Tokyo Implemented a Number of Traffic Demand, Traffic System and Public Transport Management Strategies For the 2020 Olympic Games.
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo 2020 Measures & Achievements on Transportation
Summary Information
Traffic Management, including traffic demand management (TDM), Traffic System Management (TSM) and Public transport Management, are essential during special events because the additional congestion onto already strained networks could seriously worsen conditions. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games (July 23 - August 8, 2021) and Paralympic Games (August 24 - September 5, 2021) were estimated to serve 15,820 athletes. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, based on a model, predicted that without interventions, time lost per vehicle could increase by 88 percent on the Metropolitan Expressway. To mitigate impacts, traffic management strategies were in place throughout the games. Key initiatives included:
Travel demand adjustment by road pricing: Increase daytime toll with an additional toll rate of JPY 1,000 ($7.3 USD) with a 50% discount in nighttime tolls on Metropolitan Expressways- Games Routes: Establish the "Olympic Route Network" (ORN) and the "Paralympic Route Network" (PRN) as the designated transport routes for the Games Family
- Establishment of Transportation Operation Centre (TROC) for overall coordination of the Games transportation
- Webinars/Consultations with businesses to encourage shifts in travel behavior
- Employee hour staggering or remote work
- Change in delivery times/routes
- Web portal with real time congestion information and forecasting
- Coordination of construction efforts
- Adjusted infrastructure capacity
- Promoted barrier-free train stations to improve accessibility (i.e., install elevators, platform screen doors, multipurpose toilet, and tactile paving)
METHODOLOGY
Regional data provided by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism as well as the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway Company Limited describe the effects that the transportation management strategies had. Surveys were also conducted in the month after to understand the impacts on people and goods.
FINDINGS
- Traffic volume in Greater Tokyo during Games-time saw a 10 percent decrease compared to 2018.
- Traffic volume on Metropolitan Expressway during Games-time decreased 20 percent from 2019, and vehicle hours lost due to congestion decreased 80 percent from 2019.
- The number of railway travelers during Games-time decreased by 10 to 20 percent from the pre-Games time (equals to a 30 to 40 percent decrease from the pre-pandemic).
- Population density in TDM high priority areas (where competition venues are concentrated and traffic volumes were heavy) dropped 10 percent from the month prior.
- Survey of 110 Small-Medium sized Enterprises found that 59 percent said traffic management measures during the Game-times had a good effect on their logistics due to mitigated traffic congestion and cooperation with other departments or corporations.
- TDM strategies, such as telework, reduction of vehicle uses for businesses, and adjustments of construction activities, resulted in a 40 percent reduction in the use of personal vehicles and goods delivery. There was approximately an 80 percent reduction in activities due to construction adjustments, and the daily average rate of telework increased by 70 percent.
