Mobility Issues in the Developing World

Abstract

In the large cities of the developing world, travel times are generally high and increasing, destinations accessible within limited time are decreasing. The average one-way commute in Rio de Janeiro is 90 minutes. In Bogota it is 60 minutes. The average vehicle speed in Manila is 7 miles per hour. The average car in Bangkok is stationary in traffic for the equivalent of 44 days a year. This is happening because vehicle registrations are growing fast on the basis of increased populations, increased wealth, increased commercial penetration, and probably an increasingly persuasive picture in the developing world of international lifestyle in which a car is an essential element. Accordingly, in much of the developing world the number of motor vehicles is increasing at more than 10 percent a year-the number of vehicles doubling in 7 years. The countries include China (15 percent), Chile, Mexico, Korea, Thailand, Costa Rica, Syria Taiwan, and many more. What is the shape of increasing congestion and declining mobility? There are no widespread measures available for comparative purposes because decline in mobility is complicated. Congestion is always localized in time and space. A few things are nonetheless evident.