Chile: Port congestion and efficient rationing in cargo transfer operations

Includes bibliography.

Traffic congestion: the problem and how to tackle it

As the culmination of a project financed by the Technical Cooperation Agency of the Federal Republic of Germany (GTZ), ECLAC has just published Congestión de tránsito - El problema y cómo enfrentarlo, Cuadernos de la Cepal series, No. 87. The text of 194 pages analyses the negative impacts of congestion and the multidisciplinary efforts that are needed to keep it under control, through the design of appropriate policies and measures. Congestion control is part of the development of a strategic vision of how a city should develop which can make it possible to harmonize the needs of mobility, growth and competitiveness, which are so necessary today and in the future, with the sustainability of cities and the improvement of their quality of life.The task is complex and it is not easy to find appropriate solutions. The present publication presents tools for tackling this crucial problem. Everything indicates that it calls for high professional and leadership qualities on the part of the authorities, and that it must have the active support of the citizens.This edition of the Bulletin presents a summary of the main conclusions of the publication and it is stressed that ECLAC can conduct local workshops to analyze the problem and how to tackle it.

Traffic congestion: the problem and how to deal with it

The text of 194 pages analyses the negative impacts of congestion and the multidisciplinary efforts that are needed to keep it under control, through the design of appropriate policies and measures. Congestion control is part of the development of a strategic vision of how a city should develop which can make it possible to harmonize the needs of mobility, growth and competitiveness, which are so necessary today and in the future, with the sustainability of cities and the improvement of their quality of life.The task is complex and it is not easy to find appropriate solutions. The present publication presents tools for tackling this crucial problem. Everything indicates that it calls for high professional and leadership qualities on the part of the authorities, and that it must have the active support of the citizens.This edition of the Bulletin presents a summary of the main conclusions of the publication and it is stressed that ECLAC can conduct local workshops to analyze the problem and how to tackle it.

Competitiveness and efficiency in land transport

One of the consequences of the opening of the worlds economies - an integral part of globalization - is increased focus on the efficiency and costs of transport services (on which competitiveness is largely dependent). Countries with inefficient and costly transport services lose out, in terms of economic activity and income, to those with more appropriate transport services. The issue is particularly important in Latin America, where exports mainly consist of bulk consignments of products with comparatively low value/quantity ratios and transport costs are a major determining factor of c.i.f. prices.The determination of competitiveness indices in the long term, however, also needs to include the costs of pollution, congestion and accidents, in addition to the transport costs usually considered as part of the price of freight. Competitiveness, efficiency and the global costs of transport were the main subjects of an international seminar organized in conjunction with the Chilean Institute of Engineers and held on 9 and 10 September 2004 at the Headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

Urban traffic congestion: its economic and social causes and consequences

Includes bibliography

Traffic congestion: its economic and social consequences

Urban transport in the largest Latin American and Caribbean cities consumes about 3.5% of regional GDP — a percentage that is inflated by the effects of traffic congestion. In addition to the costs of congestion in terms of lost economic efficiency, there are also negative consequences in terms of social cohesion. The phenomenon of traffic congestion, which is caused mainly by relatively wealthy car drivers, lengthens journey times and, more importantly, forces up public transport fares. Owning a car is one of the fruits of human progress; using it in conditions of acute congestion or contamination is a social ill.