefer freedom of choice in travel decisions. In Kuwait, like elsewhere, private car ownership has been growing at high rates. The total number of vehicles on the streets of Kuwait jumped from 166,615 to 608,479 between 1971 and 1981 (Tab 1).

GeoJournal 12.3/1986

Sources: Ministry of Interior 1982 Annual Yearbook; 1984 Tab 1 Vehiclesgrowth in Kuwait boom which will have its impact on future public transport policies. Population in Kuwait recorded high growth rates following expanding oil production since 1946, Estimates put the population of Kuwait at about 100,000 in 1950. In 1975 the population had grown to about 955,000. In 1980 the total number of population was about 1.329 million (Tab 2). Percentagewise, the Kuwaitis accounted for about 41% of the total population. 2. Employment, activity patterns, fares, and service level. In Kuwait, employment and quality of services can be considered the most important factors in this set. Demand for public transport services increased in the wake of economic boom which followed oil discovery and expanding export. Thousands of employees flooded the country in search of job opportunities. The early 1960s were the immigration peak years. This explains why the formation of Public Transport Company during this period didn't happen by a mere coincidence. A recent study showed that about 98% of total public transport passengers were non-Kuwaitis, i.e. immigrants. It also revealed that about 72% Tab 2 Metropolitan area: population growth programme (000)

The Demand f o r Public Transport Public transport is basically affected by four sets of interacting factors. I. Social and economic factors such as age groups, education, income, car ownership, demography ... etc. In fact, demographic structure and change such as family size, housing type, and age groups, directly affect patronage of public transport. As a result of the oil wealth and immigration to the country, the demographic structure has been changing radically in favor of the young and newelyformed families. In fact, Kuwait has been witnessing baby

Source: Buchanan1983 Notes: (a) Includescollective households

GeoJournal 12.3/1986

of the passengers fall in the age group of 20 to 40 years (Kuwait Transport Co. 1983). However, immigration was not the only force which instigated the need for public transport. Low income people, the elderly, women, children, and the handicapped needed reliable and regular transport facilities. It was found by the same study that low-income people (less than monthly KD 200) constitute about 61% of total passengers. The quality of service refers to a wide range of requirements. They include (a) service and route scheduling, (b) delays and deviation from schedules, and (c) flexibility, speed, convenience, and safety (Webster; Bly 1982). A high percentage of KTC's passengers was not satisfied by the quality of service (KTC 1983). About 59% of total passengers complained of unreliable schedules and timing. Those who complained about the crowdedness of the buses accounted for 47% of the total passengers.The percentage of passengers who were dissatisfied with bus stops was about 22%. Also, about 40% of the surveyed passengers complained about lack of bus shelters. These indicators are observed in most great cities around the world. Timing, reliability and speed play positive role in attracting more passengers to public transport services. For example, when speed increases by 10%, patronage rises up by 3 to 5% (Webster; Bly 1982). 3. The rapid and successive land use changes and expansion in Kuwait have been significantly affecting public transport services. Dominating land uses are housing projects, road schemes, industrial development, and commercial growth. The 1970 Kuwaiti census showed that there were about 112,000 residential units in the country. Five years later the number of dwellings rose to about 152,000 units. A total of about 80,000 units were constructed between 1975 and 1980. Basic needs of dwelling units are estimated at about 59,000 for the period between 1981 and 1985. A total of 57,000 residential units will be needed between 1986 and 1990 (Tab 3). The expected required dwelling units cover the needs of the Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti population (Fig 1 ). The road network composed of modern motorways and expressways has been expanding continuously since mid-1950s. The length of the roads in 1956 was about 273 km. The network expanded to a total of about 830 km in 1970 and to about 2800kin in 1980 respectively. Kuwait has achieved reasonable industrial progress. Investments in industrial projects increased from about KD 86 million in the first five year plan 1968-1972, to more than one billion KD in the five year plan 1981-1985. Industrial establishments which are located in five major areas are expected to expand their activities. The required land for industrial development will be about 560 ha in 1985 and about 640ha in 1990 (Buchanan 1983) (Tab. 4). The major industrial areas are in Shuaiba in the S coastal area, Subhan S of the metropolitan area, E of the Airport, Shuweikh, Doha-Su'laibikhat, and Jahra in the W (Fig 2).

