|
|
|
Plan
for safe, integrated use
|
| Transport
planners should recognise the value of local transport solutions and
plan for their integration and safe use. |
Sign prohibiting slow vehicles, Hungary |
Carts,
bicycles and other slow-moving vehicles should not be prohibited,
but allocated special lanes or routes.
|
Potentially dangerous loads
Many laden carts,
cycles and motor vehicles are dangerous. Owners maximise usage.
Investment in safety is not their priority. Legislation for improved
safety may be needed. This should be developed through participative
discussions with the users to identify problems and solutions.
|
Motorcycle with bulky load,
Sri Lanka
|
Buffalo-pulled sledge on a road
in The Philippines |
Steel-rimmed cartwheels and sledges can
cause damage to roads. Pneumatic tyres may be a solution but people
may be unable to afford to buy and maintain such carts. Prohibition
of cartwheels and sledges may cause financial and social problems
to rural people. Prohibition should not be contemplated until affordable
alternative technologies are available.
|
|
Prohibition or planning for mixed
traffic?
Drivers of motor vehicles often consider
intermediate means of transport to be dangerous nuisances. They
want them banned from towns and from rural roads. They do not understand
how important intermediate means of transport are for short-distance
local transport. The combination of fast traffic and slow moving
means of transport can be dangerous. Solutions may include traffic-calming
measures or special lanes for slow vehicles.
Some urban authorities have
banned carts and rickshaws from city centres, for reasons of safety
or improved traffic flows or as a matter of prestige - they want
'modern' cities. Authorities in Addis Abeba and Bamako banned horse
carts, and those in Islamabad banned almost all intermediate means
of transport.
Some cities in India and Indonesia
have banned cycle rickshaws. They have been replaced by more 'modern'
autorickshaws. These motorised vehicles do not appear to have reduced
traffic congestion but they have increased pollution. In urban areas
the prohibition of slow vehicles has not automatically improved
traffic flows, since traffic speed is often limited by vehicles
stopping for loading and unloading.
|
|
