‘Safety, data and green’ is key for transport industry

‘Safety, data and green’ is key for transport industry

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has outlined the three key areas of safety, data management, and environmental sustainability for the Cambodian and regional transport industries during and after the current COVID-19 pandemic.

This was said by ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa at seventh Asia and the Pacific Transport Forum held “virtually” this week and was in response to the Coronavirus effect on the sector as well as actions being taken across
the region to adapt.

He added in the process of “building back better” the public needs to be reassured that transport is safe, data is used to maximize development projects and the industry is environmentally sustainable.

“In the short term, more effort is needed to reassure public transport users of safety and rebuild public confidence. Second, data is required to fully understand the evolving situation of
the pandemic and inform strategic direction for projects, Asakawa said.

Third, there are many opportunities to develop a greener transport future. For example, app-based delivery systems have become a feature of daily life but risk adding to road congestion and pollution,” Asakawa added.

“To address this, we must promote a green recovery focused on sustainability. One option is to support a shift to electric vehicles. ADB also sees opportunities to promote walking and cycling in Asian cities and to improve the efficiency of logistics and supply chains,” he said.

The World Bank and the Australian Embassy have also been promoting more investment data in transport programs and launching “smart city” programs this year.

With the World Bank releasing its new digital mapping tool this year, this offers data-driven analytics and geospatial mapping to provide decision-makers with evidence-based information for new road investment prioritization.

The Australian embassy is also launching its support for the “smart city” strategy for Sihanoukville.

“COVID-19 disruptions require new and innovative approaches to service delivery and city development as government budgets come under pressure,” Australian Ambassador to Cambodia Pablo Kang said.

Funded by Australia’s Investing in Infrastructure (3i) program in Cambodia, the Sihanoukville smart city strategy will develop a framework for how public resources can attract private investment to provide quality public services.

The strategy will also explore how key government services such as utility tracking, parking identification and traffic management can be improved through the use of smart applications.

In a 2018 World Bank Logistics Performance Index, Cambodia was ranked 98 out of 160 countries with its main impediments being customs, infrastructure, logistics competence, and tracking and tracing. Khmer Times