According to Bassam Tlais, Head of the Land Transport Sector Federations and Unions, governments have not adopted efficient policies to safeguard the rights of land transport. He also said that the transport allowance has changed since the 1990s according to the economic conditions, knowing that it was fixed for a long time before the economic crisis, with the onset of the financial meltdown since 2019, the depreciation of the Lebanese pound and the rise in fuel prices. The State and concerned unions can no longer maintain fixed fares, which vary from one driver to another and from one region to another, whereas they had not exceeded LL 2,000 for many years, but they now reached LL 40,000 – 50,000 per passenger in some areas.
While the van fares had been set at LL 500 and LL 1,000, they have recently reached LL 20,000 and LL 30,000. Governments and the State should be responsible for solving the problem since it is their duty to set fixed fuel prices or help stabilize the rate of the US dollar. Add to this their duty to guarantee the rights of the sector workers who live in difficult economic conditions that prevent them from adopting unified fares and trap them in an endless cycle of strikes. The Unions have tried to sort things out by intensifying contacts and meetings, staging strikes to be heard by the Lebanese State, and urging the government to set meetings for the Ministerial Committee to discuss the problems suffered in this sector and address them before it collapses. However, all these measures have been to no avail.
The transport sector is at the forefront of civil life in the country, as it plays a key role at various economic, social and environmental levels. Its success contributes to easing traffic congestion in Lebanon, reducing the pollution level and lessening the financial burden on citizens. Since the 1990s, the Lebanese people have suffered from bloody events while most of the productive sectors, especially the transportation sector, have deteriorated. Despite its important role, all efforts made to improve and revitalize it are still insufficient to advance it. The Public Works, Transportation, Energy and Water Committee, chaired by former MP Mohammad Kabbani, attached considerable importance to this sector in 2000. Several meetings, seminars and workshops were held with the aim of drawing up a clear plan for the provision of a transport system, implementing traffic laws and ensuring road maintenance. However, the achievements were insufficent as most of the projects that were put forward remained dead letters awaiting adequate funding for implementation. At that time, the Public Works, Transportation, Energy and Water Committee introduced a law on pedestrians’ rights in order to ensure full and unhindred mobility for pedestrians, secure urban areas designated for them with the largest possible space, in line with urban planning, secure sidewalks designated for pedestrian mobility, provided that they are suitable for people with disabilities, and provide parking lots for cars and motorized vehicles in locations that do not affect pedestrian mobility and do not spoil their enjoyment of the areas with special architectural features.
After this decision was issued, it was implemented by the concerned municipalities, especially the Beirut Municipality, but it was flawed and lacked implementation in many areas. The Beirut Municipality widened the sidewalks and removed obstacles to enable pedestrians to move freely and protect them from accidents. But the problem lies the presence of obstacles and cement blocks on the sidewalks and in allowing small food carts to park on the sidewalks, while in other areas the sidewalks are used as a path and parking for motorcycles. This decision is impacted by the failure of the Lebanese State to implement it and impose of penalties on violators. It can be said in this regard that despite the adoption of this law and its implementation, it has not been successfully implemented due to the failure of many areas to guarantee the rights of people with special needs to move safely and freely.
Then a new traffic law was introduced after a study confirmed that traffic accidents cause the death of 1.24 million people annually around the world and injure 50 million (The Public Works, Transportation, Energy and Water Committee - Achievements and Activities 2000-2018 published by the Lebanese Republic when former MP Mohammad Kabbani chaired the committee, p. 69). The Committee took upon itself since 2000 handling traffic issues and developed and improved the 1967 Traffic Law, hence a new traffic law was introduced and implemented. According to lawyer and YASA founder Ziad Akl, the traffic law has always been ink on paper. Traffic safety declined rather than improved although the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities oversaw the implementation of the Traffic Law from time to time, but the law suffers from neglect. The non-implementation of this law is due to several reasons, including the absence of political will, the near absence of responsibility and accountability, the poor strategies and plans for traffic regulation and the lack of experts in the application of this law previously.
