ABSTRACT
Urban rail and to a lesser extent, buses, give higher capacity access than the private car with less environmental damage and less demand for land devoted to transport in the form of highways and parking spaces. Public transport therefore gives two advantages for commercial prosperity in town centres: a high level of access, and it allows road traffic restriction or traffic calming with consequent environmental improvements. If the environmental improvements are effective, presumably they will result in greater demand for access, hence the significance of public transport in providing it.
