Creating a new transport vision for Egypt after revolution crisis

Abstract

The 25th January 2011 revolution is a great event for Egypt as it passes through one of the most volatile moments of its history. The transport System in Egypt is on the threshold of entering a new era that needs huge efforts in order to cope with the new changes which are going to happen within Egyptian society. During the last three decades, the concentration of wealth among political elites has distorted transport policies; serving in most cases the private car users and not the public transport ones, as the elite do not ride it. In addition, the uncoordinated land use and transportation planning strategies, for decades, led to gigantic population densities without adequate transport infrastructure and services. As a result, Egyptians use transport facilities beyond their design capacity. Best practice from other countries is needed in order to improve the transportation system in Egypt that would be considered as a locomotive which pushes the economic wheel forward. The European world has begun to promote efficient transportation modes for all standards of people. England is one of the pioneers in promoting a transportation system, which is able to meet the needs of the whole society to move freely, gain access, communicate, trade, and establish relationships without sacrificing other essential human or ecological values today or in the future. This paper summarizes the key trends in Egypt’s transport system and travel behavior. It analyzes the extent and causes of the most complicated problems resulting from the disordered and false transportation strategies and policies in the past. Best practices from England in the transportation field will be introduced for the aim of developing possible policy improvements that would help in reducing the transportation crisis in Egypt. The paper identifies the trend of car ownership in Egypt as a result of the expected high growth in income. Finally, best lessons that can be learned