Latest ITDP Project Updates

DART team visits Ahmedabad, India

2009-05-29T20:20:00-05:00

ITDP and the city of Ahmedabad recently hosted representatives from the city of Dar es Salaam who came to learn more about the Ahmedabad’s Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). The delegation included Cosmas Takule, chief exectutive at the Dar Rapid Transit (DART) Agency; Enoch Kitandu, director of system and operations, DART; Asteria Mlambo, director of transportation and development, DART; Honorable Ahmed Mwilima, Deputy Mayor of Dar es Salaam; and Dismas Fuko, from the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation.

Ahmedabad’s initial 12.5 km BRTS corridor is in the final stages of construction. On a site visit to the corridor, the delegates had an opportunity to tour new stations and take a ride in a BRTS bus.

Officials from Dar es Salaam visit the Nehrunagar BRTS station

Seeing the live construction process helped the DART officials identify some of the pitfalls that they may encounter as they begin construction of their own system in the coming months. DART officials took home useful lessons, such as the importance of identifying utility lines prior to commencing with major construction activities. Looking at the meaningful steps that the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation was taking to rectify some instances of poor construction, Asteria Mlambo from the DART Agency remarked, “Knowing the problem is half of solving it.”

As for the non-motorized transport infrastructure along the phase 1 corridor, the delegates found some features they liked and others that need improvement. Cosmas Takule noted that the pedestrian crossings to bus stations are signalized and expressed interest in implementing similar facilities in the Dar es Salaam. Meanwhile, he felt that the cycle facilities seemed inadequate for the kind of ridership that the city can expect to have in the future.

Delegates meet with I. P. Gautam, Ahmedabad’s Municipal Commissioner, and Utpal Padia, Deputy Municipal Commissioner

The Dar es Salaam officials met with staff of the Ahmedabad Municipal Coporation, the fare collection system provider, and bus manufacturers. The delegates were impressed by the level of commitment to the project on the part of Corporation officials. Ms. Mlambo said she hoped to generate a similar level of buy-in on the part of the local authority in Dar es Salaam. “It’s very challenging to convince the public that BRT is a good idea,” she said, “but the municipality has the power to stop resistance.”

Ranjit Kamat from Kaizen demonstrates the fare collection and bus tracking devices that will be installed in the Ahmedabad BRTS system

The DART Agency will soon put out a request for tenders for physical works on the 20.9 km phase 1 network. After construction begins, the Agency plans to hold road shows for prospective bus operators.

The Largest Bike Parking Facility in the Americas (Brazil)

2009-05-07T20:06:00-05:00

Nearly two thousand commuters park their bicycles every day at the ASCOBIKE parking facility in Mauá, located in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, South America’s largest city. ITDP has been working with ASCOBIKE since 2005, promoting this best practice throughout Brazil and abroad.

The parking facility has evolved from a collection of around 200 bicycles under makeshift steel tube racks and tarp roofs to the first-class facility it is today with over 1,700 bike parks and growing.

BEFORE
Photo: Jonas Hagen

AFTER
Photo: Andrea Felizolla

ITDP created a manual for implementation of bike parking facilities using the ASCOBIKE model. It is available in Portuguese (English version coming soon!) here:
Manuel ASCOBIKE Abril 2009 (in Portuguese) [pdf size: 7.85MB]

Other Related Links:
A Refuge for Cyclists: ASCOBIKE [Sustainable Transport, ITDP’s 2006 magazine issue]
Streetfilm of ASCOBIKE Facility Watch the video!
ASCOBIKE website

Mexico City Builds First Bike Parking Facilities

2009-04-24T16:46:00-05:00

In an effort to get people to use their bikes instead of their cars, the government of Mexico City is building bike parking as part of the city’s Bicycle Mobility Strategy. ITDP Mexico provided advice to the city government for the design and location of bicycle parking facilities along streets and at mass transit stations.

Photo: Hector Puebla, ITDP Mexico

The bike parking is a standard U-shaped design cemented into the ground. This new street furniture has been approved by the Urban Furniture Commission, which means that will be the official design of bike-parking facilities for the whole city.

Photo: Hector Puebla, ITDP Mexico

Initially, these facilities have been placed on the pedestrian streets in the historic city center, but the program will be expanded in the coming weeks to important avenues such as Avenida de los Insurgentes, Eje 4 Sur, and Eje Central, as well as to parks such as Chapultepec, the Central Park of Mexico City.

