An overview of land transport in Lebanon, with special emphasis on traffic safety

Currently, there is no comprehensive national land transport strategy (NLTS) in Lebanon. The car ownership rate in the country is one of the highest in the world, estimated at a ratio of around one car for every 2.5 persons. The transportation sector is serviced by a fleet of mainly old and poorly maintained vehicles. Passenger trips occur on a relatively inferior road network, with a weak public transportation system, and without regulation enforcement. In summary, the main problems facing land transport in Lebanon are the overdependence on the private car, lack of organization and regulatory enforcement, and the deterioration of the levels of service provided. The main barriers facing a comprehensive national land transport strategy in Lebanon are: • Changing the attitude of the public toward car use. • Lack of enforcement. • Perceived accident risk of non-motorized modes of transport. • Cultural and institutional bias against green modes of transport. • Generated road space that can be an incentive for increased car use. This paper provides an overview of the land transport sector in Lebanon, with special emphasis on traffic safety. Its aim is not to analyze statistical data relevant to land transport and traffic safety, which have been the subject of numerous articles by the authors, but to pinpoint, as best as possible, the problems facing the land transport sector in general and traffic safety in particular, and to provide recommendations to alleviate these problems.