Sustainable Urban Planning and Rural Development. Colmenar Viejo : Traffic Congestion Problem
Colmenar Viejo is a town situated 30km north of Madrid. It is a perfect of example of modernisation as it has switched from a traditional mining and cattle raising economy into a commerce and service based economy. Its current population is more than 46.000. This figure is more than double than what it was in 1981. So in a lifespan of only 30 years the total population has doubled, having economic and ecological implications.
(Source: INE – Instituto Nacional de Estadística)
As seen in the above graph, the population of colmenar has exponentially grown in the past century, particularly after the 1970’s. This has lead to huge advances in economic activity and infrastructure. An example of a development in transport infrastructure is the re-opening of the train station in 2002. Facilitating transport communications between Colmenar and the capital Madrid explains the increase of residents from 34 thousand in 2001 to 46 thousand as of 2012. However, this growth has lead to problems, like the rise in traffic congestion particulalry at morning ‘rush hours’, increasing noise and air pollution. The town has left its quiet and peacefull reputation and turned into a developed and noisy area.
Why is there congestion problems and what can be done to solve this issue?
To start with, it is worth mentioning the fact that Colmenar has a solid public transport system, consisting of several urban and intercity buses and constant trains departing to Madrid. The problem seems to be in the exit roads, where all cars seem to agglomerate at the same time every morning. According to RACC (Real Automóvil club de Catalunya), a recognised club known for road assistance services, the biggest congestion in the roads of Colmenar towards Madrid (M-607) is between 07:30 to 09:00 am. By the time the road reaches the next town, Tres Cantos, the fluidity of traffic comes back to normal. So it is clear that the issue resides at the exits.
(Source: RACC)
The above graph shows the intensity of vehicles every 30 minutes. The purple line, representing the M-607 (lane from Colmenar to Madrid) shows that in between the morning rush hours there is a huge increase in the number of vehicles, increasing from 400 cars at 07:00 to 1400 at 07:45 a.m.
Between 2002 and 2005 there has been an annual traffic increase of 4,4% in the access lanes to Madrid. This suggests that certain policy reforms must be undertaken to deal with the issue. Several proposals have been made by different organisations in order to deal with congestions coming from neighbouring towns of Madrid. RACC suggested short-term proposals like fomenting public transport and improvement of infrasctructure. However, the most promising proyect was the ‘Bus Lane Vao’, currently waiting to be exectued due to austerity measures. This proyect consisted on two main alternatives:
– Alternative A. Reduce the width of lanes and shoulders (arcenes)
Increasing road capacity. Beneficial in ‘rush hours’ as it will help traffic fluidity. However, it will imply a reduction in velocity as cars would be more close together (affecting road security) due to the narrowness of shoulders.
– Alternative B. Reduce from 3 to 2 the normal lanes
Transforming one of the lanes into bus-vao lane in ‘rush hour’ , while leaving it normal the rest of the day. The problem with this measure is that it is hard for people to understand and accept as it hard to conceive one lane less specially at that time in the morning.
Colmenar urban problem resides in the size of its roads, which cannot satisfy the needs of its citizens at a certain time in the day. Unlike the American model, where roads are huge as growth in towns was expected, Colmenar cannot afford to invest to extend its roads. This would imply a huge investment which is not affordable considering the economic crisis, and it would only bring the problem of noise and air pollution closer to its inhabitants. From what it is suggested, it seems that the solution resides in the use of public transport and Slugging:
– Slugging. A form of carpooling, but more organized. People going to the same destination can share a car and take advantage of HOV lanes. According to RACC, higher occupation of private vehicles is the best solution to congestion problems. 
– Public Transport. Promoting the use of buses and specially the train can help. The issue with Colmenar train station is that it is situated in the outskirst of the town, making it unaccessible for most people. A strategy could be to promote the use of bycicles to get to the station.
In order to fulfill these last two suggestions, community involvement is a must. The best way to promote Slugging and public transport (and the use of bycicle to get to train station) is for the town council to raise awareness through campaigns. Considering the citizens willingness to change the situation ,it is understandable that campaigns promoting the use of bycicles and car sharing will be well received, plus it is more cost efficient than expensive changes in infrastructure. With these two methods, the town can solve both congestion and environmental problems.
Sources:
– http://ecomovilidad.net/madrid/propuesta-carriles-bus-vao-de-bajo-coste
– http://www.econduccion.es/es/el-racc-propone-10-soluciones-para-la-congestion-en-los-accesos-madrid
– http://imagenes.racc.es/pub/ficheros/adjuntos/adjuntos_estudio_congestion_webb_jzq_9adadbd7.pdf
– http://www.colmenarviejo.com/
Comments Off on Sustainable Urban Planning and Rural Development. Colmenar Viejo : Traffic Congestion Problem /
13 Dec 2013
por
alvarohernandez
IMSD /
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