2020 STA Nominee Cities Feature Electrification, Pedestrian Design, and Low-Cost Interventions from Africa, Asia, and Americas

April 18, 2019

Montería, Colombia built 60 km of cycling infrastructure

For 16 years, the Sustainable Transport Award (STA) has showcased cities that demonstrate political courage by implementing innovative sustainable transport projects. This year is no different. The 15 nominated cities for the STA hail from Africa, Asia, South America, and North America and feature transportation interventions from electrified vehicles and widened walkways to new transportation lines. This year, as in others, demonstrates that size, both in city and project, is not the largest determining factor regarding impact. In fact, it is often the small, on-the-ground, and low-cost interventions such as sidewalk improvements, bus frequency, and or parking reform that make the biggest difference in people’s lives. With the political will for improvements, any city can make adjustments large and small that transform lives. This was evident in the nominees where cities of all sizes presented an impressive collection of innovations all with the same goal of improved sustainable transportation.

Amritsar, India increased its BRT ridership to 76,000 people/day

Strategies honored by the STA improve mobility for all residents, reduce transportation, greenhouse and air pollution emissions, and improve safety and access for cyclists and pedestrians. Cities apply under five categories of interventions including Cycling & Walking, Public Transport, Sustainable Urban Development, Travel Demand Management, and newly added for 2020, Urban Freight. This year the most popular interventions were Cycling & Walking and Public Transport with 12 and 11 cities, respectively, engaging in interventions in those arenas. Six cities engaged in Sustainable Urban Development and only 3 cities engaged in Travel Demand Management. The 2019 winner, Fortaleza, Brazil, implemented a complete streets plan that massively improved road safety by prioritizing public transport, cycling, and walking. The winning city will be announced at the MOBILIZE summit in Fortaleza in June, and will host the MOBILIZE summit the following year.

While many of the Public Transportation interventions included creating new or expanding current BRT lines like in Peshawar, Pakistan or Richmond, USA. Some cities increased public transportation with other types of interventions like a new funicular in Bogotá, Colombia. Many cities saw ridership and participation in public transportation increase. Jakarta, Indonesia has doubled its BRT and bus ridership through better integration of systems and improved access to stations. Public transportation growth also came from electrifying vehicles already in use like buses and rickshaws in Amritsar, India; tricycles in Pasig City, Philippines, or motorcycles in Marrakech, Morocco.

Richmond, USA opened a new BRT line in June 2018
Kingston, Canada’s communications campaign focusing on young people increased ridership among that demographic

When it came to Cycling and Walking, Cali, Colombia; Cuenca, Ecuador; Montería, Colombia; and Pasig City, Philippines started or expanded public bike share programs while San José, Costa Rica expanded its cycling infrastructure. Many cities provided their pedestrians with enlarged sidewalks or footpaths like in Pune, India; Montería, and Providencia, Chile. Improved pedestrian environments are crucial to healthy and safe residents. Cities also focused on inclusivity. In Kingston, Canada, youth were targeted to engage in public transportation or in Montería, Pasig City, and Bogotá initiatives specifically targeted supporting low-income communities.

San José, Costa Rica built 15,000 cycling pathways

Many of the Sustainable Urban Development projects included transformations of waterways and historic districts into pedestrian friendly and mixed real estate neighborhoods like in Amritsar, India; Pune, Providencia, and Cali. Additionally, Kigali, Rwanda and Pasig City host regular car-free days. Parking policies in Pune and congestion pricing in Cali serve to alter their urban landscapes, promoting a high shift to public transport and active modes.

“We are thrilled with the list this year because it demonstrates how innovation can come from anywhere – it is not just the ‘usual suspects’ of progressive, predominately Northern European cities that are implementing policies to improve sustainable transport,” says STA committee member Aimée Gauthier, “The STA demonstrates that with enough political will, any city is fully capable of putting forth powerful solutions to enhance their urban environment.”

About the Sustainable Transport Award

The Sustainable Transport Award is an annual award chosen by the STA Committee given to any city that has implemented innovative sustainable transportation projects in the preceding year. The STA has been given every year since 2005 to cities worldwide that have implemented innovative, important, and forward thinking initiatives in transportation. Past winners have included cities of all sizes – from large metropolises to medium-sized cities from North America, Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. The winning STA city hosts ITDP’s MOBILIZE summit the following year and like every year, the 2020 winner will be announced at MOBILIZE in Fortaleza, Brazil, the 2019 STA winner. The 2020 winner will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, DC this upcoming January.

