A FUNDAMENTAL SURVEY ON THE FEASIBILITY OF LRT SYSTEM IN RURAL CITIES WITH HIGH DEPENDENCY ON PRIVATE TRANSPORT: A CASE OF MAEBASHI CITY

As a solution to traffic congestion problems in rural CBD's and to enhance its development, the introduction of Light Rail Transit (LRT) has become a popular policy policy issue. LRT has been a user-friendly mode of public transit over several decades, however still preserving its modern-like outlook, this relatively low-cost transit mode provides a splendid barrier-free transportation to its users while simultaneously being a environmentally friendly surface transit mode which further enhances city planning concepts like transit malls. While there are several problem areas associated with the administrative system in providing LRT, thorough consideration should be given to the consensus of the pubic as well, because they will be the end users of the system. In light of this, the issues grasping the characteristics of the city and public opinion towards acceptance of the system and city transportation projects are highly important. Maebashi City is a central city in northern part of Kanto Region and has a car ownership 1.24 per household, which is 1.5 times more the national average. Apart from this, traffic congestion in the CBD area, urban sprawl in residential and commercial zones, and diminishing urban activity are some of the major issues the city is facing and this paper discusses some of solutions being sought.