The Role of Transport Engineering in Prioritizing Public Transit

This essay delves into the critical issue of prioritizing public transport in rapidly growing urban areas, emphasizing the role of transport engineering in creating safe, efficient, and sustainable mobility solutions. It begins by defining transport engineering and its application in designing and managing transportation systems to enhance public transit, including buses, trains, and other mass transit options. The essay explores how public transport can be prioritized through various strategies, such as dedicated bus lanes, integrated ticket systems, real-time information systems, and the introduction of low-emission vehicles. It highlights the advantages of public transport, including reduced traffic congestion, lower pollution levels, and cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, the essay addresses the challenges of prioritizing public transport, such as the need to improve reliability, reduce travel times, and enhance the public image of public transit systems. The conclusion underscores the importance of transport engineering in implementing these strategies, promoting sustainable urban development, and contributing to the economic well-being of a country by making public transport more attractive and efficient than private vehicles.

Essay

Abstract
The issue of sustainable mobility is rapidly increasing in growing cities or in urban area.
Therefore, transport engineering which is an application of technology which provide safe and
efficient or rapid movements of public as well as vehicles. Report also based upon the
transportation engineering such that how can the public transport be given the priority in the
urban areas using transport engineering.

Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Describing how public transport be given priority in an urban areas.....................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Transport engineering is the petition of advance technology that used to planning and
designing or manages entire system for any mode of transportation in order to provide better and
safe, convenient movement of people and transport. The report main aim is to present the
importance of transportation in the urban areas and for this study the chosen topic is how the
public transport provide the priority in urban areas by using transport engineering.
MAIN BODY
Describing how public transport be given priority in an urban areas
Public Transport: It is the mass transit in which passengers are travel in group by using
public transport facilities and the public also managed on a schedule. The public transport also
take charges for each trip and this includes city buses, trolley bus, passengers train etc.
Moreover, the public transport have a fixed schedule and it also run along fixed routes with set
destination. It has been considered that using public transport is one of the most convenient way
of travelling (Miao, Welch and Sriraj, 2019).
Transportation Engineering: This is an application in which the engineers are more
focus on designing a new transportation system and also upgrade the highways, roads and water
transport network. It has been analysed that the planning aspects of the transportation
engineering is also related to the elements of the urban planning and also involve some decision
which are needed for technical forecasting that includes the estimation, route assignment etc.
Advantages of using Public transport: It has been considered one of the cheapest
transport rather than private transportation and even the people of all age group can travel with
easiness including urban and rural areas. Moreover, the chances of traffic is also decreases and if
people prefer public transport then it helps them to decreases the number of private vehicles on
road by reducing the traffic and it decreases the chances of breaking some traffic laws as well as
the result of road accident are automatically lesser. Because it has been analysed that public
transportation causes less pollution as compared to private vehicles and people follow a
disciplined schedule while travel in public transportation (Ojo, 2019). For example, if a person is
travel in public bus then they get a chance to meet different people who belongs to different caste
or background.
1

On the other side, there are some disadvantages as well as but it has been realized that
using public transportation facility will help to reduce traffic as well as pollution that directly
affect the environment and makes the system more sustainable.
From the above data, it has been analysed that using public transport in urban areas are
slowly decreases and almost more than half of the person uses private transportation system
because it will help them to reach their destination at earliest as compared to public. The data
also shows that another public system i.e. railway system also decreases because of using private
cars. But on the other side, using public transportation should be more prioritised as compared to
private system because it will help to reduce traffic as well as pollution (Schepers, Lovegrove
and Helbich, 2019). So that it will contribute to the system with economy of the country.
Public transportation should be prioritise in urban areas: In the UK, priority for
public transport should be an objectives in large cities because the increasing private traffic
makes the public transportation slower and less reliable especially in that case because while
bikers are free to seek less congested routes at that time the public transport lines cannot change
their routes. Therefore, in the cities, the public transportation are not come easily because of
congested areas. In order to overcome from this problem or a traditional way to protect public
transport from the over-crowding is to put underground which is in the form of metro or pre-
metro, though a lot of amounts is required but it helps to make public transport a priority for the
2
Illustration 1: Statistic of using public and private vehicle.
(Source: Transportation in UK, 2018)

