Impact of rapid private motorisation growth on Tirana’s traffic. Possible solutions and international success stories

The study analyses one of the major causes for Tirana’s traffic congestion: the rapid growth of private motorisation. The objective of the article is to provide part of the theoretical foundation for an initiative to develop a set of software tools for urban planners and to identify the requirements for this initiative. The methodology is shaped by data scarcity and the need to identify best practices and case studies. Starting from these elements, a deep literature review has been conducted. Results have been analysed and discussed. The most important result is evidence that motorisation is not the real cause to address; rather, it should be considered a trigger that has enabled system-level criticalities related to urban infrastructure and urban form. Data scarcity has been confirmed, further underscoring the need for a reliable, advanced traffic measurement system. Traffic congestion charging has been analysed as a potential solution, but it cannot be considered in isolation; it must be approached holistically alongside other measures operating on infrastructure and urban form. The success cases considered should not be implemented in Tirana without strong tailoring. The Tirana case could be a very interesting research field because, given its configuration, data scarcity, low capacity, and high informality coexist.