245

Source: Buchanan1983 Note: (a) 'Basic needs'are for householdformation and relief of overcrowding NHA: National HousingAuthority Tab 3 Public and private sector housingconstructionfor basic housingneed: suggestedprogramme

Commercial land uses witnessed rapid growth. Fast population increase, rising standard of living, and expanding purchasing power accelerated the spread of retail activities. For example, gross retail floorspace rose from 652,000m 2 to about 899,000m 2 between 1970 and 1977. It increased to about 1.148 million m 2 in 1980. Retail floorspace is expected to expand more in coming years. Projections

Fig 1 Distribution of residential land uses. Source: C Buchanan~ KMPR2, 1983

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Tab 4 Industrial land, phasing programme (ha)

Source: Buchanan 1983

estimate that the total retail floorspace will grow to about 1.29 million m 2 by 1985 and about 1.68 million m 2 in 1990. Also total commercial floorspace, which was about 2.41 million m 2 in 1980, is expected to increase to about 2.72 million m 2 by 1985. Projection for 1990 put gross commercial floorspace at about 3.48 million m 2. The most important expected commercial development will be the

construction of seven committed district centers. The centers will be located in Fahaheel and Fintas in the S coastal strip, Mishref N of the sixth ring road, Hawalli and Salmiya, Sulaibikhat and Jahra in the W (Fig 3). Today's planners are stressing the need for a fundamental reappraisal of urban planning policies and transport strategies. Land use activities and street patterns must be designed in

Fig 2 Existing and proposed industrial land. Source: Buchanan

Fig 3 Distribution of retail floorspace. Source: Buchanan 1983

1983

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247

favour of transit services. Plans have to be conducive to public transport needs. Existing road network is not flexible to the degree that it would allow buses to penetrate all neighborhoods. Thus, the public transport system is caught in a situation where passengers are forced to walk long distance to and from bus stops (Spielberg; Andrle 1982). 4. Management and policy factors. It includes traffic restraint, traffic control methods, and bus priority. Restraint measures have been effective in controlling the impact of private cars on the daily traffic flow by converting more people to public transport services. Restrictions on the access of private traffic into city centers either by enforcing measures such as one-way directions, pedestrianization, or by charging fees to traffic heading for downtown areas, have led to considerable rise in public transport ridership (Webster; Bly 1982). The regularity, punctuality, flexibility, and speed of public transport depend on the extent to which it is subject to obstructions and delays. "Up to 25% of travelling time on an urban route is lost by stopping at traffic lights"

(vov 1981). These situations necessitate traffic management schemes to facilitate public transport services preferably to bus lanes. In a few cases significant rises in patronage have been claimed from extensive bus priority lanes.

Development

of Passengers Services

Kuwait Transport Company (KTC), established in 1965, is considered the backbone of the public transport system

in the country. The company was formed as a shareholder's enterprise. But, due to continuous losses, the Government bought its shares and transfered it into a public service. The demand for public transport derived from the fast increase in population. Kuwait oil economy which witnessed prosperity and booming in the 1950s brought in waves of immigrating labour. The annual rate of increase among non-Kuwaitis was more than 20% in 1961 (Abu-Ayyash 1980). Immigrants came from poverty-stricken surrounding areas. They were in need of cheap public transport. Other factors such as land use and activity expansion have strengthened respective initiatives. In order to understand the development four indicators are investigated. They include increase in ridership, rise in the number of buses, expansion of routes, and the spread of services measured by milage. 1. Ridership. Despite fluctuations in the number of passengers, growth was recorded in most years since public transport operations were first introduced in 1965. The number of passengers which was about 24 million in 1966 rose to about 31 million in 1970 (Tab 5) at an annual growth rate in the range of 6%. In 1969, however, passengers services suffered severe setbacks when ridership dropped by about 6.5%, and in 1975 when total passengers were chopped off by 23% (Kuwait Transport Co 1982). It was unfortunate to notice such trend at a time when dominating factors were working in favour of public transport services. The setbacks were the results of management problemsl Once the problems were solved, ridership started to recover fast. The period 1976-1980 witnessed an annual average increase of about 17% with a high record in 1976 when the annual rise jumped by about 50% (Fig4). The total number of passengers is expected to reach about 120 million in 1985 and about 161 million in 1990.