public. In UK also, because of overcrowding traffic continuous grows in urban areas, there are
more and more cities which have realised that to invest in the public transport system should be
the foremost requirement of a country such as metro trains, bus rapid transit system etc.
On the others side, it has been analysed that almost more than half people prefer private
vehicles because they think that public transport may not be as attractive for the citizens of a
country. Because it is less flexible and even the journey also takes longer time because of many
stops on routes as it does not go directly to the destination. That is why transport engineer always
design the best variety of system in order to make public transport prioritise for the public. Such
as in urban areas, the engineers also installed priority system in order to detect the bus ( Hine and
Preston, 2018). Therefore this priority system also provide the substantial benefits for travelling
times and also reduces the loss of time especially at the time of peak up hours for making the
transport more flexible and fastest. Hence, it has been analysed that this system in European
cities are more important element which also foster up in order to maintain the previously high
level of public transport.
Beside this, through transport engineering reserved lanes for public transport also creates
which is a segregation lanes that helps public transport to bypass when the overcrowded is there
in cities. Hence, it has been analysed that for an effective transport system and to achieve an
efficient use of the lanes it is quite obvious to establish a specific monitoring and enforcement
system that basically define all the categories of a public system in well manner (Public
transport and urban design, 2018). In order to improve the condition of the public transportation
and to become it priority for all, it is quite necessary for the transportation engineers to keep such
point in their mind which are as mentioned below:
Improve the reliability: It is quite necessary to realize people about the importance and
advantages of using public transport over private because it helps to reduce the traffic such that
to reach at single destination, number of person uses their own personal vehicles and at this
condition, they also uses single public transport. In this way, the chances of overcrowding also
decreases and as a result it helps to control air and noise pollution (Glaister, 2018). Therefore,
there is a need to improve the reliability of the public transportation so that people uses this
without hesitation.
Travel time: By using advance technique during transportation system, it will help to
reduce the travel time such as making siren or system that helps to let driver know that going
3

through this route will also cause traffic so better to choose another one. In this way, public
transportation will easily reduce the time of travelling and as a result, people will enjoy their
travelling using public transportation. For individuals, the public transport users also get benefits
such as they need less time to travel and in the same case if they use private vehicles it takes
more time. As a result, due to improved condition of public transport service, the car dealers
sales are automatically decreases which directly affect the economy of the country.
Image of public transport: It has been analysed that in public, the image of public
transport is not as clear. So there is a need to let clear the image of public transport from the
mind of people. As a result, they will also uses it and it will be more easy to make public
transportation priority for people in urban areas (White, 2016).
There are following ways which help a public system to make it more prioritise by using
transportation engineering for urban areas and these are as mentioned below:
By enhancing the attractiveness of the public transport such as by introduction of the
integrated ticket system and real time information system such as GPS or traveller information
online. By making modernisation of the connection between variety of public transport lines,
improvement for the accessibility for different bus station by bicycle. Improving the road and the
fitment of cycle racks and the use of barrier free vehicles.
There is a need to introduce the segregated public transportation lanes which helps to
connect with the revised underground network in a city. Therefore, if the lanes for this fast
transport system are improved then it helps to optimize which should also benefited to it. Beside
this, there is another need to introduce a low noise vehicles with that also helps to attract almost
public towards it (Williams, 2017). It has been realized that prioritisation and introduction of
clean and low noise vehicles also enhances the attractiveness of all public transport packages that
helps to contribute the economy of the country.
Moreover, there is a need of introduce restricted zones such as low emission zones and
also manage the availability of central parking spaces and also raise the parking fees. Apart from
this, the charges of the fair should also be decreases so that it will help to attract wide range of
public towards them. Park and ride services should also be offered at the station outside the city
centre for prioritised public transport lines. Marketing of the sustainable modes of the transport is
the another strategy or way which help to prioritise the public transport such as by introducing
measures that help to promote the sustainable mobility i.e. car free day, open days etc. Even by
4

