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...
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| 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 |
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okr-10986-279662021-06-08T14:42:48Z Reducing Traffic Congestion in Beirut : An Empirical Analysis of Selected Policy Options Anas, Alex De Sarkar, Sayan Abou Zeid, Maya Timilsina, Govinda Nakat, Ziad URBANIZATION TRAFFIC CONGESTION URBAN TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT RAPID TRANSIT 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. 2017-08-24T20:45:19Z 2017-08-24T20:45:19Z 2017-08 Working Paper 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 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 8158 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Middle East and North Africa Lebanon |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English en_US |
| topic |
URBANIZATION TRAFFIC CONGESTION URBAN TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT RAPID TRANSIT |
| spellingShingle |
URBANIZATION TRAFFIC CONGESTION URBAN TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT RAPID TRANSIT Anas, Alex De Sarkar, Sayan Abou Zeid, Maya Timilsina, Govinda Nakat, Ziad Reducing Traffic Congestion in Beirut : An Empirical Analysis of Selected Policy Options |
| geographic_facet |
Middle East and North Africa Lebanon |
| relation |
Policy Research Working Paper;No. 8158 |
| description |
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. |
| format |
Working Paper |
| author |
Anas, Alex De Sarkar, Sayan Abou Zeid, Maya Timilsina, Govinda Nakat, Ziad |
| author_facet |
Anas, Alex De Sarkar, Sayan Abou Zeid, Maya Timilsina, Govinda Nakat, Ziad |
| author_sort |
Anas, Alex |
| title |
Reducing Traffic Congestion in Beirut : An Empirical Analysis of Selected Policy Options |
| title_short |
Reducing Traffic Congestion in Beirut : An Empirical Analysis of Selected Policy Options |
| title_full |
Reducing Traffic Congestion in Beirut : An Empirical Analysis of Selected Policy Options |
| title_fullStr |
Reducing Traffic Congestion in Beirut : An Empirical Analysis of Selected Policy Options |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Reducing Traffic Congestion in Beirut : An Empirical Analysis of Selected Policy Options |
| title_sort |
reducing traffic congestion in beirut : an empirical analysis of selected policy options |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2017 |
| url |
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 |
| _version_ |
1764466250952474624 |