Tab 5 Development of public transport services in Kuwait

Source: Kuwait Transport Co. 1982

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248

Million Passengers 100 95 90 85 75 7O 65 6O 55 5O 45 4O 35 30 25 2O 15 10 ,

,

i

,

,

,

i

,

,

i

,

,

i

q

,

,

,

Fig 4 Increase in ridership

These figures do not include season tickets passengers and school students. Season tickets ridership accounted for about 27% of total passengers (Kuwait Transport Co. 1983). These passengers were about 123 million in 1982. School transport services are offered to the students by the Ministry of Education through KTC since 1967 (Tab 5). 2. Buses. The growth of the bus fleet was similar to that of ridership (Fig 5). Yet, the operated number of buses does not reflect the whole fleet, because there are reserved buses, about 25%. This raises the total number of the public transport bus fleet to about 450 buses (Tab 5). KTC services are not confined to the public transport routing system. It also offers other forms of mass transport which include private, special, and contracted services. Private services are provided to governmental ministries and institutes such as the Ministries of Defence, Health, and Kuwait University. Special transport services are also offered on religions occasions, particularly such as pilgrimage. Adding buses required for such services would push the size of the bus fleet up to about 592 buses in 1982 still excluding school buses. 3. The Routes. The system began with nine routes in 1965. The route network was confined to a small area running from the city of Kuwait to the town of Fahaheel in the S. To match rising demand, the number of routes recorded increase from 9 to 21 between 1965 and 1970. Unfortunatly, the route network suffered stagnation for almost six years (1970 to 1976). The blame of this setback was put on management problems which hindered the

desired expansion. However, the situation improved considerably in 1977 and the years after. The number of the routes rose to 26 in 1977 and climbed to 40 in 1980 and to 45 in 1982 (Tab 5). Further expansion is expected in the next five years at a rate of two routes annually. The continuous spatial spread of bus route services enabled the public transport system to integrate all parts of Kuwait into one network. Geographically speaking, the public transport network is divided into four hierarchical levels. The first level (two routes) of bus services covers the city of Kuwait, i.e., the downtown area. This level is referred to as concentrated. The second level of route services is confined to the so-called metropolitan area running from the first ring road to almost the sixth ring road. The number of routes (about 58% of the total) serving this area was 26 in 1982. The third level, known as the regional routing system, consists basically of the inter-city routes. They link the city of Kuwait with three major centers, i.e. the towns of Fahaheel and Ahmadi in the S and the town of Jahra in the W. Several important residential suburbs such as Sabahiah, Riqqa, Fintas, and Mingaf are served by these (15 in 1982) routes. The fourth type of route services is referred to as the national level. It links the three previous hierarchical levels with the remote centers, primarily the town of Abdally in the N and the town of Wafra in the S. 4. Nil~age. The previous discussions showed continous growth of the public transport services and steady expansion of the route network. The successivespatial spread of such activities manifests itself clearly in distances covered by buses. The annual kilometers run by Kuwait Transport buses increased from about 14 mullion in 1966 to about 24 million in 1970. During the stagnation years they dropped to about 17 million (1975) against about 50 million km in 1980 and 59 million km in 1982 (Tab 5). Transport Policies and Strategies Development was guided by plans estimating the directions and the magnitudes of the desired achievement and the expected expansion in passenger services. As parts of Kuwait Master Plan these public transport plans were based on two comprehensive studies. The first was the Kuwait Transportation Study (KTS) carried out for the Municipality of Kuwait by Halcrow Fox and Associates (HFA) in association with Technical Studies Bureau (TEST), Transport Management Services Ltd., and Coopers and Lybrand Associates Ltd. The study period was March 1977 to June 1978. The second investigation was Kuwait Public Transport Study (KPTS) prepared by NorConsult in association with Colin Buchanan and Partners (CBP), Kuwait Consult (KC), and Volvo Transportation Systems (VTS) June 1982 to September 1983 for Kuwait Municipality and Kuwait Transport Co.

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249

-

360 340 320 300 280 260 4(

2( 0( 8( 6( 14(, 12(~ 100

0 "[',

,

i i i i i i i 1 , 1 1 1 1 1 1

Fig 5 Increase in operated routes' buses

The KTS evolved in two stages. The first was concerned with developing a transport model to assess alternative strategies and to determine the most appropriate policies and projects for the preferred options. The second stage was related to existing and potential transport infrastructure. The recommended plan was composed of a set of interrelated measures for road projects, public transport, traffic management and parking, defined in terms of the growth areas for new urban development, the existing conurbation, and the city of Kuwait (Halcrow Fox 1978). The basic recommedations can be summerized as follows:

improving accessibility and levels of service for the public transport system. maintaining and restructuring of the road network in downtown to achieve the most efficient use of existing facilities. removing difficulties encountring traffic flow and pedestrians' movement. The study suggested four sets of measures to fullfil these objectives: a) Parking measures: - Gradual prevention of on-street parking and provision of about 53 thousand car parking spaces by 1990, 85% in multi-story parks, thus limiting the total parking supply to about 63 thousand spaces. -Discouraging long-stay parking by introducing charges for all on and off-street parking spaces. - Increasing the parking capacities of planned car parks in the Green Belt, i.e. the outer edge of town, to encourage the concept of park and ride. It is hoped that such measures will help in increasing the public transport journeys to work to about 40% of the total daily journeys toward downtown. I b) Road proposals. The construction of three primary loops. The first loop will run around downtown. The second loop will link Riyadh and Istiqlal streets through Hilalistreet. The third loop is the belt motorway which will circulate the City (Fig 6). c) Bus system improvement. The proposals suggested: - relocation of the central bus station to a new site adjacent of Jahra gate introducing high-quality public transport services in downtown area - converting parts of the main street (Fahd Alsalem) to bus use only.

Fig 6 Public car parks Source: Buchanan 1983

Recommendations for Old Kuwait (Downtown) Proposals for the downtown area aimed at reducing traffic congestions which were causing problems of circulation and parking in almost all parts. The recommendations are: restraining the increasing number of journeys to work into downtown by private cars.

Public ~ragc.s

0

(J.1

@2 0.3 0.4 03 km

/

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250

d)

Traffic and environmental management. The measures will include: - implementation of a traffic control scheme pedestrian and bus priorities on primary streets improving junction capacities at major intersections - Additional pedestrian crossings and flyovers -

-

Recommendations

for the Conurbation

The existing urban built-up area extending from Shuaiba in the S to Jahra in the W accommodates about 95% of the country's population. Most of the population, employment, and activities will continue to concentrate in this area. Consequently, most bus trips and expected ridership are generated from this urban agglomeration. Consequently, transport proposals for this area emphasised the following: a) developing of the road network to accommodate additional traffic in the main travel axes to help linking the conurbation with the activity centres. The suggested road projects included four travel corridors: - southern and coastal corridors which consist of Fahaheel Expressway, Assafar Motorway, and the spine road. - central corridor which is composed of Maghreb Motorway and Istiqlal street. - Airport corridor which includes AI-Ghazali Expressway and Riyadh street. - W e s t e r n corridor which covers Jahra Motorway, and the extentions of the fifth and the sixth ring roads. b) Improving the public transport system. The study predicted that the passenger-kilometers on the route network will increase at an average annual rate of about 174000 between 1977 and 1990. It suggested that the public transport fleet should be enlarged to over 900 buses. The public transport system must be able to provide high quality services, i.e. to offer each passenger a seat in air-conditioned buses. The route services must be reliable and convenient for passengers. Also, the study proposed four levels of services to ensure such objetives: - express route services to link Kuwait city with metropolitan and suburban areas. - limited stop services in low-density areas. - local services, especially in high-density and lowincome area. - feeder services for inner residential suburbs.

Recommendations

for the Growth

Areas

The study expected that by 1990, about 13% of the country's population will likely be living in newely planned

towns in the N and S parts of Kuwait. The recommendations for these new communities stress the need for an effective transport plan that would be able to achieve appropriate balance between private cars and public transport vehicles. The suggested transport plan should be flexible enough to allow an adequate coverage by bus routes. "The layout of the new areas should also include traffic-free routes for pedestrians, with footpaths linking housing areas to local schools, shops and other amenities" (Halcrow Fox 1978). Investments and estimated costs for the execution of the recommended plan were about KD 665 million or about 2.26 billion US$. About KD 61 million were allocated to public transport facilities. The approximated investments were divided over three terms. The short-term investments, which would have covered the period from 1978 to 1980, were about KD 121 million. Investments for the medium term (from 1981 to 1985) were estimated at KD 423 million. The remaining proposed investments of about KD 121 million were allocated for 1985 to 1990 (Tab 6).

