Reducing Traffic Congestion in Beirut : An Empirical Analysis of Selected Policy Options
Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, faces huge traffic congestion, the cost of which is estimated to be more than 2 percent of the city's gross regional product. Effective policies are needed, based on weighing their overall economic cost and...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/964581501780246577/Reducing-traffic-congestion-in-Beirut-an-empirical-analysis-of-selected-policy-options http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27966 |
| Summary: | Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon,
faces huge traffic congestion, the cost of which is
estimated to be more than 2 percent of the city's gross
regional product. Effective policies are needed, based on
weighing their overall economic cost and benefit to society.
This study developed an empirical model based on
microeconomic theory, accounting for production and
consumption behavior related to transportation in the
Greater Beirut Area, to simulate various policy
combinations. A key finding of the study is that individual
supply-side policies, such as the expansion of roads or
introduction of a bus rapid transit system, are quite
effective at reducing traffic congestion while increasing
economic output and welfare. They also account for most of
the benefits from implementing policy packages with supply-
and demand-side measures. The introduction of bus rapid
transit with expansion of the road system to feed the bus
rapid transit system reduces congestion by about 16 percent
and congestion costs by more than 50 percent. This would
increase Beirut's gross regional product by roughly 2
percent, and the average social welfare of the residents of
Beirut by 4 percent. In contrast, demand-side instruments,
implemented alone, lower gross regional product and welfare
with limited effects on congestion. |
|---|