Question 3: Given the traffic conditions in Mauritius, Government intends to implement a car free town.

Discuss the possible advantages and disadvantages of such a project, in particular you may wish to consider the environmental impacts, the economy related to fuel, car sales etc

Introduction
From a historical point of view, transportation has always been one of the major functional systems of all societies. There have been various motives for investment in transportation systems especially the road networks, the most important of these having military, political or economic bases. In Mauritius, like in most countries, the inland road transport system, which consists only of road networks, aims to make people travel from an origin to a destination safely, comfortably and at the least cost. During the past few decades, Mauritius has known a rapid development, shifting from an island with minimal infrastructure to one in which towns and villages alike have a good standard of infrastructure. This has led to rapid development as access to facilities has become less of a problem with the advent of motor vehicles and provision of roads. The population of Mauritius has increased during the last decades and is expected to reach 1.5 million during the next fifty years. Concurrently, road transport being the only mode of internal transport in Mauritius, motorization has known a rapid boom during the past four decades. The need for transport is governed by the demand for movement due to two main purposes namely for access to workplaces, schools, shops, recreation, etc and for mobility which arises as a result of the desire for access. With development in Mauritius geared towards providing access for motor vehicles in the past decade, the use of cars has been encouraged, with the number of cars per 1000 households increasing from 169 in year 2000 to 284 in year 2007. Despite the enormous advantages that cars offer to their users, the ill-effects of cars also have to be considered in terms of their social and environmental impacts.

Problems associated with the increasing number of cars

Road accidents With the increasing number of vehicles on our road network, which in parallel has remained fairly constant over the years, road traffic accidents have been on a rising trend. This is because of the greater vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to pedestrian interactions which result from an increase in population and vehicle fleet. The number of road traffic accidents registered during the year 2007 was 20,519 and among these, the majority was non-injury (89%), but the casualty accidents resulted in 140 deaths and 500 seriously injured persons. A comparison of these figures with those of the year 2003 (Table 1) shows an increase in all the categories, hence showing that road accidents are a major problem which has to be dealt with to mitigate the unwelcomed drain on our countrys resources. Table 1: Comparison of categories of road accidents for 2003 and 2007 Year Population in Mauritius Total vehicles registered Road Accidents Number of non-injury accidents Number of casualty accidents Persons in fatal accidents Persons serious injured Persons slightly injured Congestion Port Louis and Plaines Wilhems are the two districts which have the main office and commercial buildings. Moreover, there is a significant amount of freight traffic concentrated mainly in Port Louis. Hence, it is no surprise that congestion and transport problems are worsening day by day in the Plaines Wilhems and Port Louis conurbation. This problem has become more acute during the past few years as more people have started using cars to travel to and from work. Port Louis during the week is a perfect example of a severely congested town. The actual road network is unable to accommodate the levels of traffic to which it is subjected. Moreover, manually-controlled roundabouts and a lack of control of flows onto and off the motorway exacerbate the problem further. Thus, there is serious traffic congestion at entrances and exits to 2003 1,222,811 276,371 19,178 17,335 2,061 131 291 2,276 2007 1,260,403 334,145 20,519 18,329 2,190 140 500 2,415 % Change +20.9 +7.0 +5.7 +6.3 +6.9 +71.8 +6.1

Port Louis during peak hours in the morning and evening. Furthermore, within Port Louis, car park lots are scarce throughout the day and vehicles have to move around the city to look for a car park lot, thus impeding traffic flow. During the last few years, many companies have opted for the decentralization of their offices out of Port-Louis, but this has brought insignificant change with respect to traffic congestion. Air and Noise Pollution Traffic contributes significantly to air and noise pollution. Air pollution refers to gaseous or particulate contaminants in quantities, characteristics or durations that are injurious to human, plant or animal life or to property. The combustion of fossil fuels for transportation with the generation of gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, is a major source at atmospheric pollution. In fact, in the year 2007 in Mauritius, the transport sector accounted for 23 % of the total quantity of carbon dioxide, which is regarded as a major greenhouse gas. Furthermore, noise pollution is also increasing due to the growing number of vehicles on our roads. This form of pollution is particularly prominent in congested areas and is seriously disruptive. Regulations have been set to try to curb this form of pollution with maximum noise emission standards for all types of motor vehicles and two wheelers ranging from 79 to 92 decibels, depending on the type of vehicle. Parking Traffic in an area generally requires the provision of parking lots, except for through traffic. This entails the use of prime land to build parking spaces for motor vehicles. A typical example is the town of Port Louis where people travelling into the town face serious difficulties to find a parking lot before they can alight from their vehicle to carry out their activity. Owing to land restraints, new parking facilities to accommodate the ever increasing traffic are difficult to provide and thus parking has become a severe problem in Port Louis.

