Copyright © 1976-2016 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved Image © hamza82 A PARADIGM SHIFT TO SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT SYSTEMS CLIENT Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) PLANNING AND DESIGN CONSULTANCY Barton Willmore DURATION 2016 SERVICES PROVIDED BY BUROHAPPOLD Development of reduced car parking standards to reflect increasing level of public transport accessibility, estimation of transport mode share and land use strategy advice The costs associated with travelling by car in Riyadh are extremely low when compared with other capital cities across the globe, therefore travel in the city is dominated by private cars. Fuel prices are heavily subsidised and there are currently no fiscal measures such as road tax, vehicle excise duty and parking charges in place to attempt to constrain car use. The Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) recognised the need to address these issues and appointed BuroHappold Engineering together with Barton Willmore to develop a comprehensive strategy for the design, implementation and delivery of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) areas across the city. One of the clients specific requirements was to establish what were the international best practice case studies for TOD’s that could be applied in Riyadh. Our team identified strategies and measures adopted by cities around the world including San Francisco and Amsterdam who are considered leaders in sustainable travel. From this, we were able to recommend a series of planning and design measures that facilitated a decrease in reliance on cars through the provision of convenient access to transit, walking and cycling with supportive infrastructure and amenities. Another requirement was to develop parking rates for different TOD taxonomy hierarchy. We developed a range of site specific parking rates based on the British PTAL methodology. This allows for any uncertainty that may follow in how members of the Saudi public will adopt the transit options in preference to car use. The outcome of our work will be the introduction of guidelines to complement existing Riyadh land use and planning policies where appropriate, acting as a means of identifying where amendments should be considered. Though non- prescriptive in nature, the guidelines aim to offer advice and suggestions for consideration in the design of both new and retrofitted communities. RIYADH TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT (TOD) SAUDI ARABIA