Photo: Hector Puebla, ITDP Mexico

Bike parking is also being integrated with mass transit stations, beginning with the station Metro Auditorio. This station at the National Auditorium, one of the most important concert halls in Mexico City, is a signal from the government about the status that it is conferring on cycling. This facility has the capacity for 48 bicycles. Ramps on stairs are placed to help cyclists carry their bikes up or down the stairs to reach the parking facilities in the station.

Metro Auditorio’s bike ramp into the station and the bike parking within the station. Photo by: ITDP Mexico

The city is giving a message of respect and recognition to the cyclists with these types of facilities. Cyclists know that they have a place in the city and their vehicles are important too, especially when the location of the parking is in the right place.

This project is a fundamental part of the Bicycle Mobility Strategy. Close to 1,000 bike racks will be installed in the city this year. Locating the initial bike parking spots in the city center is also part of the city’s efforts to make this area more pedestrian friendly and slow traffic down. Integrating bike parking into existing transit hubs and stations and other important destinations is the next step. The facilities at the metro station Auditorio are also part of the city’s strategy to continue improving Avenida de la Reforma as the most beautiful avenue in the city.

Bike parking facilities will also be located in public and governmental buildings, as well as in the Delegaciones, or municipalities within the city, as well as the most important commercial and working zones of the city.

Bicycle School

Also as part of the Bicycle Mobility Strategy, Mexico City is planning to develop a bicycle school to teach its citizens the necessary skills to safely ride a bicycle in the city.

This program will move around the city and give courses in different communities. At the beginning, the bicycle school will target business districts, as well as important centers of the Delegaciones for the community. For this program 2,500 bicycles were purchased to use in the training courses.

The Cambiate de Carril bike. Photo by: Jesus Sanchez, ITDP Mexico

ITDP Mexico advised the officials responsible for purchasing the bicycles about the appropriate physical characteristics that the bikes should have. A city bike was developed with special characteristics (low frame for men and woman, city bike wheels, basket, fenders, rack, bell, hand brakes and reflectors) to ride safely and comfortably in the city.

Photo: Jesus Sanchez, ITDP Mexico

Curso em São Paulo: “Introdução ao Mundo Cicloviário” (in Portuguese)

2009-02-06T15:49:00-05:00

O ITDP vem ajudando São Paulo a incluir a bicicleta como parte integral do transporte urbano; tanto a parte de planejamento (o projeto funcional da ciclovia de Butantã foi doado pelo ITDP) como a parte de educação. Em 2008 a Companhia de Engenharia de Tráfego de São Paulo (CET, http://www.cetsp.com.br) e o ITDP organizaram 6 cursos intitulados Introdução ao Mundo Cicloviário. O curso foi elaborado em parceria com a ONG brasileira Transporte Ativo (http://www.ta.org.br), e o Pro-Ciclista (grupo intersecretarial para melhoramentos cicloviários da Prefeitura), e teve o apoio da rede C40 (grupo de cidades liderando a luta contra a aquecimento global, http://www.c40cities.org). Um total de 212 servidores do município de São Paulo, e de outros órgãos da Cidade e do Estado, receberam o treinamento. Eduardo Jorge, Secretário Municipal do Verde e Meio Ambiente deu as boas-vindas à primeira turma, falando da mudança de paradigma que implica incluir a bicicleta no planejamento da cidade. Na mesma abertura, Adalberto Maluf, Diretor de São Paulo para a Iniciativa do Clima da Fundação Clinton, falou da bicicleta como uma ferramenta essencial na luta contra o aquecimento global.

97 % dos participantes avaliaram o curso como “muito bom” ou “bom,” alguns dos comentários foram: “as bicicletas podem ajudar a resolver os problemas do trânsito em São Paulo” e “precisamos de mais cursos como este!” Muitos participantes disseram que o curso foi o primeiro contato com os conceitos de planejamento cicloviário.

Juntos, a CET, o ITDP, e a Transporte Ativo planejam continuar os cursos em 2009, assim dando continuidade à conscientização do corpo técnico de São Paulo da bicicleta como modo de transporte.

