The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors Friday has approved a loan of US$150 million to the People's Republic of China to help improve urban transport and road safety in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province.

Taiyuan is the provincial capital of Shanxi in central China, with a population of 3.7 million. Like many other Chinese cities, Taiyuan has embarked on a large-scale infrastructure construction program to sustain and increase its fast economic growth.

Rapid expansion of urban transport infrastructure is a significant part and consequence of this investment program. More recently the quality of public transport and traffic safety is receiving increasing attention.

The Taiyuan Urban Transport Project is designed to assist the Municipal Government of Taiyuan in developing transport infrastructure that reflects an adequate balance between the need for roadway expansion and the needs of public transport and non-motorized modes that are still the mainstay of a majority of its residents.

The project consists of four components:

1) Road Infrastructure: construction of Taihang Road, a major new arterial connecting key parts of the city, and associated links.

2) Public Transport: investments and supporting actions to improve the quality of services and facilities to encourage increased ridership in four areas: (i) development of a bus priority scheme on Xinjian Street; (ii) bus depots (Nanhan and Beiying); (iii) bus terminals (Yingxin, Zoo, and Beiyan); and (iv) an automated bus dispatching and vehicle location system.

3) Traffic Safety and Management: investments and supporting actions in selected main corridors to improve the safety and efficiency of movement for all road users, including (i) pedestrian facilities including sidewalk construction, pedestrian overpasses and pedestrian signals; (ii) bicycle facilities; (iii) channelization at selected junctions; (iv) traffic signs and markers; (v) equipment for traffic management including a traffic signal system; and (vi) improvement of enforcement.

4) Institutional Strengthening: domestic and international training as well as technical assistance related to each project component.

"Taiyuan has strong capacity in the public transport company and traffic safety brigade. A key goal of this project is to provide a platform of continuous support to these agencies and support them to develop coordinated responses that improve the mobility of the majority of Taiyuan's trip makers, the pedestrians, cyclists and bus users," said Shomik Raj Mendiratta, project leader and Senior Transport Specialist of the World Bank.

The total investment in the project is US$330.77 million, with US$150 million financed by the World Bank and US$180.77 through counterpart funding.

(China Development Gateway June 11, 2010)