JICA to reveal Lahore Transport Master Plan today

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

JICA to reveal Lahore Transport Master Plan today
Lahore—Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will unveil Lahore Urban Transport Master Plan (LUTMP) Study here on Thursday (today) during an international seminar at Royal Palm Golf and Country Club. The previous transport master plan for provincial capital had been made in 1991 and proposed new plan would cover the transport requirements for next 20 years up to 2030. This mast plan report has studied current population, socio economic characteristics of residents, number of vehicles, alternative urban development, travel demand, future travel and road network pattern.

According to details Government of Punjab had requested JICA to review the 1991 Master Plan and formulate 2030 master plan for Lahore and a study team consists on France, Philippine, Japan and local transport and road experts has been constituted. JICA study has revealed that population of district Lahore in 2020 will be increased 108,730,00, and in 2030 estimated 134,790,00.

The study report said that current 9.9 million population of Lahore has 1.8 million households, employed residents was 2.7 million, average income was Rs 3500, household care ownership 18 percent and household motorcycle ownership 43 percent. To discuss about current public transport passenger demand report stated that Lahore was fortune to have public transport share of 38 percent and there were only 53 government notified routes for buses, while numerous legal and illegal wagons were also operating to meet the demand of 3.4 million trips daily.

Under transport development strategy the study report said that only way to effectively meet travel demand was to provide the city with high capacity public transport system. The report forecast that the total travel demand for public transport in 2030 would exceed 5 million.

The JICA study also advised for institutional development and reforms for a better transport system in Lahore. To resolve the institutional issues foreign transport experts stressed an integration and unification of organizations, separation of decision making , planning and execution and free from official wage system and rationalization of recruitment.

JICA recommended a Transport Management Board under transport department Punjab, while Punjab Urban Transport Planning and Engineering Institute responsible for research and planning, while Lahore Transport Development Company would responsible for execution and administration matters.

Ch Muhammad Iqbal Chief Transport Planner of provincial transport department, talking about the master plan said that JICA would brief all stakeholders including Lahore Transport Company, TEPA, University of Engineering and Technology, Traffic Police and City District Government representative during the international seminar on today.

He said LUTMP study was consist on two volumes and it has been completed in two phases after one year long hectic efforts.

He said under the new traffic master plan new roads, bridges, flyovers, road transport fleet and road network must be constructed. The foreign transport experts working under JICA has also trained the staff of traffic planning unit in Transport House and new trained officers were capable to implement new traffic master plan in future.

The traffic master plan was a good effort and it would be implemented after the formal approval of Punjab government. JICA has completed study report, while provincial government would arrange funds with the help of national and international resources to implement this master plan in near future, Ch Iqbal added.