Secretário Eduardo Jorge no primeiro curso – Novembro 2008

(Fonte: Jonas Hagen)

Os cursos podem ser baixados nos links abaixo ou na página seguinte, que também inclui os vídeos durante o curso:

http://www.ta.org.br/cet_sp/

Introdução ao Mundo Cicloviário - Parte 1 - A Bicicleta

Introdução ao Mundo Cicloviário - Parte 2 - Dados e Infra-estrutura

Introdução ao Mundo Cicloviário - Parte 3 - Legislação

Sao Paulo: Courses in Bicycle Transport

2009-02-06T15:40:00-05:00

ITDP is helping São Paulo get relief from traffic that regularly reaches 100 miles (161 km) of congested roadway by preparing the city for a two-wheeled revolution. In partnership with the CET (Traffic Engineering Company), the Grupo Pro-ciclista (the municipality’s inter-agency working group for the bicycle) and Brazilian NGO Transporte Ativo, ITDP held 6 courses titled Introduction to the World of Bicycle Transport in São Paulo, South America’s largest city, in 2008.

A total of 212 officials from Sao Paulo Municipality and State government institutions and PPPs received the training, and Eduardo Jorge, Secretary of the SVMA (São Paulo Municipality Environmental Secretariat) gave the opening words at the first session, emphasizing that a paradigm shift was needed in order to include the bicycle in urban planning in the city. Adalberto Maluf, São Paulo City Coordinator of the Clinton Climate Initiative, said that the bicycle was an essential tool in the fight against global warming at the opening of the courses.

The course was rated by 97% of participants as ‘very good’ or ‘good,’ and comments included ‘the bicycle can help solve São Paulo’s traffic problems,’ and ‘we need more courses like these!’ Many participants said it was their first encounter with cycle planning concepts, which have been not been received wide exposure in São Paulo until now. The city currently has 24 km of bikeways, and much of these are in parks.

ITDP, CET and Transporte Ativo are continuing to hold these courses in 2009, helping make São Paulo fertile ground for zero-emissions, zero-fatality, and zero-noise transport.

Environmental Secretary Eduardo Jorge at the first course

(Source: Jonas Hagen)

The courses can be downloaded below, or on this webpage, which also includes videos:
http://www.ta.org.br/cet_sp/

Introduction to Bicycle Transport - Part 1 - The Bicycle (in Portuguese)

Introduction to Bicycle Transport - Part 2 - Data and Infrastructure (in Portuguese)

Introduction to Bicycle Transport - Part 3 - Legislation (in Portuguese)

Major Sporting Events Catalyze Brazilian Cities’ Transport Plans

2008-12-22T04:30:00-05:00

Decisionmakers presented their plans for improving urban mobility in Brazilian cities at an event organized jointly by ITDP and UITP (International Union of Public Transport), with support from the Clinton Climate Initiative, on 2 December 2008, in the city of São Paulo. In preparation for hosting the World Cup in 2014, cities such as Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Curitiba discussed their transportation plans, including bus rapid transit (BRT), metros and bicycles. Enrique Peñalosa, the former Mayor of Bogota, closed the event as keynote speaker, speaking as a decisionmaker who implemented bold plans in a short time period.

Enrique Penalosa, former mayor of Bogota, closed the event with a keynote speech. Source: Jonas Hagen

Marcos Kassab of the Sao Paulo Metro presented plans to extend the rail-based network from 117 kilometers of “metro quality” transport to 244 kilometers by 2010. Currently, the city has 61 kilometers of metro and 56 kilometers of commuter rail and transports 25 percent of all public transport users. Buses transport the remaining 75 percent. The expansion would increase the metro by 80 kilometers. The goal, said Kassab, would be increase rail’s usage to be 50 percent of public transport users by 2025. Under the same scenario, car trips would fall from 45 percent of trips to 35 percent, and buses’s share would decrease to 50 percent.

Three new BRT corridors, totaling over 70 kilometers, are being planned for Sao Paulo as well. Representing SP Trans, the city transport authority, Laurindo Junqueira discussed the BRT plans along the Celso Garcia, Expresso Tiradentes and M’Boi Mirim corridors.

Clodualdo Pinheiro Junior of URBS, the authority that runs the BRT system in Curitiba, showed work being completed on new 18 kilometer BRT corridor, Linha Verde or “Green Line.” This corridor is reclaiming an urban highway and turning it into a BRT boulevard, complete with bike lanes, landscaping, and increased housing density.

Belo Horizonte had just completed a mobility plan that calls for a 55 kilometers of BRT and a 260 kilometer bicycle network, said Ricardo Medanha, President of BH Trans, the city’s transport agency. Guidelines of the plan include prioritizing pedestrians and reducing automobile use, said Medanha. He also showed new bicycle parking that took a parking spot for one car and provided parking for 12 bicycles.