developing those small size public transport facility also helpful to reduces the time of travel
(Budd, Ison and Budd, 2016).
The reserved lane should be developed such that the planning of segregated bus within 12
months. As the construction of the lanes are also depended on the length of the lane and it is
almost or about 1 year about 10 kms. There is a need to check or measure the reliability of the
public transport system in better way because in the congested areas, this public transport are not
easily carry out their passengers. In order to resolve such issues, there is a need to enhance the
effectiveness of the public system in such a way which help to attract wider range of public
towards it.
In addition to this, it is quite necessary for all the transport engineering to have enough
knowledge as this will help to implement the strategies in successful manner. Apart from this,
the transportation of public should be flexible because it will be more easy for the public to
follow it and helps to become priority as compared to private transportation (Gentile and Noekel,
2016). On the other side, it has been analysed that the prioritisation of public transportation is
successful only in those areas which have the medium population density in which the congested
areas are low. In order to introduce the reserved bus lanes, enough space is also needed with
proper monitoring system. Further, government should also raise the activities which are
important to inform about using the public transportation and let them know about the
advantages of measures.
Hence, it is clearly analysed that by using such strategy into the working areas will be
more helpful for the country to prioritise the public transport. Beside this, it is also advisable to
the unified in order to measure into the wider transport strategy which are further endorsed by
some local and regional politicians (Fransen and et.al., 2015).
CONCLUSION
By summing up above report it has been concluded that in urban areas the usage of public
transport should be in priority by transport engineering. As report also concluded that there are
some advantages of using public transport such that it helps to reduce pollution. By providing
cheap facility to their passengers, the chances of becoming prioritisation also increases. Report
also concluded that by using reserves lane and enhancement of the attractiveness of public
transport will help to become the first choice of the public.
5

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Budd, L., Ison, S. and Budd, T., 2016. Improving the environmental performance of airport
surface access in the UK: The role of public transport. Research in Transportation
Economics.59. pp.185-195.
Fransen, K. and et.al., 2015. Identifying public transport gaps using time-dependent accessibility
levels. Journal of Transport Geography. 48. pp.176-187.
Gentile, G. and Noekel, K., 2016. Modelling public transport passenger flows in the era of
intelligent transport systems. Gewerbestrasse: Springer International Publishing.
Glaister, S., 2018. The allocation of urban public transport subsidy. In Privatisation and the
Welfare State (pp. 177-200). Routledge.
Hine, J. and Preston, J. Eds., 2018. Integrated Futures and Transport Choices: UK Transport
Policy Beyond the 1998 White Paper and Transport Acts: UK Transport Policy Beyond the
1998 White Paper and Transport Acts. Routledge.
Miao, Q., Welch, E. W. and Sriraj, P. S., 2019. Extreme weather, public transport ridership and
moderating effect of bus stop shelters. Journal of Transport Geography.74. pp.125-133.
Ojo, T. K., 2019. Quality of public transport service: An integrative review and research agenda.
Transportation Letters.11(2). pp.104-116.
Schepers, P., Lovegrove, G. and Helbich, M., 2019. Urban form and road safety: Public and
active transport enable high levels of road safety. In Integrating Human Health into Urban
and Transport Planning (pp. 383-408). Springer, Cham.
White, P. R., 2016. Public transport: its planning, management and operation. Routledge.
Williams, K., 2017. Spatial planning, urban form and sustainable transport: an introduction. In
Spatial Planning, Urban Form and Sustainable Transport (pp. 15-28). Routledge.
Online
Public transport and urban design. 2018. [Online]. Available
through:<http://blogs.worldbank.org/transport/public-transport-and-urban-design>.
6