Using minibuses, Russian cities are being degraded!

Vukan Vuchik, Emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the field of transport system design, researcher of urban transport systems, planning and principles of traffic flows, author of the books "Transit Trilogy", in an interview with 100+ ForumRussia gave an assessment of the transport condition of some Russian cities and recommendations for correcting the situation.

- Is it possible to single out the main principle according to which the transport system should be built in modern cities?

- yes. Cities should be livable. And everything in them should be subordinated to this principle, including the transport system. Which cities do I call livable? For example, Vienna, Munich or Zurich. In the city center, you won't see free parking here, the whole center is one big pedestrian zone. But! The public transport system is well organized there. And in the pedestrian center, everything is done to make it convenient for people to walk and not drive. But a few years ago, these cities were on the verge of transport collapse. The authorities of cities, such as Munich, asked themselves: "What kind of city do they want to see?" All the changes here took place gradually and consistently. Sudden steps, on the contrary, can lead to an early collapse on the roads.

- Can you give an example of such an ill-considered abrupt decision that worsened the situation?

- Of course, Great Britain. Everywhere except London, an uncontrolled system has been introduced here, which has completely destroyed everything that was done before.

- What exactly was done wrong? What does "uncontrolled system" mean?

- They have given public transport to private companies. And it turned out that the operation of the transport system in cities was beyond the control of local authorities. As a result, they lost 30 percent of their passengers.

How should it be? It should be like this: when a person leaves the subway, he can immediately take a tram or other transport. A system should be developed so that a person can plan in advance how he will change different modes of transport in order to optimally get to the place he needs.

For example, in Germany, they did this: they introduced from six to 10 transport companies on one line and established controlled competition. That is, they said, here is the schedule, here are the rules that you must follow, follow. And now the transport companies are competing, but in order to work within the established system. And this is in the interests of the authorities, companies, and passengers. After all, the competition of transport companies should not affect passengers and their safety. In Russia, I rode a minibus in Omsk. It's a horror: the driver is driving at the same time, accepting the fare and also talking on a cell phone. I was scared. In terms of the level of minibuses, Russia is now at the level of Africa.

Free competition in the transport services market leads to the fact that companies only think about how to get the maximum benefit in the short term. They don't think about the social aspect, the environment, or any other factors. Just about quick benefits. This does not contribute to the safety of passengers or the prosperity of the city as a whole.

- And what contributes?

- You need to think about people first. And secondly, we need to think about the future. In the future, most large cities, including in Russia, will have to reduce the number of personal vehicles and transfer people to public transport.

- How do I do this? How do I convince people to switch from private transport to public transport?

- You need to put yourself in the place of an ordinary citizen of the city. The main question he can ask himself is: which is more profitable - to buy a car or use public transport? First, is parking free? If it is free, then using the car is both convenient and profitable. And he'll buy a car, of course. Yekaterinburg, for example, still has a lot of free parking. Maybe you should start with that?

The second question a city dweller will ask himself when thinking about giving up a car is the convenience of public transport. Will the bus take me to my destination and drop me off close to the place I need? Will I be able to get there optimally? If we're talking about the subway, then, for example, can I ride a bike to the subway? Is there a bike park there, is it safe to leave a bike there?

As the city grows, there will be even more cars, and more people will be stuck in traffic jams, which is harmful to both people and the economy. Cars are convenient for individual comfort, but not for general comfort. It is necessary to limit the number of personal vehicles for the sake of common interest!

- Is there any way to encourage people to switch to public transport? Are there any examples?

- In Europe, there are examples when businesses in big cities, including large corporations, pay their employees for a month's travel on public transport, receiving some kind of preferences from the municipality.

- Are there any cities in Russia that, from your point of view, do a good job of solving the transport problem?

- yes. Kazan, Volgograd. In the latter case, there is a high-speed tram line, and in Kazan, uncontrolled minibuses have been eliminated, modern trolleybuses have been purchased and it is comfortable to ride in them.