Mario Duran of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) presented on the results of some the projects that it had financed. A metro in a Brazilian city that the IADB financed only transports 55,000 passengers per day, when a metro should carry the same amount per hour. It also requires an annual operating subsidy of $55,000 USD. Tunnels built to help alleviate car congestion in urban areas only created more traffic in the long term.

South African cities are investing heavily in BRT systems to provide first-rate transport systems for the 2010 World Cup, said Wagner Colombini, president of Logit Consultancy. The World Cup has been an important catalyst to transforming transportation systems in the country. While Johannesburg will open 63 kilometers in time for the Cup, Phase One will total 122 kilometers. Cape Town is planning over 30 kilometers of BRT, including an important link to the airport. These systems will integrate with bicycle networks and provide first-class sidewalks and crossings for pedestrians, said Colombini.

Berlin created a program to bring fans to the games of the 2006 World Cup by bicycle, resulting in a 25 percent increase in cycling and a 5 percent decrease in car use during the Cup, according to a presentation by Jonas Hagen of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. With an existing network of 650 kilometers of cycle paths, Berlin also provided safe parking at the stadium and other fan venues, coupled with an extensive publicity campaigns. This helped the city succeed in its objective of using the World Cup to capture new cyclists. A survey showed that 20 percent of these cyclists these normally used a car before the Cup, said Hagen.

Because London has an extensive rail network, 80 percent of spectators will use rail-based transport to arrive to the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics, said Richard Brown, of the London Olympics Legacy Committee. High quality “green corridors” for pedestrians and cyclists are also being planned to bring spectators to the games in an aesthetically appealing, comfortable and safe environment.

Elaine Felske of the Brazilian Olympic Committee showed the transport plans for Rio de Janeiro’s bid for the 2016 Olympics, which included 72 kilometers of BRT and improving existing metro and commuter rail lines. According to Felske, the high cost-benefit ratio of BRT and the relatively short implementation time led decisionmakers to seek to implement new BRT corridors to meet the transport demands in Rio during and after the Olympic Games.

Enrique Peñalosa, Bogotá’s mayor from 1998 to 2001, closed the event, urging decisionmakers to build urban infrastructure around the needs of the city’s most vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, children, and wheelchair users. “The best thing for a mayor or a planning secretary to do to understand the transport needs of their city is to get into a wheelchair and try to get from one place to another,” said Mr. Peñalosa. He said that in Bogotá, building the 340 km network of cycle lanes was not only important because it provides safety and comfort for the city’s cyclists, but because of the symbolic value: “an excellent bike lane shows that a person riding a bike that costs $1,000 is just as valuable as a person in a car that costs $30,000,” said Peñalosa.

Mexico City Opens Second BRT Corridor

2008-12-22T02:52:00-05:00

The second line of MetroBus, the bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Mexico City, was inaugurated on December 16, 2008. This new corridor runs for 20 kilometers on Eje 4 Sur, a street which crosses the first line running on Insurgentes Avenue. It will serve more than 100,000 passengers a day and has 34 stations and two terminals, located at Tacubaya and Tepalcates. Although Eje 4 is a one-way street, the BRT corridor runs buses in both directions in the median.

Nuevo Leon Station divides the one way car traffic. Source: Bernardo Baranda

Operations started with 71 brand new articulated buses. These Euro IV buses will take 300 old microbuses off the streets, saving more than 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually, according to local authorities.

Passengers are saving time as the buses are not stuck in congestion anymore. Passengers are also paying less for their total commute since they do not have to pay to transfer between the two lines. The system was criticized for taking too long to implement the second corridor, as well as not making improvements in the overall corridor, such in the sidewalks, green areas and landscaping, and lighting.

The sidewalks remain unfinished near the Viaducto Station. Source: Bernardo Baranda

MetroBus is a crucial element of the city’s strategy for improving the quality of life for its citizens. Elected in 2006, the new administration, led by Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, committed to building 10 new lines by 2012. So far, in two years, two lines have been constructed. In a city where congestion gets worse every day due to increasing car ownership, the demands and expectations for fulfilling that promise quickly are high. Eje 3 Oriente and Periferico have already been studied and announced as the probable next lines of the MetroBus system.

CTS Mexico, EMBARQ - The WRI Centre for Sustain Transport, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy are among the organizations supporting the government’s public transportation improvements.