The (KTS) did not confine itself to the appraisal of the conventional public transport models, i.e. buses, but it rather drew attention to the necessity of examining the prospects for a rapid transit system in Kuwait. It suggested a network of about 74km of dual track transit system (Halcrow Fox D1). The tracks were suggested to connect Fahaheel with Jleeb AI-Shuyoukh via the City of Kuwait. Additional loop was proposed for Salmiya area (Fig 7). However, the expected low patronage level could not justify the huge estimated cost which amounted to about KD 430 million at 1977 prices. Several other alternatives such as a monorail system were explored, but no specific recommendations were put forward by the study. The discussions made it clear that KTS had evaluated passengers services in Kuwait within the framework of a comprehensive transport appraisal. However, the second study, i.e. Kuwait Public Transport Study (KPTS) took a different approach by stressing the evaluation of the existing bus transport system. The study was divided into two parts. The first part dealt with proposed plans for the improvement of the bus system. The second part Consisted of a feasibility study of a segregated public transport system. The main findings were based on a survey which covered all urban areas extending from Fahaheel in the S to ]ahra in the W. The survey which dealt with on-bus origins and destinations covered about 94,000 passengers or about 30% of the total daily ridership which was about 312 thousand. An on-bus interview survey which covered about 4,000 passengers was done at the same time. It was found that about 90% of the passengers were males, 95% were nonKuwaiti, and 92% were non-car owners. Trips to and from Kuwait city accounted for about 43% of the total number of bus trips.

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251

Passengers are expected to rise to about 410,000 in 1990 in view of projected population and employment growth. Improved services and traffic restraint policy may add another 60,000 trips. Route and frequency changes were suggested for the four corridors. In Salmiya corridor, changes were proposed for about 23 routes, and 8 new routes were recommended over the 1984 plan. More than 20 changes were proposed for the Airport road corridor. The changes include 9 new bus routes. Relatively minor changes were suggested for the remaining two corridors, i.e. the S coastal corridor and the Jahra road corridor. The study predicted that the public transport fleet will increase to about 672 buses in 1990. The number doesn't include the spare buses. It was found that traffic signals were responsible for about 65 to 85% of total delay. Lack of crossings and U-turn problems were responsible for the rest of the delays. To remedy the delay problems, KPTS proposed about 120 traffic engineering improvement schemes which included (KPTS 1984): amendments to highway proposals grade seperated schemas signal controlled schemas non-signal controlled schemes. Proposals for the downtown area suggested changes in about 15 routes to offer better penetration of the city of Kuwait. Two new termini will be needed to absorb increasing pressure on the existing central terminal Recommendations emphasised the need for seperate bus lanes in several streets. Concerning the feasibility study of a segregated public transport system, it was found that such a scheme will not be economically feasible for the downtown area, only when however, extended to the metropolitan area of Kuwait the project may be feasible. A suggestion was put forward to undertake a detailed study of the future needs of a segregated public transport system. Other alternatives

l AI

KuwaitCity

<

Airport

-

-

Tab 6 Estimated costs of the main components in the recommended plan (KD million)

Source: KTS 1978

Tracks

Stations

e

0 2 4 6 810kin

Fig 7 The proposed rapid transit network. Source: Halcrow Fox 1978

such as elevated busways and seperate bus lanes were kept open. The estimated costs for the downtown section of the system was put at about KD 77 million. This sum does not include the annual operating and maintenance costs which

252

were set at KD 2.5 million. The required investments for the metropolitan extensions were estimated at KD 320 million. The annual operating and maintenance cost will be about KD 10 million (KPTS 1984).

Public Transport in the Updated Master Plan The objectives of the transport policy in Kuwait were set out in the First Kuwait Master Plan Review (KMPR 1) and were endorsed by the Second Review (KMPR 2). The Kuwait transport studies follow the guidelines and the objectives of these Reviews. The major transport planning objectives can be summarised as follows (KMPR 1, p. 58): i) imposing restraint on the use of private cars ii) supporting the operation, use, and development of public transport services iii) offering accessibility to major activity centers by both public and private transport iv) producing a balanced distribution of demand on the transport network compatible with road distribution v) optimising the use of existing transport and road facilities with emphasis on environmental quality vi) minimising the need for traffic control and enforcement regulations The second Master Plan Review called for the implementation of such objectives by taking different measures. It proposed a traffic restraint and parking policy that would be able to reduce by 40% the unrestrained travel to the city center by private cars. The policy will contribute to an increase in peak hour public transport ridership by about

