Transportation dilemma

That more than half of the commuters in Amman use their own vehicles for transport in an energy-starved economy is a sign of an extremely weak public transport system.

Given the drain on resources such an inefficient system creates, one wonders whether there are government plans to remedy the situation.

The number of private vehicles grew by 10.3 per cent annually (2001-2012), and if one were to plot the data, the growth follows almost a straight line.

The growth in the number of vehicles far exceeds that of the population, which is understandable: people live longer than cars, hence one consumes more than a car in a lifetime.

Furthermore, Jordan’s population is youthful, which means that people enter the job market at a faster pace than the population growth rate, and the bus system is not adequate.

Consequently, despite the fact that cars are extremely expensive in the country, the number of vehicles in Amman will exceed 2 million in 10 years.

This means that neither the Greater Amman Municipality nor the people will be able to deal with this increase, as cars drive the city dwellers out of the city.

The losses are not only tremendous, but are also growing: pollution, the cost of wasted energy (40 per cent of the fuel bill); time lost waiting for buses that do not hold regular schedules; 25 per cent of the working youth’s salaries goes to commuting to and from work; travel routes are lengthy and problematic; unsafe and uncomfortable rides; frustration from driving back and forth in a country where drivers have decided to become reincarnations of Mad Max (by the way, research shows commuter who use public transport in advanced countries are happier than those that use their private vehicles).

People do not buy cars because they love to pay twice the value of the car (customs range between 80 and 140 per cent), given their low incomes in Jordan relative to the country of manufacture.

The price of three vehicles for a more than three-person household/family in Amman with at least one working offspring exceeds that of a house or apartment in West Amman. Surely, Jordanians would rather invest their money on better things than on foreign made cars.

The growth rate of private vehicles is not ebbing and should be a cause of alarm to any system of governance that employs strategic thinking.

If things are not addressed, the city streets need to continuously expand, people and their buildings will have to constantly move out and make way for cars.

This is not what cities do; they search for ways to reduce traffic pressure.

Jordan’s entire public transportation system needs to become un-privatised.

We need a public transportation system that is funded by the state. The subsidy should be viewed as an investment and a cost-saving measure, not only to the state but to the country as a whole.

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