Planning Cities 57
to handle the dramatic increase in private car ownership since the collapse of the Soviet Union (table 2.3; see table 2A.1). In many former Soviet Union countries, the number of passenger cars per 1,000 people almost tripled over 1993–2007. This rapid growth in motorization improved mobility for vehicle owners and their passengers, but caused or heightened traffic congestion, reduced road safety, and substantially increased air pollution and the deterioration of public transport services in some cities. Traffic gridlocks occur daily in Moscow and are considered one of its most pressing problems (Gessen 2010). The rapid increase in private car ownership and use, combined with a sharp drop in financial support from central governments for public transport systems, has posed considerable challenges for providing acceptable transport services. The private sector has provided passenger transport in most places, but through substandard, small, or old vehicles, typically uncomfortable and often overloaded and unsafe. The ownership structure of public transport providers is typically fragmented, with many operators serving each urban area. Integrated services, which allow passengers to transfer between operators, are the exception rather than the rule. Publicly operated “electric transport” systems are often in a poor state of repair or are being considered for abandonment.
TABLE 2.3
Number of Passenger Cars, by Country, 1993 and 2007 per 1,000 people Country
1993
2007
Belarus
76
240
Russian Federation
78
207
Kazakhstan
61
141
Ukraine
81
128
Armenia
84
96
Georgia
90
95
Moldova
38
92
Turkmenistan
54
81
Azerbaijan
35
72
Kyrgyz Republic
41
44
Uzbekistan
39
43
Tajikistan
36
29
Sources: World Bank 2011, United Nations Statistics Division.