Shanghai, with a total population of over 24 million, is the most developed Chinese city (by population) and probably the most developed among the four municipalities which are directly administered by the Chinese central government. As a result, Shanghai is the economic center of China and among the largest commercial cities in the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To facilitate economic activities in Shanghai and the city's large population, China's central government has developed an extensive transportation system to serve the upper echelons' transportation demand. Basically, Shanghai's transportation system consists of roads, railways and airways. Shanghai has a rich road network with most expressways passing through or terminating in the city. Auto transport is the most common form of road transport in Shanghai. The road transportation system in Shanghai consists of bus systems and taxi systems. The growing demand for automobile transportation and the resulting increase in private car ownership has led the government to build numerous elevated expressways to reduce rampant traffic congestion. Furthermore, due to the growth of the bike sharing business, cycling has gained considerable popularity in recent days. On the other hand, Shanghai also has a rich railway network with four main railway stations and one terminus (Hongqiao station) serving three main railway lines. (Yang et al., 2018). Needless to mention, rail transport is an important type of transportation and in Shanghai it serves hundreds of people for their activities every day, at Pudong Airport among many other places. Furthermore, there is also a non-motorized transport system that includes pedestrians but also cyclists. The pedestrian system consists of sidewalks used by all pedestrians, including visually and physically handicapped people. Non-motorized cycles include more than 9 million gas-powered bicycles and motorcycles. Although Shanghai boasts the most developed transportation system, it is still not able to fully meet the transportation demand as there are issues that need to be addressed to make it fully efficient (Yang et al., 2010). This research study will therefore focus on highlighting the ways in which Shanghai's transportation system is efficient and comprehensively discovering the problems of Shanghai's current transportation system. This study will therefore serve as valuable reference material for urban development planners in Shanghai. Transportation System Efficiency in Shanghai The efficiency of a transportation system refers to the extent to which a transportation system can meet the system's transportation demands. It usually depends on some factors including urban land use pattern, urban transportation system structure, urban transportation infrastructure and urban traffic system control system (Yang, Cheng & Cheng, 2010). Ideally, an efficient transport system is a transport system that offers greater accessibility, safety (reducing the number of road accidents), comfort and minimizes environmental pollution. Shanghai's transportation system has increased in efficiency due to the development of multimodal transportation infrastructure. In this context, therefore, Shanghai has an efficient transportation system that has coordinated operation with each transportation mode complementing the other. For example, the extensive railway network, due to its large capacity advantages, is used for medium and long distance travel while basic transport modes such asBuses and taxis are used for short-distance travel and to provide feeder services to rail transport due to their flexibility (Song, Wu & Wu, 2014). Therefore, Shanghai's transportation system is efficient as it operates in a coordinated manner to meet the transportation needs of Shanghainese citizens. The use of information technology in transportation control represents the efficiency of the transportation system in Shanghai. For example, information technology is used to monitor and control traffic flow. On the other hand, the legal restrictions that the Shanghai municipal authority has established to make it difficult to acquire, own and operate private cars, through measures such as the imposition of tolls and high parking fees, have opened up the path to the development of the public transport system. of public transport. For example, parking in Shanghai is expensive while taxi service is reasonably priced. This is an attempt by the government to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads to compensate for traffic congestion. Furthermore, Shanghai's road management system is designed in such a way as to ensure maximum effectiveness in terms of timeliness and comfort. Road networks feature sidewalks designed for pedestrians separated from car traffic. There are also elevated expressways designed specifically to reduce traffic congestion while cyclists also have their own routes which consequently reduce congestion on the roads to promote timely transportation (Jong, 2014). Furthermore, there are properly constructed parking lots for both bicycles and motor vehicles which help maintain the aesthetic beauty of Shanghai. Although the transport system has developed to this point in recent years, it is unfortunately insufficient in terms of creating an adequate balance between transport supply and demand. Transportation System Problems in Shanghai Rapid population growth in Shanghai, combined with rapid motorization, has led to several problems in the urban environment and transportation system. One of the most widespread problems of Shanghai's transportation system is the issue of population explosion. The availability of job opportunities in Shanghai has attracted large numbers of rural immigrants to the city, thus increasing the demand for transportation beyond the extent that available transportation facilities can sufficiently serve. As a result, the city experiences unpleasant traffic congestion due to increased car ownership. Furthermore, motorized, motorized and non-motorized vehicles compete for available roads causing mixed traffic problems. Therefore, overpopulation makes Shanghai's transportation system inefficient as its inputs cannot meet the rapidly growing demand (Yang et al., 2010). Secondly, Shanghai's transportation system is also affected by unbalanced investment in transportation infrastructure development and poor implementation of transportation development policies. Although it is obvious that expanding the public transportation system is the best way to reduce traffic congestion on the roads, the administrative authorities in Shanghai have failed to implement a public transportation priority system (Peng, Sun & Lu, 2012 ). In essence, the government has failed to adequately invest in the construction and operation of public transport infrastructure, particularly railway tracks, as well as in upgrading bus lanes to facilitate intermodal connectivity. Furthermore, the level of public transportation information system in Shanghai is still low, which makes the development of the transportation system difficult.Furthermore, government policies have not sufficiently supported the development of Shanghai's public transportation system. For example, the development of local and feeder bus services is low on the list of development priorities. Instead, huge amounts of money went into subway and light rail development. This leaves bus systems underdeveloped, therefore slow, unreliable and inconvenient. Peng et al. states that poor implementation of transportation development policies, as well as poor allocation coupled with poor investment for transportation development are therefore weakening Shanghai's inefficient public transportation system (2012). Due to the fragmented management structures of transportation system and land use, the integration of public transportation and land use has been difficult in Shanghai, thus making the transportation system inefficient due to poor land use (Yang et al., 2010). For example, transportation development planning practices often fail to incorporate transportation-oriented development (TOD) planning. There are, therefore, problems in the transportation system in Shanghai that are the result of the duplication of the urban development plan. Specifically, most Chinese cities, including Shanghai, have transportation infrastructure designs copied from another city without taking traffic conditions and land use patterns into account. Institutional barriers are also an important factor that makes Shanghai's transportation system inefficient. For example, China's Ministry of Railways plans, builds and operates high-speed rail systems. Local government, therefore, plays a negligible role regarding the planning, construction and operation of high-speed rail systems. On the other hand, the planning, construction and operation of the bus system is entrusted to the local government of Shanghai with little input from the central government. Since these modes of transportation are managed by different governments, coordinating them to make the transportation system efficient is difficult since none of the service providers are responsible for initiating the coordination role. In addition to the difficulty of inter-agency coordination, the other problem facing the transportation system in Shanghai is characterized by spatial segregation and traffic accidents. Some urban transportation infrastructure, such as major highways, causes spatial segregation. For example, young children and physically and visually impaired people face great difficulty in traversing such transport infrastructure, which makes it difficult for disabled people to use urban transport services. Transport infrastructure development is concentrated in the city centre, which makes transport services in the suburbs inefficient. Finally, excessive air pollution is another problem with Shanghai's transportation system. The increase in the number of personal cars has caused an increase in the amount of carbon (IV) oxide and sulfur (IV) oxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. The concentration of CO2 and SO2 causes air pollution (deterioration of air quality) (Yang et al., 2010). To make Shanghai's transportation system capable of meeting transportation demands, the implementation of certain strategies is necessary. Strategies to Improve the Current Transportation System in Shanghai Since traffic congestion is one of the most serious problems of the transportation system in Shanghai, the government should focus on expanding the bus and rail systems and make public transportation a priority to contribute to reduce the problem of underdevelopment..