Shalaby: Invest in transit, where it makes sense

head shot of professor in front of bookshelves
Professor Amer Shalaby

As the City of London debates the London Plan, described as “the city’s blueprint for future growth” that “took years to build, with the input of more than 10,000 Londoners”, and in particular the future of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) plan, UTTRI associated faculty Professor Amer Shalaby shared his thoughts.

Shalaby was quoted in “London Plan in jeopardy if BRT abandoned” on March 7, 2019 in the London Free Press. An excerpt:

Urban transportation planning expert Amer Shalaby, a member of the University of Toronto’s Transportation Research Institute, said the best approach is to invest in transit, but only where it makes sense.

“We build transit where it’s competitive . . . mostly in downtown areas and high-density corridors and serving areas like universities, schools and hospitals and where parking is limited,” he said.

“For a city like London, its population is going to grow, and you don’t want congestion to grow at the same rate. The only way of doing this is you encourage a lifestyle that is more conducive to walking, to biking, to using public transit to reduce congestion levels and their impact.”

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