See the full list of the nominated cities here.

ITDP Brazil Engages Youth, Elderly Groups to Improve Access to Transit

April 10, 2019

Today, more than half of Brazilians are under the age of 20, and more than 10 percent are over 65. In Brazil as in much of the world, these groups are some of the most reliant on public transportation, but the least likely to have a voice in the planning process. Brazilian cities have a long history of innovation in transport, including the invention of bus rapid transit in Curitiba. Today, cities such as Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Fortaleza have robust transit systems, quality bike lanes, and inviting urban public spaces. Yet, these cities remain inaccessible for many of their residents, as public transit growth has not kept pace with city growth, and there is a lack of planning for vulnerable populations. ITDP Brazil is working to change this by engaging these groups at the early planning stages of new transport projects.

ITDP Brazil, in partnership with the São Paulo Metropolitan Transit Agency (EMTU), began this process by conducting a survey of youth and elderly participants to better understand their needs in planning a BRT corridor in their São Paulo neighborhood. While this survey sought to address significant challenges, the survey itself was easy to perform and resulted with positive engagement from the community. Not only were the survey’s conclusions insightful and possible to replicate, so too was the process of engagement with the community members.

The survey concerned a planned BRT corridor along Jacu-Pêssego Avenue, a wide, busy street known for its many traffic fatalities in a dense, low income neighborhood. The survey was taken by a group of youth and elderly who attended a Unified Educational Complex (CEU), a complex that provides community members with daily, educational programs. The interest group of youth and elderly represented the ethnic and economic diversity of the neighborhood. The participants took walks around the facility to observe the obstacles in reaching the stations and reported on their findings. Their findings are being used by the metropolitan agency to develop safer and inclusive transit access and the process has shown the value of engaging with communities in projects.

“This effort is one of the first attempts from the São Paulo metropolitan transit agency to engage vulnerable groups in the planning of BRT corridors, and while we’re yet to see what impact it will really have, the engagement was, by itself, already a big step in the right direction,” says Beatriz Rodrigues, Public Transport Coordinator of ITDP Brazil. “It was really eye-opening to see how much these two groups have in common in terms of their concerns about transport access, and it was very clear to us, and to the city, that this is a valuable exercise.”

The challenges in transit access disproportionately affect elders and children for a variety of reasons. First, elderly people are often on one side of a caretaking role – that of a caretaker or that of someone who is cared for. Furthermore, elderly people are more often disabled as compared to any other age demographic. Children are in uniquely vulnerable positions because their age prevents them access to many forms of transportation – if they are not walking or riding bicycles, they are relegated to being passengers are they are unable to drive themselves. Both elderly and children are generally fragile financially so they tend to be most reliant on low cost public transportation or walking, making them most affected by poor design or dangerous access points for public transportation.

Conclusions & General Recommendations

One major conclusion was that popular above ground passages – foot bridges that are elevated over roads to allow for easy vehicle passage – are less safe and accessible for pedestrians. These passing bridges are often poorly maintained and steep, making them difficult to pass. They are also more expensive to build and maintain. Therefore, it is recommended to create at-road passings for pedestrians. The survey offered additional recommendations including:

More frequent at road crossings – double the number of crossings (from three to six) so that there is a pedestrian crosswalk every 200 km along the BRT corridor route. This is important in helping groups that cannot walk long distances from having to travel on foot for too long.
Identify dangerous areas and deploy speed reduction measures like radii and better intersections to create a safer walking environment for pedestrians. Traffic incidents affects all groups, but for those who are generally slower, smaller, or both, they are important features in safety.
Improve bicycle and intermodal access to stations so that all users can easily access BRT. Many children travel by bicycle so having improved access gives them a particular boost.
Promote TOD Standards in building around stations – with high density and mix land use around the stations there will be natural urban planning that would support pedestrians and make for a pleasant urban environment. This is an example of a policy that allows for a safe environment for vulnerable groups but simultaneously creates improved design and quality of life for non-vulnerable groups.

Why is this significant?

This survey provided clear policy prescriptions to benefit vulnerable groups and expand necessary access to transportation modes. By thoughtfully designing stations with improved access, the city is providing crucial access to the groups who benefit most. Furthermore, this process engaged with the community in a positive way allowing for public discourse and a sense of community buy-in that was low cost and easy to execute. The conclusions – and the method of reaching them – are both easy and important to replicate in other cities and for other projects.

