Environmental and Social Challenges for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Peshawar, Using Culture as a Moderator: An Empirical Study in Peshawar Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

Mass transit systems such as Metro Bus System and Rapid Bus Transit Systems are recently introduced in Pakistan. Although the type of projects can relieve transportation pressure in cities and facilitate the flexible mobility of the citizens, it raises many social and environmental challenges during the construction process. Likewise, culture has a significant role in the successful construction execution in mega mass transit projects because the construction takes place in the heart of the city. Hence, it affects many stakeholders’ groups. That is why it is important to determine the impact of key social and environmental challenges and the salient role of culture and conform to the construction of urban mass transit projects to mitigate its negative influence on the stakeholders. Questionnaire is used to collect the data from the stakeholder groups such as merchants, employees, and students. The study analyses the interrelationship of four impact factors, culture (long term orientation), and satisfaction of the stakeholders. The findings of this study assist the decision-makers, contractors, government, planning, and development department to develop more rational construction programs. In the end, future research directions and limitations of the study are reported.

    

        Keywords: environment, culture, Bus Rapid Transit