GeoJournal 12.3/1986

7,000 passengers. The achivement of such a policy depends on the adoption of several measures which may include limitations on car imports, fuel price increases, driving licence restrictions, and car taxes (Buchanan 1983). The plan also stressed the need for developing the highways network which is supposed to be completed by 1995. The highways programme includes ]ahra motorway, Ghazzali expressway, extention of Assafar motorway to the S, and the construction of the city center loop. In addition to these schemes, efforts should continue to provide more public car parks in different sites in downtown. The parking space supply in this area is estimated at 56,000 spaces at present. However, the actual demand will be about 83,000 spaces by 1990. The construction of car parks must be carried out within the context of a parking restraint policy. The purpose of such a policy would be to reduce dependence on private cars and to encourage people to use public transport services. Such a restraint policy could help achieving the required balanced distribution of transport demand. The modes split of journeys to work for 1980 indicate reasonable balance between private automobiles and buses in some areas. However, other areas still lack the needed balance. Kuwait city, Shuweikh, and Sulaibikhat attracted about 50% of journeys to work by private cars and buses in 1980~ The journeys to work by public transport modes to these areas accounted for about 58% of all daily bus trips (Tab 7). These modes split data support the recommendations which call for a more geographical balance between private car trips and public transport journeys.

Tab 7 Modesplit of journeysto work, 1980, by workplacearea

Source: 1980 Census

GeoJournal 12.3/1986

References

Abu-Ayyash, A.: Urban Development and Planning Strategies in Kuwait. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 4,553 (1980) Buchanan, C. and Partners: Master Plan for Kuwait, Second Review: Planning and Policy, Vol. 1, Kuwait Municipality, Kuwait, 1983. Daniels, P. W.; Warners, A. M.: Movement in Cities: Spatial Perspectives in Urban Transport and Travel. Methuen, London 1980. Halcrow Fox and Associates: Kuwait Transport Study: Final Report. Kuwait Municipality, Kuwait 1978. Kuwait Transport Company: The Annual Statistical Yearbook. Kuwait 1982. (Arabic) Kuwait Transport Company: Surveying Public Transport Services. Kuwait 1983. Ministry of Interior: Statistics on Vehicles in Kuwait. Traffic Department, Kuwait 1982. (Arabic)

253

NorConsult and Associates: Public Transport in Kuwait Town and Urban Areas. Kuwait Municipality and Kuwait Transport Company, Kuwait 1984. Orski, C. K.: The Changing Environment of Urban Transport. Joural of the Association of American Planners48,309 (1982) Thomson, J.M.: Great Cities and Their Traffic. Penguin Books, London 1977. The Tyneside Passenger Transport Authority: Public Transport on Tyneside: A Plan for the People. Cuthbert House, Newcastle Upon Tyne 1973. Spielberg, F.; Andrle, S.: The Implication of Demographic Changes on Transportation Policy. Journal of the Association of American Planners 48, 30 (1982) VOV: Twelve Aims for Making Public Transport Attractive to Passengers. UITP 30, 325 (1981) Wachs, M.: Emerging Themes in Transportation Policy. Journal of the Association of American Planners 48,291 (1982) Webster, F. V.; Bly, P. H.: The Demand for Public Transport. Transport Review 2,23-46 (1982! Weiner, E.: Directions for Transport Policy. Journal of the Association of American Planners 48,293 (1982)

GeoJournal South Asian Affairs II

vol. 10 no. 1 (1985)

From Centre to Periphery: Changing Spatial Structure in Rural South India, 985-1985

Bohle, H.-G.

Sensitive Landuse of Himalayas: A Case Study of Harki Doon

Yadav, D.

The Cattle Development Problems and Programs in India: A Regional Analysis

Chakravarti, A. K.

Protein Intake Regions in the Backward Drought/Flood Prone Area of Mewat A Case Study of Nuh Tehsil, Haryana, India

Garg, S. P. and Yadav, M. C.

Spatial Pattern of Languages in India: A Culture-Historical Analysis

Dutt, A. K.; Khan, Ch. C. and Sangwan, Ch.

PQLI Measure of Development: A Study of Literacy and Basic Resources in India Population Growth and Food Supply Margin in Pakistan

Roy, B. K. Siddiqi, M. I.

Analyzing Spatial Disparities in Access to Health Care: A Methodology with Application in Bangladesh

Khan, A. A.

Four Types of Relationships between Rainfall and Paddy Production in Sri Lanka

Suppiah, R.

Tourism Resources and their Development in Maldive Islands

Domroes, M.