The competent authorities, such as the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, are required to work on improving road conditions, paving the roads and installing traffic signals since roads are full of potholes that cause traffic accidents and vehicle breakdown daily. The Internal Security Forces (ISF) and the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities are also required to enforce this law on a daily basis to limit traffic offences. In addition to the lack of justice and effective penalties, the latter can limit traffic offences and chaotic traffic. Despite the decrees issued and the continuous amendments to the Traffic Law, such amendments are minor and insignificant, in addition to being lower than required for regulating this sector and ensuring traffic safety. The current Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Bassam Al-Mawlawi, emphasized the need to implement the Traffic Law starting from 20 June last, and said that the Ministry and the ISF will take the necessary measures against violators. However, violations are obvious in several areas, as manifested in driving vehicles without license plates, driving motorcycles in a chaotic manner in some streets, not wearing a helmet or a seat belt, not respecting traffic signals, exceeding the speed limit, and many others. It should be noted that most researchers agree that strict penalties contribute to the successful enforcement of traffic safety rules.
Several projects were put forward almost two decades ago and have not been implemented, including the project put forward by the Public Works and Transport Committee after it was invited to visit Istanbul in 2002, in coordination with the World Bank, which promised to finance part of the project as soon as it would be initiated. It consisted of providing rapid transport buses across Lebanon, from the South to the North. The project aimed to have the buses travel from one station to another without having to stop at frequent bus stops. Buses would start their journey in the Beirut station, reach Maameltin, and then go to Tripoli, while other lines would be created for the South and the Bekaa. The importance of this line lies in alleviating traffic congestion and facilitating movement between areas. In 2002, the Public Works and Transport Committee exmined this project and then referred it to the Order of Engineers and Architects to prepare operational maps and examine the details and transportation lines. After the elapse of more than 20 years, this project is not finalized yet, as it needs further study and funding in the first place. Therefore, this project remains imaginary and non-implemented.
It should be noted that over the past two decades, buses were the backbone of Lebanon’s public transport system, but the project was interrupted afterwards due to the need for bus maintenance. Previously, buses had been functional on several lines in the neighborhoods of Beirut and its suburbs such as Dekwaneh, among others. Currently, none of these buses is operational, whereby they are parked in Beirut as a result of neglect by the concerned authorities and their failure to repair some of them. In addition, projects such as mechanical inspection centers at sea and land entry-exit points were carried out with the aim of inspecting imported used cars and ensuring that they conform to manufacturing specifications; however, these projects remained ink on paper and under study, with none of them being implemented after the elapse of more than 15 years.
In mid-May, current Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh received a gift consisting of 50 buses from France. Although he confirmed that a new legal framework would be set for public transport in Lebanon, with the State being the regulator and the private sector being the operator, and although he pointed out that its primary goal is to reactivate public utilities, the buses are still non-operational although they are ready. According to sources from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, this project is still under study and needs some time before it is undertaken.
As for the projects put forward on street lighting, the Minister of Public Works and Transport indicated last February that the State cannot now to invest in new projects due to the economic situation, and due to the fact that the public budget was not approved and the confusion caused by the dramatic rise of the rate of the US dollar. However, in light of citizens’ persistent complaints and the high frequency of accidents recently, the Ministry paved some roads, especially the damaged ones that cause vehicle breakdown, including the Dahr Al-Baydar road. It should be noted that the main problem the Minister of Public Works and Transport is faced with is the lack of funding which results in delaying project implementation. Add to this several potentially beneficial projects they were not implemented due to the flawed relevant policies.
According to the above, it can be concluded that the transport policy in Lebanon is not implemented, and this is not a mere coincidence, as the absence of an effective public transport system results from the policies adopted since the 1990s and the creation of a pattern based on borrowing to finance these projects and paying interest rates, rather than investing in the infrastructure and public services. Consequently, no tramways and bus lines are currently operational in the various areas. Despite all the promises to reactivate the railways, corruption is obvious through the regular payment of salaries of the railway administration employees to date, although railways have not undergone rehabilitation and no trains have been operational for more than 40 years. Now the roads are teeming with vans, cars and motorcycles committing violations daily and the use of private vehicles without red license plates or without any plates. It should be noted that the State is absent and its work is limited to approving and activating laws, which are kept under study and non-implemented for decades without any justification.