"The World Urban Transport Leaders Summit serves as a platform for senior government officials, leading professionals and academics to discuss and exchange views on urban transport policies and strategies. Through such activities, the LTA aims to share its experience and knowledge with other world transport professionals and play a part in contributing towards the improvement of urban transport." With these remarks, Mr. Yam Ah Mee, Chief Executive, LTA, commenced the World Urban Transport Leaders Summit (WUTLS).

The inaugural World Urban Transport Leaders Summit was held from 4 to 6 November 2008 and addressed the theme "Transforming Urban Transport for Liveability and Sustainability". Organised by LTA Academy, the event included a two day conference, guided site visits and various networking and social programmes. The highlights of this year's Summit were the four plenary forums and policy dialogue chaired by LTA's International Advisory Panel (IAP) Members.

The plenary forums covered the following topics:

• Good Governance, Sustainable Transport. Chair: Professor Tony Ridley  more>>
• Transforming Public Transport. Chair: Professor David Hensher  more>>
• Managing Congestion. Chair: Professor Kim Kwang Sik  more>>
• Strategies for Emerging Cities. Chair: Professor Shigeru Morichi  more>>
• The Way Forward to Transforming Urban Transport. Chair: Professor Vukan Vuchic

Said Mr. Loh Chow Kuang, Deputy Director LTA Academy: "Urban transport impacts the economic vibrancy, environmental sustainability and quality of life of cities. It ultimately affects cities' liveability and global competitiveness. Today, urban transport continues to be one of the biggest challenges of major cities, both in developed and developing worlds."

Kindly refer to the official programme for full details of each session.

Opening Ceremony of World Urban Transport Summit

Welcome Address Mohinder Singh, Dean of LTA Academy   View:    video clip Minister's Speech Raymond Lim, Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs   View:    video clip Opening of LTA Academy LTA Academy slide show; Launch of professional journal JOURNEYS; Presentation of token of appreciation to Professor Cham Tao Soon, Chairman of LTA Academy Advisory Board   View:    video clip Unveiling of LTA Academy Plaque, and tour of premises   View:    video clip Signing of Memorandum of Cooperation With overseas partners of LTA Academy: School of Civil Engineering Tsinghua University, China; global Transport Knowledge Partnership (gTKP), UK; Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), USA; Institute of Urban Transport, India (IUTI) & Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC), India   View:    video clip

Conference Presentation Materials

Plenary Forum 1 - Good Governance, Sustainable Transport To reach the goals of a liveable and sustainable city, a balanced intermodal transportation system must be planned. The speakers address the challenges and constraints faced by urban transport planners and the core principles that guide the policy and planning process. Chair: Professor Tony Ridley Developing a Sustainable, People-Centred Land Transport System in Singapore – Principles of Governance Yam Ah Mee, Chief Executive, Land Transport Authority (LTA), Singapore   View:    pdf file Sustainable Transport for Liveable Cites – Some Observations from Europe Gunnar Heipp, Head of Strategic Planning, Munich Transit Ltd, Germany   View:    pdf file Toward Rational Policies in Urban Transportation and Their Effective Implementation Vukan Vuchic, UPS Foundation Professor of Transportation Engineering in City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania, USA   View:    pdf file

Plenary Forum 2 - Transforming Public Transport Rapidly spreading urbanised areas and increasing travel demands necessitate a layered and well-integrated public transport network, along with periodic renovation of central terminals and infrastructure upgrading. Case studies from Tokyo, Seoul and Singapore highlight not only the continuous reform of routes, fares and technology, but also the evolving management structure of public private partnerships. Chair: Professor David Hensher Urban Railway Network and Terminal Renovation Shigeru Morichi, President, Institute for Transport Policy Studies & Professor, Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Japan   View:    pdf file Rail Transit Public-Private Partnerships: Strategies and Pitfalls Phang Sock Yong, Professor of Economics, Singapore Management University, Singapore   View:    pdf file Lessons from Seoul’s Bus Reform Kim Kwang Sik, Professor of Department of Public Administration and Graduate School of Governance & Director of the Sustainable Urban Development Institute, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea   View:    pdf file

Plenary Forum 3 - Managing Congestion The intense demand for personal vehicle transport is synonymous with urban development and would inevitably lead to traffic congestion if it is left to natural progression. In this session, the speakers consider various regulatory alternatives for managing traffic congestion, including vehicle taxes, road pricing, and readily available mass transit. Chair: Professor Kim Kwang Sik Road Pricing and Road Funding David Hensher, Professor of Management, and Founding Director of the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, University of Sydney, Australia   View:    pdf file What's Keeping Traffic Flowing on Singapore Roads? Chin Kian Keong, Group Director, Road Operations and Community Partnership & Chief Engineer, Transportation, LTA, Singapore   View:    pdf file

Plenary Forum 4 - Strategies for Emerging Cities Growing burdens of traffic congestion, energy costs, and problems related to traffic safety, air pollution, climate change, and transportation financing pose a challenge to urban planners everywhere, but most acutely in the developing world. Examples of China and India are highlighted in this session. Chair: Professor Shigeru Morichi Urban Transport, Developing Countries and the Role of the Global Transport Knowledge Partnership Tony Ridley, Emeritus Professor of Transport Engineering, Imperial College London, UK   View:    pdf file Initiatives in Urban Mobility in India and Lessons Learnt O P Agarwal, Managing Director, Urban Mass Transit Limited, and Vice President, Institute of Urban Transport, India   View:    pdf file Transportation Strategies for Sustainable Development Michael Replogle, Transportation Director, Environmental Defense Fund; & President and Founder, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, USA   View:    pdf file

Policy Dialogue - The Way Forward to Transforming Urban Transport This session provided an opportunity for dialog between the speakers and the audience. Various pertinent topics raised during the plenary sessions were discussed in greater detail, including the extension of urban transport planning into other spheres such as environmental sustainability and freight management. Chair: Professor Vukan Vuchic (USA) Panelists: Professor David Hensher (Australia), Professor Kim Kwang Sik (Korea), Professor Shigeru Morichi (Japan), Professor Tony Ridley (UK), Mr. Yam Ah Mee (Singapore), Mr. Gunnar Heipp (Germany), Mr. O P Agarwal (India)

Please refer to the programme summary for the discussions points and lessons learnt.