From New York to Mumbai, Congestion Pricing is Finally on the Agenda

April 2, 2019

As we all know by now, the New York State budget, released on April 1^st,launched a major new traffic reduction policy, and a potential source of desperately-needed funds for modernizing the ancient NYC subway system. Congestion pricing, a system that charges a fee for cars entering the city center (in this case Manhattan below 60th street), during peak hours, has been at the fringes of policy discussion in New York City for over a decade, is now officially on the table.

While most cite the political pressure to fix the subway as a key motivator for taking this step, there is also the push of increasing traffic congestion. New York City traffic speeds have lowered year over year since 2010, and TNCs such as Uber and Lyft have crowded urban streets to their breaking point in cities all over the world. US cities including Seattle, Portland, and Philadelphia are contending with overwhelming car traffic, and need new revenue streams to pay for much-needed extensions and upgrades to their public transport systems. On a much larger scale, the conversation is gaining momentum in Mumbai, India, one of the world’s largest cities, with some of the worst air quality.

The New York State Assembly’s response is a hopeful one, and implementing congestion pricing is the right step to take. The policy, and what it will accomplish, is still far from certain. There is already pressure from local politicians and interest groups for exemptions and for a cut of the revenue, and the next year will show us just how far the political winds have shifted from Mayor Bloomberg’s ill-fated push more than 10 years ago.

Let’s talk about road pricing

Congestion pricing is one of the options on the menu of road pricing, along with tolling and parking fees, that cities often use to manage traffic and fund transport work. It is politically risky and there is often backlash, particularly in American cities where car drivers are often oblivious to the amount of subsidies they receive from taxpayers. Drivers see it as an unfair tax on something they expect to be free, and businesses often fear that they will have fewer customers if there are costs to driving and parking in their neighborhoods.

Does “taxing” the road lead to fewer cars? Do businesses suffer if driving is priced? The cities of London, Stockholm, and Singapore, which have had congestion pricing implemented for as long as New York has been fighting it, give us the answers: mostly yes. Despite initial political opposition, people quickly changed their tune after implementation. There is less traffic, enabling road and parking spaces to be used for more essential uses funded by these fees, such as public transit, housing and public space, making for a much faster trip within the city, regardless of mode. Time after time, we’ve seen that businesses in the city center have more customers with increased foot traffic than they ever could with free parking.

The cost of traffic

An argument that often gets lost in the conversation, particularly in New York, about congestion pricing is fairness of the transportation and transit. Consider the subway, which moves well over five million people per day. Like every transit and infrastructure system, its heavily subsidized with taxes, but there is still a cost to each individual every time they use it. If people have to pay to ride the subway, why are roads treated as free? Why are roads exempted from fees imposed on other forms of transportation?

Anyone who has been stuck in a traffic jam, on a bus in mixed traffic, or their own car, knows the frustration of sitting helplessly waiting for the wheels to turn. But there are also major, long term human and economic costs of gridlock, even if you’re fortunate enough not to have to deal with it. Freight, with increasing Amazon-and-co demand for delivery vehicles, increasingly clog roadways, cycle lanes, and block bus stops and dedicated lanes and entryways as trucks double park. Emissions from the transportation sector are especially toxic and huge contributors to poor air quality and climate change.

Designated non-car areas can create relaxing environments, a rarity in Manhattan

These are real costs, in the forms of infrastructure damage, public health, lost productivity time, and stress. We are still a long way from equity on our streets, but putting even a small part of this cost on those who are most directly responsible – private car owners – would be a massive step in the right direction.

Including congestion pricing in the budget is the right first step to fixing the growing crisis of road safety, health, access to the city that is the car-dominated culture of both US and cities around the world. ITDP US Director Michael Kodransky, explained, “The implementation details will be important to watch. Only a handful of cities have ever done it. Cities like Boston, recently named by INRIX as the most congested in the US, may rethink pursuing it while their peers on both coasts charge ahead. What New York does may lead to a watershed moment for public acceptance of such strategies, not just in the US but around the world.” If the State Assembly can implement the pricing fairly, use it wisely, and prevent excessive loopholes, this step could become a major shift, that could fundamentally change cities for the better.

