7. High regard for a comfortable living-environment While great efforts are being put into maintaining roads in urban centers, the number of vehicles on these roads and the total distance of kilometers those vehicles are being driven is increasing at an even faster pace, and while there have been short-term improvements, in the long-term the speed at which automobiles will be driving will drop. This reduces the efficiency of buses and other road-reliant service providers, and further accelerates the decline in use of such services. With this, in urban areas, the impact will not only be manifested in terms of traffic congestion but will also have a detrimental effect on both the environment and road-safety. As people's interest shifts from economic priorities to quality-of-life issues, the impact that automobile traffic has on our lives becomes a matter of great concern. Overseas, where there has long been a high level of interest in maintaining a comfortable living-environment, many specific initiatives have been put in place to restrict the use of motor vehicles in city centers and to encourage pedestrian and cycle traffic. Here in Japan also, voices of concern are being raised at the impact automobiles have on our society.

The Reduction in Average Speed of Automobiles Traffic at Peak Times

		Due to road traffic congestion, the average speed of automobiles at peak times in major urban centers is decreasing, and as for the 23 wards of Tokyo, it is approximately half that of the national average.
		Complied by National Land Agency from Ministry of Construction "2000 White Paper on Construction"

	The Effects of Easing Congestion byTransport Demand Management (TDM)		Overseas examples of TDM
	Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Policy Newsroom Office "Public Opinion Surveys on Traffic Issues" (September 1997)		Road Pricing South Korea For the No. 1 and No. 3. Namsan Tunnels leading into Seoul a charge of 200 won (approximately 20 yen) is levied on all vehicles carrying three or fewer people. Transit Mall Germany In the city of Bremen, the city center's remaining old streets, which are a feature of the city's tourist appeal, are serviced by an LRT and a pedestrian transmit mall. Cycle paths France In Strasbourg a program for large-scale cycle-only pathways has been introduced with a total length of 160 km already in place. Source: Compiled by the Ministry of Transport from the Ministry of Construction homepage "TDM Data base"

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