Future of Phnom Penh Public Transportation: Lessons Learnt & Suggested Strategies

• 18 September 2021
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A researcher has suggested that Phnom Penh should redesign its public transport system master plan by learning from past mistakes and adapting successful policies from developed countries to achieve an inclusive and effective future public transportation system.

Future Forum’s urban policy researcher Ses Aronsakda wrote in an article published in The Southeast Asia Globe on 15 September that Phnom Penh remains one of the few Southeast Asia capital cities without a meaningful public transportation.

To mitigate the issues, the government has been thus far establishing different modes of public transport systems such as bus, airport train, and water taxi service.

However, the system has not seemed to succeed. All three networks still lack a unified payment system, which makes it inconvenient and expensive to hop between lines.

“Since 2018, the water taxi along Phnom Penh’s riverfront has run from north to south, with stops along the way at important destinations. However, the ridership tanked in the months afterwards. This was because each stop was disconnected from other transit, effectively stranding passengers after they left the station,” read the article.

Around the same time, the Airport Rail Link was inaugurated for public use. The train was forced to share a route with other vehicles, creating a dangerous environment due to lax traffic enforcement and unseparated tracks. As the result, it was also later suspended.

“Similarly, the bus network also failed to reach more adopters because it suffered from poor traffic management, including a lack of bus priority stoplights and separated lanes. The result led to lowered bus speed and inconsistent service, compounded by a lack of sheltered bus stops and the poor walkability of Phnom Penh’s streets,” the article added.

Given all the issues, the government has its eyes set on developing a modern light rail network. However, all the three proposed plans including monorail, sky train, and AGT are still under consideration.

Meanwhile, the author suggested that Cambodia policy planners should go beyond just executing a single system, and focus on developing a multi-layered, integrated and accessible transit system.

They can achieve this by building well-designed transit hubs, adopting a unified payment system, disentangling modes of transport into separate networks and using the street space gained to emphasize active commutes.

First of all, Cambodia can learn the strategy known as “disentanglement” from the Netherlands. This policy is a conscious, carefully planned effort to separate the various modes of transit and place them into different street networks designated specifically for them.

For instance, north and south travel can utilise the central and expansive Preah Norodom and Preah Monivong boulevards, which are ideal for light rail and city bus service. The more moderately sized Preah Trassak Peam and Pasteur streets can be designated as part of the private car network. Preah Yukanthor Street, a quieter route, can be part of the motorcycle network. This leaves Preah Sisowath Quay, a riverside avenue, as the perfect candidate for a pedestrian and cyclist path.

Phnom Penh must also establish transit hubs as the nucleus of a future public transit system. These are strategic intersections of major thoroughfares located across the city centre and immediate ring road.

Urban planners must then identify and design new routes connecting these transit hubs. In doing so, Cambodian planners should thoughtfully consider which streets best suit a particular mode of transit and apply a focused street design to accommodate the selected option.

This outline is a path for Phnom Penh to avoid the empty carriages and open seats of the present and move toward a future where sustainable urban mobility is a reality for every inhabitant.

• Road and Infrastructure