[WEBINAR] Jakarta’s Urban Villages: A Community Based Approach to Urban Mobility

April 1, 2019

April 23, 2019
9am EST
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About the Webinar

In Indonesia, a kampung kota (urban village) is a compact, mixed-use neighborhood within the larger city. These neighborhoods, made up of everyday working people, are often overrun by motorcyclists as a shortcut to reach their destinations, disrupting sidewalks and the local environment. If designed properly, however, motorcyclists’ paths could become the backbone of a new urban mobilization system. During this webinar, ITDP Indonesia will review the launch of “Kampung Kota Bersama,” a community-based planning and design approach to transform Jakarta’s urban villages to pedestrian and cyclist-friendly environments. Through the success of one kampung in North Jakarta, Kampung Kota Bersama will be replicated and adopted in over 144 urban villages around the city.

::: Register for webinar :::

About the Presenter

Deliani Siregar | Urban Planning Associate, ITDP Indonesia

Deliani Siregar, who goes by Anggi, is an urban planner with a bachelors degree in Engineering and Urban and Regional Planning from Gadjah Mada University. She is an urban enthusiast who has a strong passion for mobility and transportation affairs. Anggi is responsible for the project coordination and field supervision of Jakarta’s non-motorized transportation (NMT) vision and design implementation until 2022. In the past, Anggi has contributed to many different projects and built her expertise by providing TOD, NMT, and BRT plans and assessments for local sustainable mobility planners, reducing transport emissions in Indonesian cities, contributing to BRT cost estimation planning for the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and providing alternative designs to support great walking and cycling environments throughout Jakarta.

In her spare time, Anggi loves to write. She is an author and has already published two books for kids and collaborated on several other fiction books. She is also a radio announcer and program director. Anggi joined the ITDP Indonesia staff in 2015.

Amid Traffic and Air Pollution, Congestion Pricing Gains Momentum in Mumbai

April 1, 2019

Congestion is an ongoing and well understood problem that plagues many cities India. Today in Mumbai there are more cars than before and due to increased traffic, buses are running slower than they did in previous years. Drops in bus ridership are easy to attribute to the decreased reliability due to increased traffic. While congestion pricing is seen as one solution to address traffic problems growing in Mumbai, very little had been done to move this regulation forward until recently when the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Agency (MMRDA), the agency responsible for urban planning in the Mumbai region, began to hold conversations with ITDP about the possibility of enacting congestion pricing. While congestion pricing studies could be performed in most Indian cities, having the metropolitan support through the MMRDA has made this study significant.

This conversation gained momentum when MMRDA and ITDP convened a stakeholder focus group meeting to understand various perspectives of congestion pricing. The discussion was attended by more than 50 representatives from various public organizations and civil society organizations, including the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, Mumbai Metro, Mumbai’s bus service Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), as well as officials of the toll collection contractor MEP Infrastructure Developers, technology giant Tata Consultancy Services, and a few non-profits. While many participants stressed the importance of providing strong public transport alternatives before implementing congestion pricing, all stakeholders agreed that Mumbai would need to implement various Travel Demand Management measures, with congestion pricing being one of them, to address this challenge.

Congestion pricing is seen as an important tool that will raise revenue that can be invested in other forms of transportation like buses and pedestrian paths. Currently, Mumbai is constructing a second metro corridor and hopes that the opening of this corridor can coincide with the unveiling of the congestion pricing. Ideally, through the right pricing and implementation, this regulation could significantly reduce the number of private vehicles on the roads. However, it is not clear how the pricing will be implemented – such as through zones like in London or based on peak travel times.

Discussions are held regarding congestion pricing

Along with congestion pricing, other solutions like a finite number of license plates or charging for street parking are being discussed. It is possible that two wheeled vehicles and some shared vehicles may be exempt, as many options and ideas are still being discussed.
The goal of this study is to create a toolkit that can be used to create a pricing structure and a plan for congestion pricing that can be used elsewhere. As other Indian cities seek solutions to growing traffic problems, these guidelines could present a universal set of standards.
Regardless of the methodology, the objective remains appropriately ambitious. Through political motivation, congestion pricing can both raise incredibly useful revenue and decrease the throngs of traffic plaguing Mumbai. With decreased traffic public transportation like buses will run faster and emission rates will decrease. The daily lives of Mumbaikars will improve.