The entrance of the Viaducto Stations has excellent pedestrian access. Source: Bernardo Baranda

Grandes Eventos Esportivos Catalisam Planos de Transporte de Cidades Brasileiras

2008-12-21T20:04:00-05:00

Tomadores de decisão apresentaram seus planos para melhorar mobilidade urbana em cidades brasileiras em um evento organizado conjuntamente com ITDP e UITP (em inglês, International Union of Public Transport), contado com o suporte da Clinton Climate Initiative, no dia 2 de dezembro de 2008, na cidade de São Paulo. Na preparação para a recepção da Copa do Mundo de 2014, cidades como São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte e Curitiba discutiram seus planos de transporte, incluindo sistemas completos de corredores de ônibus – conhecido como BRT (do inglês Bus Rapid Transit) –, VLT (veículo leve sobre trilhos), metrô e bicicletas. O evento encerrou-se tendo como destaque o ex-prefeito de Bogotá, Enrique Peñalosa, cuja fala endossou sua autoridade como um tomador de decisão que implementou bons planos em um curto período de tempo.

Enrique Penalosa, ex-prefeito de Bogotá, encerrou o evento. Fonte: Jonas Hagen

Marcos Kassab, do Metrô de São Paulo, apresentou planos para estender a rede de trilhos de 117 km de transporte com “qualidade de metrô” para 244 km até 2010. Atualmente, a cidade tem 61 km de metrô e 56 km de commuter rail (sistema de transporte ferroviário de curta distância, entre o centro urbano e suas periferias) e transporta 25% de todos os usuários de transporte público. Os ônibus transportam os 75% restantes. A expansão incrementaria o metrô em 80 km. O objetivo, afirmou Kassab, seria elevar o uso de transporte de trilhos para alcançar, até 2025, 50% dos usuários de transporte público. Sob o mesmo cenário, viagens de carro cairiam de 45% das viagens para 35%, e a participação dos ônibus nessa categoria diminuiria para 50%.
Três novos corredores de ônibus (BRT), totalizando mais de 70 km, também estão sendo planejados para São Paulo. Representando SP Trans, a autoridade em transporte na cidade, Laurindo Junqueira, discutiu os planos do BRT ao longo dos corredores da Celso Garcia, Expresso Tiradentes e M’Boi Mirim.

Clodualdo Pinheiro Junior da URBS, a autoridade que gerencia o sistema BRT em Curitiba, mostrou serviços sendo finalizados no novo corredor BRT de 18 km: a Linha Verde. Esse corredor está se apropriando de uma pista de lata velocidade urbana e transformando-a em uma via BRT completa, com ciclovia, paisagismo e incrementada densidade habitacional.

Belo Horizonte completou recentemente um plano de mobilidade que demanda uma BRT de 55 km e uma rede de bicicletas de 260 km, relatou Ricardo Medanha, Presidente da BH Trans, a agência de transportes da cidade. Orientações do plano incluem priorizar pedestres e reduzir o uso de automóveis, disse Medanha. Ele também mostrou um novo estacionamento de bicicletas que ocupa o espaço de uma vaga de carro e tem capacidade para 12 bicicletas.

Peter Alouche, da consultoria de transportes Trends, apresentou sobre uma compania brasileira, Bom Sinal, que está produzindo vagões para sistemas de VLT. O VLT é uma tecnologia útil que está sendo adotada por cidades brasileiras tais como Recife e Fortaleza, disse Alouche. Apesar de os custos elevados de veículos e da infra-estrutura de eletricidade tornarem o VLT mais caro do que sistemas de ônibus com capacidade similar, a modalidade VLT é apropriada a alguns contextos urbanos.

Mario Durán do Banco Interamericano de Desenvolvimento apresentou sobre as lições aprendidas de alguns dos projetos que financiou, por exemplo, um metrô em uma cidade brasileira que a BID financiou transporta apenas 55 mil passageiros por dia, enquanto um metrô deveria transportar essa quantidade por hora. Este metrô também requer um subsídio anual de 55 milhões de dólares. Durán também falou que túneis construídos para ajudar a aliviar congestionamento automobilístico em áreas urbanas só pioraram o trânsito no longo prazo.

Cidades da África do Sul estão investindo pesadamente em sistemas BRT para prover sistemas de transporte de alta qualidade para a Copa do Mundo de 2010, afirmou Wagner Colombini, presidente da Logit Consultancy. A Copa do Mundo tem sido um importante catalisador na transformação de sistemas de transporte no país. Johannesburg vai abrir 63 km a tempo da Copa, e Phase One irá totalizar 122 km. Cape Town está planejando mais de 30 km de BRT, incluindo um importante link para o aeroporto. Esses sistemas vão integrar-se com redes cicloviárias e prover calçadas e faixas de pedestre de primeira classe, contou Colombini.

