Transportation Systems for the New Normal: Towards a Better Normal

Abstract

Before the lockdown, transportation and traffic in urban areas were largely inefficient, unsafe, and unsustainable. These were associated with traffic congestion, unsafe roads, rising emission levels, and a dependency on fossil fuels that run most of the land-based transport. During the lockdown, traffic congestion largely disappeared, air quality improved, and road crash incidence was reduced with significantly fewer vehicles on the roads. Prior to the transition to General Community Quarantine (GCQ), various groups have called for reforms in transportation towards achieving a new normal. These mostly focused on active transportation such as walking and cycling, which are modes that have often been neglected in the planning and implementation of programs and projects that are supposed to improve the way people moved about (i.e., commuting). In addition, safety or risk assessments were undertaken for various transport modes. This paper discusses the conditions before, during, and after the lockdown. Assessments are made towards enabling a new normal where the transportation system is people-oriented rather than car-oriented. The conclusion is that we can have a “better normal” that involves a mass transit system backbone complemented by conventional public transport as feeders, and active transport as a major mode for enhanced mobility.