Solutions to urban transport problems

Major infrastructure

Light rail, metro and bus rapid transit move large numbers of people with less road space and pollution per passenger; major road schemes (ring roads, bypasses, flyovers) relieve congestion on particular routes.

TransMilenio, Bogota (Global BRT Data): a bus rapid transit system opened in 2000, with dedicated bus lanes and stations; by 2023 it had 114.4 km of routes, 138 stations and about 1.84 million passengers a day. It was far cheaper than a metro, but crowding and peak loads (about 49,000 passengers per hour per direction in 2018) are problems.

Costs: huge capital costs, disruption during construction, demolition of homes, and fares that may exclude the poorest. New roads can also attract more traffic (induced demand), so congestion returns: the June 2025 mark scheme credited this point.

Planning solutions

• Congestion charging / road pricing: drivers pay to enter a zone or use a road. London's Congestion Charge (2003): traffic entering the zone fell 18%, congestion fell 30%, central London bus use rose 33% and about 10% of journeys switched to walking, cycling or public transport (TfL, February 2023).
• Low emission zones: London's ULEZ (2019, expanded 2021) left NO2 about 46% lower in central London than without the scheme (TfL).
• Pedestrianisation of central streets.
• Park and ride: car parks on the edge with buses to the centre.
• No-drive days (bans on certain cars on certain days, e.g. by number plate).
• Cycle lanes and bike share; the 15-minute city idea (services within a short walk or cycle).

Source: TfL press release, 17 February 2023

Why success is mixed

• Charges can be regressive: a flat fee hits low-income drivers hardest, and businesses in the zone may lose trade.
• Effects may fade as traffic adapts (TfL reported nearly 5 billion pounds lost to congestion in London in 2019 despite the charge).
• No-drive days can be avoided by buying a second car.
• Infrastructure needs ongoing subsidy and may serve richer areas first.
• Success depends on alternatives: charging works only if public transport is good.

The Getting Started Guide suggests judging solutions by cost, benefit and payback time. For an 8-mark 'assess' question (June 2025), the top band judged success, weighing large infrastructure against demand-reduction measures and stakeholder views.

Worked example

TransMilenio carried about 1,844,437 passengers a day in 2023 on 114.4 km of routes. Calculate daily passengers per km of route.

1. 1,844,437 / 114.4
2. = 16,123 passengers per km per day (nearest whole number).

Answer: About 16,123 passengers per km each day.

Check yourself

1. Using 1,844,437 daily passengers and 114.4 km, calculate passengers per km per day to the nearest whole number.
   Show answer

   16123. 1,844,437 / 114.4 = 16,123.

2. If 100,000 people a day used buses in central London before the Congestion Charge, how many would use them after the reported 33% rise?
   Show answer

   133000 people. 100,000 x 1.33 = 133,000.

3. Why might building a new urban motorway fail to reduce congestion in the long term?
   • Motorways are too narrow
   • Extra road space attracts more traffic (induced demand)
   • Cars become electric
   • Fuel becomes cheaper
   Show answer

   Extra road space attracts more traffic (induced demand). Credited in the June 2025 mark scheme.

4. A criticism of a flat-rate congestion charge is that it
   • raises no revenue
   • increases traffic in the zone
   • takes a larger share of income from poorer drivers
   • is impossible to enforce
   Show answer

   takes a larger share of income from poorer drivers. Flat charges are regressive.

5. Park and ride schemes reduce city-centre congestion by
   • letting drivers leave cars on the edge and take buses to the centre
   • banning all buses
   • building car parks in the city centre
   • charging pedestrians
   Show answer

   letting drivers leave cars on the edge and take buses to the centre. Cars are intercepted before the centre.

6. An advantage of bus rapid transit over a metro is that BRT
   • never becomes crowded
   • needs no road space
   • is usually much cheaper and quicker to build
   • produces no emissions
   Show answer

   is usually much cheaper and quicker to build. Dedicated bus lanes cost far less than tunnels.

7. Explain how a congestion charge can reduce air pollution in a city centre.
   Show answer

   Charging drivers to enter the zone discourages unnecessary car journeys, so fewer vehicles enter and traffic flows more freely, which lowers exhaust emissions such as NO2 and particulates.. Charge, fewer cars, lower emissions.

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Sources

• Pearson Edexcel International Advanced Subsidiary/Advanced Level in Geography specification, Issue 3 (September 2025)
• Global BRT Data: Bogota (TransMilenio)
• Transport for London press release (17 February 2023): Congestion Charge marks 20 years
• Pearson IAL Geography Getting Started Guide
• Pearson WGE02/01 mark scheme, June 2025

Last updated 8 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.