Implementing Congestion Reduction Measures in Beirut

Project Summary:

About half of the country’s 1.2 million vehicles operate in the Greater Beirut Area, where most citizens travel with private cars. Over half of the country’s energy consumption stems from urban transport. The program is conducting a detailed study of Beirut’s most congested corridor to improve traffic conditions, improve energy efficiency, rationalize transport demand, and reduce GHG emissions. Recommended improvements for the corridor will inform authorities’ plans for a new mass transit project and guide the implementation and scaling of practical solutions to alleviate congestion.

List of Activities:

• Conducting a comprehensive study of the city’s congested corridor
• Guiding the implementation and scaling of solutions and informing authorities’ plans and decisions for a new mass transit project
• Reviewing transport pricing—including gasoline, taxi fares, and tariffs for the planned transit system—as well as review social implications, especially for the poor

Outcomes:

Output 1:

• Detailed recommendations on type and location of improvements, with cost estimates to improve access and traffic flow on the Beirut-Tabarja corridor 

Output 2:

• Practical recommendations on pricing of the various modes of transport, with assessment of feasibility and timeframe, and with consideration of the likely social implications

Outcomes:

Some of the expected outcomes of this project include improvements in Beirut’s traffic conditions, energy efficiency, transport demand, and GHG emissions reductions. These will be achieved through the project’s recommendations based on a comprehensive study of Beirut’s congested corridor.