Transport Travel Behavior In Mauritius

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

3.1 Introduction

Transportation is an essential component of the economy influencing the development and welfare of the population (Rodrigue et al). If transport systems are efficient, they provide economic and social opportunities and benefits which cause positive multiplier effects such as better accessibility to investment, markets, and employment (Rodrigue et al). Mauritius has experienced the most remarkable economic growth and has one of the highest standards of living among the African countries. This led to the high mobility of passengers as more people have acquired cars and started to use them to commute to work (OECD 2006).

3.2 The situation of road networks in Mauritius

In Mauritius, the main form of land transport is road networks. There is road access to all parts of the island. The harbour situated in Port Louis and the airport in Plaisance supply for external transport. There is a main motorway that runs from the north to the south connecting all areas of activity (Menon 2004).

For a small island of 1 865 sq km, there are 2 020 km of roads in Mauritius, of which 47 per cent are main roads, 29 per cent are secondary roads, 4 per cent are motorways and the remaining 20 per cent are made up of other types of roads (OECD 2006). In 2009, roads paved (% of total roads) was 98.0.

3.2.1 Types of roads:

Paved roads

Paved roads are those surfaced with crushed stone (macadam) and hydrocarbon binder or bituminized agents, with concrete, or with cobblestones, as a percentage of all the country's roads, measured in length (Index Mundi).

Motorways

These are specially designed for motor traffic, which does not serve properties bordering on it, and which:

is provided, except at special points or temporarily, with separate carriageways for the two directions of traffic, separated from each other, either by a dividing strip not intended for traffic, or exceptionally by other means;

does not cross at level with any road, railway or tramway track, or footpath;

is specially sign-posted as a motorway and is reserved for specific categories of road motor vehicles.

Entry and exit lanes of motorways are included irrespectively of the location of the sign-posts. Urban motorways are also included (OECD).

Main Road

Main road is a major road for any form of motor transport.

Secondary Road

It is a road supplementing a main road, usually wide enough and suitable for two-way, all-weather traffic at moderate or slow speeds.

Table 1 shows the development of the road networks from the year 1981 to 2011. It can be noted that new roads are still being constructed and maintained

3.3 The regulatory bodies

There are several regulatory institutions in Mauritius that are responsible for better formulation, implementation and monitoring of policy measures for an efficient transport system. These include:

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport and Shipping(MPI&TS)

The Public Infrastructure Division of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport & Shipping is responsible for the implementation of Road, Bridge and Government Building infrastructural projects. It is also accountable for improvements to existing road infrastructure and to construct new roads to alleviate traffic congestion, reduce travelling time and provide comfort to users. The safety dimension is also taken on board by the provision of footpaths, drains, footbridges and parking facilities in other regions of the country. The Mission of the Roads Section of the Ministry is to consistently improve the design, construction and maintenance of roads and bridges, with the aim to reduce traffic congestion, vehicle operating costs, ensure road safety and provide for better and more efficient communication and access. (MPI&TS)

Table 1 Road Network, 1981-2011

Year

Length of roads (km)

Motorways

Main roads

Secondary roads

Other roads

1981

1,781

27

838

577

339

1982

1,781

27

838

577

339

1983

1,781

27

838

577

339

1984

1,781

27

838

577

339

1985

1,783

27

840

577

339

1986

1,783

27

840

577

339

1987

1,783

27

840

577

339

1988

1,801

29

856

577

339

1989

1,801

29

856

577

339

1990

1,801

29

856

577

339

1991

1,831

29

886

577

339

1992

1,831

29

886

577

339

1993

1,881

29

886

582

384

1994

1,897

29

902

582

384

1995

1,899

31

902

582

384

1996

1,905

31

902

582

390

1997

1,905

31

902

582

390

1998

1,910

36

902

582

390

1999

1,910

36

902

582

390

2000

1,926

44

910

582

390

2001

2,000

60

950

592

398

2002

2,000

60

950

592

398

2003

2,015

75

950

592

398

2004

2,020

75

955

592

398

2005

2,020

75

955

592

398

2006

2,021

75

955

593

398

2007

2,028

75

962

593

398

2008

2,028

75

962

593

398

2009

2,066

75

1000

593

398

2010

2,080

75

1014

593

398

2011

2,112

82

1035

595

400

Source: CSO

The Traffic Management and Road Safety Unit (TMRSU)

The Traffic Management and Road Safety Unit is the Government body responsible for road infrastructure. It oversees the technical and security aspects of the road planning regarding road markings, sign posts. It also implements traffic management schemes for a safe, reliable and secure traffic on the roads. The TMRSU is responsible for the installation of road equipments, collection of data on road accidents and monitoring of automatic traffic counters.

The Road Development Authority (RDA)

The Road Development Authority, a body corporate established by Act No. 6 of 1998, operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport and Shipping. The Authority is responsible for the construction, care, maintenance and improvement of motorways and main roads. Road Development Authority is responsible to provide a cost efficient mobility in comfort and safety for the Mauritian population and its economic operators to all parts of the island, by developing, preserving and maintaining a high standard classified road network through the judicious use of human, material, financial, and technological resources

The National Transport Authority (NTA)

The National Transport Authority (NTA) is a department operating under the aegis of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport and Shipping. It was established under the Road Traffic Act in 1980 and has, as main objective, the regulation and control of road transport in Mauritius. NTA is responsible:

To ensure the implementation of government policies in respect of vehicle registration, licensing, parking control, vehicle examination and road transport services.

