Countries in the Asia Pacific region have enormous transport investment needs – $2.5 trillion in the decade up to 2020. Many people in low-income countries still lack access to basic transport services, while middle-income countries face transport capacity bottlenecks that limit inclusive economic growth, and rapidly growing cities require transportation networks to serve their populations. Increased motorization is imposing heavy costs through congestion and air pollution. In Bangkok, for instance, the cost of traffic congestion is about 6% of GDP. And let’s not forget that road crashes cost ADB’s developing member countries $96 billion annually. Road crashes are the leading cause of death for Asians between 15 and 44 years old, the most productive segment of society. Transport also weighs heavily on climate change, producing almost one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. One fifth of transport emissions are from developing Asia and these are rising fast...

—blogs.adb.org/blog