AMMAN — Delays caused by traffic congestion in Amman cost an
estimate of JD1.5 billion annually, which takes into account the costs of fuel
and time.
Riyad Kharabsheh, executive director of Public Transport and
Infrastructure Transport Projects at Greater Amman Municipality (GAM),
explained that this figure is an estimate based on “wasted fuel in traffic
jams, wasted time value, and other indirect costs.”
Hazem Zureiqat, a transportation consultant at Engicon and
former GAM official, pointed to “a mathematical transport model developed for
GAM, in which person-hours were calculated with and without traffic congestion.
The difference was then multiplied by an assumed value of time (JD1 per hour).”
Kharabsheh told Jordan News that traffic congestion in Amman
is attributed in large part to the absence of an integrated and reliable public
transportation system, which compels people to rely on private means of
transportation.
According to the municipal official, Jordan is “lagging
behind in its public transportation services”. He attributed this to the
cumulative impact of unsound public policies, where the horizontal coordination
between the Ministry of Transport and municipalities to develop cities’
infrastructure is “at its weakest”.
The 2019 annual report by the Public Security Directorate
(PSD) states that 1 in 6 people in Jordan owned a car. Based on Jordan’s Green
Growth National Action Plan 2021–2025, which was conducted by the Global Green
Growth Institute (GGGI), the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of
Transport, vehicle ownership is increasing at a rate of 5.3 percent per year.
A 2019 report on Jordan’s roads by the World Bank states
that “Jordan’s road infrastructure has not kept pace with population growth.
Jordanian towns and cities have dense road networks and face severe road
congestion.” It also noted that the poor condition of the country’s road
network has hindered its economic growth, according to the report.
Zureiqat agreed that Amman is a “car-oriented city” where
the lack of transportation options has led to an increase in car ownership.
This, he said, has resulted in traffic congestion, which “in and of itself has
huge economic and environmental costs.”
The Green Growth Plan has stated that “this situation
contributes to increasing fossil fuel use, ambient air pollution and restricted
access to employment opportunities, education and markets.”
In an interview with Jordan News, Lina Shbeeb, former
minister of transport, warned of the environmental impact of the issue, citing
that almost 50 percent of the Kingdom’s energy bill goes to transportation.
In an interview with Jordan News, Lina Shbeeb, former
minister of transport, warned of the environmental impact of the issue, citing
that almost 50 percent of the Kingdom’s energy bill goes to transportation.
According to a 2019 report by the Ministry of Energy and
Mineral Resources (MEMR), transportation in 2018 consumed 3,363 of 6,761 tonnes
of oil equivalent, which equates to 49 percent.
In addition to the environmental costs of traffic
congestion, Zureiqat also points out that traffic in Amman has “significant
implications on economic development, employment, and social mobility.”
The Green Growth National Action Plan states that 78 percent
of youth are unable to join the workforce due to the inaccessibility of public
transport, while 47 percent of Jordanian women have also turned down employment
opportunities for the same reason.
Zureiqat said: “Jordan has one of the lowest rates of female
participation in the workforce, and recent studies suggest that one of the main
reasons for which women do not work is the lack of transport options.”
Kharabsheh acknowledges the problem, describing it as a
“huge challenge”. Nonetheless, he reported that GAM is working on building
technical and managerial capabilities in order to improve the public transport
system in Amman.
GAM is also expecting the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to
begin operating at the end of the current year.
According to the project’s literature, the 11-package BRT,
“will be the centerpiece of a fully-integrated and hierarchical public
transport network.”
“It is the first of the nation’s projects in public
transport and it will be the backbone of the public transportation services
network,” Kharabsheh concluded.
اضافة اعلان
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