To review the legal framework and procedures relating to vehicle registration, licensing and enforcement.

To enforce the provisions of the Road Traffic Act and Regulations for the provision of satisfactory transport services and better compliance with safety requirements on our roads.

 To take over new responsibilities with a view to acting as one-stop shop for matters relating to vehicle registration and licensing.

3.4 The transport service providers

Bus is the main source of public transportation in Mauritius. Public transport is also provided by taxis. They are more comfortable means of travel and are found in almost every corner of towns and villages. There are 6354 taxi (NTA 2012) licensed throughout the island to cater for the travel needs of the people.

However, buses are the most economical way of travelling. Different bus transport companies, either privately or publicly owned, exist to serve the island. They operate everyday, but with a different frequency for week-ends and public holidays. The bus services cover the whole island with 220 bus routes. The bus agencies operate under a road service license provided by the National Transport Authority (NTA).

The demand for public transport in Mauritius is largely met by one public corporation and four private companies and individual operators grouped into cooperative societies as shown in table 2 for the year 2012.

Table 2 Transport Service Providers

Bus Operators

Fleet(Buses)

National Transport Corporation

540

United Bus Service Ltd

349

Triolet Bus Service Ltd

191

Rose-Hill Transport Ltd

91

Mauritian Bus Transport Co Ltd

30

Individual Operators

Above 800

Source: CSO

On the other hand, it can be noted that the service quality of public buses is poor and some of the problems which can be noticed while travelling are:

The buses are slow and uncomfortable.

Some are overloaded during the peak hours.

Drivers skip bus stops when they are full and are affected badly by traffic congestion.

Broken down buses are often spotted along the roads.

These factors discourage people from using public transport and shift to public transport. According to Rughooputh et al (2007) this arise from the fact that the former mode is generally considered to operate with low productivity levels, poor frequency and technological inadequacy

3.5 Car ownership

The economic success of the past decades has brought about a high propensity of car ownership among the Mauritian people for their travel needs (Menon 2004). One of the most important factors that accounts for the rise in car ownership is undoubtedly the growth in population and the high literacy rate nearing 90%. Thus, between the period of 1979 to 2012 the population of Mauritius has witnessed a growth of approximately 25.1% from 966,863 to 1,291,456 (CSO). In the same period the number of car ownership has increased from 25,960 to 147,733 (NTA). The high literacy rate in the country with free education is a contributory factor that encourages people to live a life of high expectation. Figure 1 shows the number of private car registered in the year of 1979 to 2012.

Figure 1 Car Ownership, 1979-2012

Source: CSO

With rising car ownership and road length, traffic congestion has today spread almost all over the island. However, its effect is more severe in the city of Port Louis as the chief area of activities (financial, commercial and services) are concentrated within Port Louis with the roads from the South leading to it being the Motorway (M1) and the Port-Louis – St Jean Road (A1), and the roads from the North being the Motorway (M2) and the Port Louis Central Flacq Road (A2). Congestion is severe during the peak hours (there is a morning peak between 06 30-09 00 and an evening peak during 16 30- 19 00) in Port Louis because of the amount of work trips entering the city (Menon 2004). Traffic congestion is a big concern in Mauritius and the estimated cost of congestion totals MRU 2 billion per year (Rughooputh et al 2007).

Traffic congestion is having heavy impact on the economy, on productivity and on the environment. Therefore, some projects in the pipeline to overcome the stringent problem of congestion are:

The construction of the Ring road at Port Louis which would vary the access to the City Centre from different angles instead of a few limited accesses that frequently lead to serious traffic jam.

The construction of the Terre Rouge- Verdun to provide an alternative connection between the North and South to help ease road traffic especially along the South-Centre-North route.

The construction of the Dream Bridge linking Cassis to Roche Bois.

Still, the long term solution to congestion is the introduction of Light Rail Transit (LRT). According to Halcrow Fox, the introduction of the LRT along the line of the former railway between Curepipe to Port Louis will provide a fast, modern and attractive transport system for mass transit and discourage the use of private car. Moreover, Menon (2004) recommended the maximization of the use of public transport, rather than private cars to access the city centre, with higher quality of buses, bus priority, and improved commuter facilities can solve the problem of congestion to some extent.

3.4 Free Transportation System

Free transport was introduced in September 2005 to enable schoolchildren, pensioners and persons with disabilities to use bus services free. The free transportation system costs about Rs 600 m rupees per year and till now it has cost Rs 3.5 billion to the government. Bus owners are subsidized on a daily basis an amount of Rs 11 000 per bus irrespective of the number of students and old pensioners they actually transport. However, the Minister says that 208 complaints were recorded and 124 owners of private buses would not receive benefits anymore because they have not complied with the conditions of free transport.

The senior citizens can travel anywhere for free while students can use bus at no cost between their places of residence to their schools only. No fare is charged to a child under the age of 3. Students and pensioners/disabled are provided with travelling cards issued by NTA and Ministry of Social Security respectively, in order to enjoy free transportation.