Berlim criou um programa para atrair fans do jogos da Copa do Mundo de 2006 de bicicleta, resultando em um incremento de 25% em ciclismo e uma diminuição de 5% no uso de carro durante a Copa, de acordo com uma apresentação de Jonas Hagen do ITDP (do inglês, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy). Com uma rede atual de 650 km de ciclovia, Berlim também proporcionou estacionamento seguro no estádio e em outros locais utilizados por fans, atrelado a extensivas campanhas publicitárias. Essas medidas ajudaram a cidade a ter êxito em seu objetivo de usar a Copa do Mundo para captar novos ciclistas. Uma pesquisa mostrou que 20% desses ciclistas normalmente utilizavam carro antes da Copa, relatou Hagen.

Por causa da extensa rede ferroviária de Londres, 80% dos espectadores utilizarão transporte de trilhos para chegar ao Parque Olímpico para as Olimpíadas de 2012, contou Richard Brown, da London Olympics Legacy Committee. “Corredores verdes” de alta qualidade para pedestres e ciclistas também estão sendo planejados para trazer espectadores aos jogos através de um apelo estético e de um ambiente confortável e seguro.

Elaine Felske do Comitê Olímpico Brasileiro mostrou os planos de transporte para a licitação do Rio de Janeiro para as Olimpíadas de 2016, que incluem 72 km de BRT e a melhoria das linhas de metrô e de commuter rail. Segundo Felske, o custo-benefício compensador da BRT e o tempo de implementação relativamente curto levaram tomadores de decisão a buscarem implementar novos corredores BRT para ir ao encontro de demandas de transporte no Rio durante e depois dos jogos olímpicos.

Enrique Peñalosa, prefeito de Bogotá entre 1998 e 2001, encerrou o evento urgiu tomadores de decisão a construírem infra-estrutura urbana que atendesse às necessidade das populações mais vulneráveis da cidade, tais como idosos, crianças e cadeirantes. “A melhor coisa para um prefeito ou uma secretaria de planejamento fazer para compreender as necessidade de transporte de sua cidade é sentar em uma cadeira de rodas e tentar ir de um lugar a outro”, disse Sr. Peñalosa. Ele afirmou que em Bogotá, construir a rede de ciclovias de 340 km foi importante não só porque proporciona segurança e conforto para os ciclistas da cidade, mas também pelo valor simbólico: “uma ciclovia excelente mostra que a pessoa andando de bicicleta que custa mil dólares é tão valiosa quanto uma pessoa em um carro que custa 30 mil dólares”.

Johannesburg BRT Update

2008-12-17T22:49:00-05:00

The first full bus rapid transit system in Africa is expected to open its first phase in 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Rea Vaya system, which means “We are moving!” in Sotho, hopes to transform public transport in South Africa and be a model for the continent. Phase 1a, currently under construction, will link downtown Johannesburg to its most famous suburb, Soweto. Over 69,000 passengers are expected to ride the system daily when it opens, using smart cards to access the system. It will have 25 kilometers of segregated bus corridors with 27 stations.

Phase 1B, totaling 63 kilometers, will be open in time for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup tournament being held in South Africa. The full Phase 1 will expand the system to 122 kilometers of segregated bus corridors and 162 stations. Expected to open by 2013, 434,000 passengers per day are anticipated to use the system.

Guangzhou BRT Construction Begins

2008-12-17T22:36:00-05:00

Guangzhou’s bus rapid transit (BRT) system commenced construction on November 30, 2008 and will be operational by the end of 2009. With an expected peak ridership of at least 20,000 passengers per hour in one direction, the system will have more than double the passenger capacity of any other BRT system in Asia. More than 600,000 passengers will use the corridor each day. This system will be the first to combine the convenience of direct services with the speed and station quality normally only found on trunk and feeder BRT systems.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Guangzhou BRT system. Source: Duan Xiaomei

Major stations will include footbridges and escalators, and the system features a connecting tunnel to underground metro stations in three locations, integrating with two different metro lines. Continuous bike lanes are provided along the corridor, and 5,500 bike parking spaces have been included in the design of the BRT stations. The construction cost is around $6 million (US dollar) per kilometer.