Proposed Solution

In a view to make Mauritius a more sustainable island, a number of measures have been proposed during the last few years to cut down on the energy demand and fossil fuel use. In 2008, a Maurice Ile Durable Fund was set up for which Rs 1.3 billion was earmarked in a view to increase efforts to protect the environment by promoting recycling, encouraging more efficient use of energy and increasing the use of renewable forms of energy. Measures such as implementation of the summer time, giving grants to individuals for purchasing a solar water heater and applying a token levy of 15 cents per litre on all petroleum products were introduced. Furthermore, in the budget for the year 2009, several measures have been proposed to mitigate the problems related to the ever increasing number of motor vehicles on our roads as listed below: Construction of the Harbour Bridge at an estimated cost of Rs 8 billion Construction of a ring road for approximately Rs 6 billion Construction of the Terre Rouge Verdun and Ebene Verdun link roads at an estimated cost of Rs 2.8 billion Implementation of the Bus Rapid Transit System for approximately Rs 5 billion Determine whether Mauritians are willing to live in a car free town with walking as the main mode of transport However, these measures may also lead to a traffic induction cycle whereby with the provision of new roads and faster travel times, people may decide to travel more and farther than previously, with road congestion resulting in the long term. Hence, to mitigate the problem of congestion due to the increasing number of cars on our roads, it is proposed to construct new developments which are car free. The car free towns would lay emphasis on promoting walking within the town so that there is minimum vehicular traffic.

Concept of Car-free town:

A car free town is a population center that relies primarily on public transport, walking, or cycling for transport within the urban area. Car free cities greatly reduce petroleum dependency, air pollution, greenhouse emissions, automobile crashes, noise pollution, and traffic congestion. Some

cities have one or more districts where motorized vehicles are prohibited, referred to as car free zones, districts or areas. Many older cities in Europe, Asia, and Africa evolved long before the advent of the automobile, and some continue to have carfree areas in the oldest parts of the city. The goal of the Car free towns is to bring together people from around the world who are promoting practical alternatives to car dependence walking, cycling, and public transport. The movement seeks ultimately to transform cities, towns, and villages into human-scaled environments rich in public space and community life. Such transformation is occurring in existing city areas by strategic closures of streets to car traffic and by opening streets and squares to exclusive pedestrian use. A pedestrian and bicycle network gradually emerges and joins several parts of the city.

The car free town will aim to provide a sustainable framework, with an environment free from air and noise pollution, minimal traffic congestion and areas of green spaces.

Possible advantages of a car free town:

Creation of an environment which is most suitable for pedestrian movement as they are free to walk and safe from vehicular traffic Greater safety and security for pedestrians Creates a sense of belonging and togetherness within the community members by improving social interaction Creates a sustainable and aesthetically pleasing environment Preserves ease of access Improves air quality and noise levels for pedestrians Better environmental conditions with reduced air and noise pollution and more beautiful streetscape through landscaping Much money is saved in terms of car payments, gas, petrol or diesel bought, insurance and repairs

Not using a car means a reduction in the use of oil which is the non-renewable resource Cycling or walking is also a form of exercise and helps people to be fit Reduced traffic jam and parking problems

Possible disadvantages of a car free town:

Many persons have become accustomed to using their car for their daily activities- going to work, shopping, and will not be ready to stop using their car (Reluctance to change) To design an appropriate and adequate car free town- using only pubic transport like the Bus transport or the Light-Rail Transport System may necessitate huge amounts of finance

The current road network and the number of cars in Mauritius do not favour the implementation of car free towns

With fewer cars, the Government will receive less revenue in terms of fuel tax and other car taxes.

Conclusion
A number of measures must be put into practice in order to implement a car free town. This will have to be done through proper planning as all the measures would have to be integrated in the development for these to work effectively and provide a sustainable environment with reduced congestion, accidents and air and noise pollution.