BEIJING, China, The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $200 million loan to China.

The funding is to support the development of an innovative intelligent transport system to reduce pollution, cut traffic congestion, and improve transport safety in Gui'an, a fast-growing new city of Guizhou Province.

The project will be a pilot for other cities demonstrating integrated smart transport development.

"This project will serve as an example of how the China and other countries can address the downsides of rapid urbanization, such as high CO2 emissions, which have impacts well beyond national boundaries, and traffic jams and road safety, which stop cities from flourishing," ADB Senior Transport Specialist for East Asia Susan Lim said Monday. "User needs will be at the heart of the new transport system, ensuring it will cater to all types of travelers including business people, parents and children, the aged, or the differently abled."

The New Urbanization Smart Transport Development Project will help establish Gui'an as a low-carbon city, making it more livable as well as more attractive for private sector investors and professionals, boosting the local economy.

The intelligent transport system to be developed under the project will comprise real-time traffic and road-weather monitoring; a multimodal transportation systems management and operations center; and an integrated traffic operations and safety and emergency management system. The project will also finance some limited sustainable transport infrastructure, including clean energy buses, bus stations, electric vehicle charging stations. Meanwhile, a demonstration zone for research and development on vehicle communication technologies will create shareable knowledge in this key sector.

The project will employ a human-centered design methodology, a highly participatory approach focused on users and their needs, to ensure the transport system is relevant for users. The project will finance training and support activities for the local government to make the infrastructure and services inclusive, gender-responsive, safe, and sustainable.

The total cost of the project is $495.81 million, with the Chinese government providing $296.35 million. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

(Photo credit: BSIC).