Along Kenya’s Coast, Streets Maneuver to Accommodate More than Just Cars

March 25, 2019

Streets in Kenya serve different uses and modes; from people’s daily traverses to vendors hawking their wares for their pedestrian patrons, streets serve as formal and informal settings of daily life for millions of Kenyans. While the functions streets in Kenya are myriad, their design remains focused on one use – that of vehicles.

Vendors seek space on crowded sidewalk

Mombasa, Kenya’s second largest and oldest city, is leading the country in investing in pathways and infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists. Mombasa’s focus on cycling and walking infrastructure growth is part of a larger city-wide beautification program which also includes creating walkways along the waterfront, the construction of recreational facilities, and painting of buildings in the city center. The beautification project is part of an initiative by the National Ministry of Tourism, benefiting the city that serves as Kenya’s largest tourist attraction. Mombasa boasts a population of almost 1.5 million and serves as a transportation hub in the East Africa region, it has a large and active port. These infrastructure improvements are significant because they are benefiting a large population of the city, many of whom are pedestrians in Mombasa.

Lack of paved sidewalk leads to difficult passage

Only 3% of Mombasa’s residents and visitors use personal cars to travel throughout the city whereas almost half (45%) rely on walking as their primary form of transportation, and over a third (37%) rely on public transportation. To improve the conditions for the roughly 700,000 pedestrians in Mombasa, the Department of Transportation has completed 9 kilometers of wide footpaths on five streets in Mombasa including Moi Avenue, one of the major corridors and anticipated to be one of the corridors for future BRT systems. By reclaiming space previously used in parking or driving, the city has been able to create wider spaces for walking and has also included important features like street lights to improve security and increase economic activity.

Wider sidewalks allow for more passersby

ITDP Africa Director, Chris Kost explained, “The residents and city leaders are thrilled that city officials are taking such decisive and progressive action towards making Mombasa a pedestrian and bicycle friendly city. We hope that the trend of prioritizing non automobile transport will continue as the quality of walking environments continues to improve for residents.”

A salvation or a pestilence for cities? A New Guide for Regulating Uber, Lyft, and other TNCs

March 21, 2019

What is a TNC?

A TNC is a Transportation Network Company, defined as a digital application that matches potential riders with drivers in real time. Popular TNCs include Uber, Lyft, DiDi, Taxify, among many others. While TNCs have existed for over a decade, cities are still grappling with how to regulate them within a larger infrastructural, political, and revenue producing context.

In a new report, Ride Fair: A Policy Framework for Managing Transportation Network Companies, ITDP presents city officials with a framework for regulating TNCs to maximize their benefits like adding connectivity to transit and other destinations as well as supporting a more car-light or fully car-free population while also mitigating potential hindrances like increased congestion and political pushback.

This paper is accompanied by a webinar. You can view the recording and presentation slides here.

This paper includes four case studies from cities throughout the world and how they have approached regulation challenges.

One of the preliminary challenges in regulating TNCs is that of categorization. Should TNCs be regulated like transportation companies or technology companies? Now that many TNCs are moving into other forms of transportation like bike and scooter sharing, automobile based categorization may not be sufficient. It is important to remember that the category chosen for TNCs will determine which government body or department oversees their regulation.

Once a TNC is properly categorized, a city must determine their overall transportation objectives and how TNCs will fit into those. Careful management of TNCs can position them to align with city objectives to reduce emission rates and congestion, extend and improve the reach of existing public transit systems, and decrease car usage and car ownership.

It is clear that while TNCs are increasingly popular (with ridership and kilometers traveled having increased globally) they will never substitute for a robust transit network or compact, pedestrian-friendly development. However, in some cases, TNCs are able to meet more complex transportation needs like assisting passengers with limited mobility or who are carrying goods. Thus, TNCs need to be regulated to capitalize on their important role as a complementary transportation service while ensuring they do not pull riders from transit, biking, and walking.

Cities should include four key elements in their TNC regulations: pricing, metrics, data, and regional coordination. Pricing strategies should incentivize shorter, shared, and less frequent TNC trips. There are many methods like surcharges, congestion pricing, pricing per kilometer traveled that can encourage certain behaviors like shorter or less frequent trips or decreasing congestion during peak hours. Pricing TNCs (and other vehicles, in the case of congestion pricing) can generate revenue to support public transit and achieve efficiency.

