ABSTRACT

Travel is so seamlessly intertwined with the range of activities comprising our daily lives that it is difficult to step back and clearly assess how it influences our quality of life, economy, and environment. In recent decades, we have grown accustomed to travelling further, faster and more frequently. Transport has many aspects, including movement in urban and rural areas, movement of people and freight, and movement by land, air and water. This chapter focuses on the global transport sector which directly affects a large and growing proportion of the world's population on a daily basis: urban passenger transport. Over the last half of the 20th century, privately-owned and operated motor vehicles have increasingly dominated urban passenger transport systems in many countries. As part of a balanced transport system, cars and motorbikes can bring flexibility and convenience that enrich our lives. However, with the rapid growth in private vehicle use our transport systems have become increasingly imbalanced, resulting in the problems from private motor vehicle exceeding their benefits.