From public bike systems to BRT to integrated mass transit solutions – all of the 2011 Sustainable Transport Award-nominated cities are exemplars in implementing integrated transport solutions. Over the next week, we will cover profiles of the nominated cities – Guangzhou, León, Lima, Nantes, Tehran – culminating in the presentation of the Sustainable Transport Award on January 24 at Transportation Research Board conference in Washington D.C.

After over a decade of planning, 2010 saw Lima’s 9 million citizens getting what they have been promised for years: an efficient mass transit system. Lima’s new BRT system will, once complete, straddle 27 kilometers and serve about 500-600,000 passengers per day. Its opening represents a major step forward for the city and its residents. Some 70% of all vehicles on Lima’s roads are cars but 70% of people use buses.

The management organization – Protransporte – was created to handle the administrative, technical and financial management needed to develop the project. It is well placed to develop another key element of the city’s transport plans: integrating the BRT with the future electric train system to be built in the city.

The BRT also includes a feeder system to allow for expansion. Its design is a good example of how to run a BRT into narrow downtown areas.