Cities should also establish baselines and metrics to evaluate the impacts of TNCs. Measuring the extent to which TNCs are affecting equitable access, congestion, safety and emissions can help to amend policies where appropriate and improve regulation and the role of TNCs in cities.

Finally, cities should consider opportunities to regulate TNCs on a regional scale, given the tendency of TNC trips to cross municipal, county, or even state lines. A good example of regional coordination of TNCs is in Greater London, where Transport for London oversees the management of TNCs and other private hire vehicles for the City of London and its surrounding 32 burroughs. Regional coordination can help minimize administrative costs of regulation, and provide consistency in enforcement. Even if coordination is not officially placed under the purview of a regional body, standardizing regulations across neighboring municipalities can achieve similar results. Many cities have struggled to adequately regulate TNCs due to a number of structural barriers including a lack of political will, resistance from existing transportation modes like taxis, or a lack of capacity in government. The report identifies these and other potential barriers, and offers recommendations that can move cities closer to adopting outcome-oriented TNC regulations.

Ultimately, as demand for TNCs continues to rise, it is up to cities to define their goals for TNC service provision and design and enforce regulations that move TNCs toward achieving those goals.

In Cairo, ITDP Works to Improve Transport Access for Women

March 14, 2019

A rendering of ITDP’s proposed project in Cairo shows a new BRT corridor. This project is focused on improving commute conditions for women, who face greater obstacles in using public spaces. Photos: ITDP Africa

By Nour El Deeb, ITDP Africa

“I leave home at 5:30 a.m. and arrive at 8 a.m. I take first a tok-tok for 5 EGP from the tunnel to Al -Khalafawy bus station. I wait 15 to 20 minutes for the bus to come. If the bus does not show up, I ride another taxi or bus until Al-methalat or Al-Sawah Station; and from there to the 10th of Ramadan and then to the Fifth Settlement. I repeat the same course while going home; either the bus is available or I have to go to the 10th of Ramadan and start the journey backward. The dangers for me consist in the cost, effort, and time wasted in transportation. The means of transport are so terribly crowded. When I arrive home, I am so tired that I cannot do anything anymore. I do not get tired from working, I am exhausted by the trip.”

—A response to an anonymous ITDP
survey of women commuters in Cairo

All over the world, women build healthy, safe, and prosperous societies. Due to the many responsibilities that fall on them— caring for children, running a household, and paid work—women have different travel patterns than men. When neighborhoods lack resources, such as grocery stores and healthcare facilities, the responsibility falls on women to find solutions. Cities need gender-responsive policies to address women’s diverse mobility requirements and reduce their burden. Greater Cairo, a region of more than 20 million people, is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Africa. Like many megacities around the world, it is famous for its traffic congestion. A lack of rapid transit options and skyrocketing private car ownership has led to daily traffic snarls on the wide roads that crisscross the area. While these roads continue to be built, most of the population relies on public transport. The oldest and most organized mode of transport is the underground Metro.

A 2013 UN Women study in Cairo found that the majority of female respondents reported that they do not feel secure or safe in the street. Women also do not feel safe on public transport. As a result, they may forego trips and seek less efficient or more costly alternatives when they perceive a threat.

The metro covers 78 km connected by three lines that transport two million passengers daily. The overcrowded system is planned to expand to six lines by 2033. Until recently, transport planning and operations in Cairo have taken a “one-size-fits-all” approach, assuming that men and women will benefit equally from improvements in transport services. In reality, women and men have different needs and expectations for the system, particularly with regards to safety. An integrated and safe public transport system provides access to education, work, health care, culture, and other important activities crucial to women’s participation in society. A 2013 UN Women study in Cairo found that the majority of female respondents reported that they did not feel secure or safe on the street. Women also do not feel safe on public transport. As a result, they may forego trips or seek less efficient or more costly alternatives when they perceive a threat.

ITDP has join with organizations such as New Urban Communities Authority, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women to plan a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Greater Cairo.

Responding to these issues, ITDP has joined with organizations such as the New Urban Communities Authority, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women to plan a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Greater Cairo. Key tasks include completing passenger demand assessment, corridor identification, service plans, infrastructure designs, and gender-sensitive analysis for the BRT corridor. To better understand the challenges faced by women using the transport system, ITDP conducted a series of surveys and focus groups with commuters in Cairo. The research included a women’s travel pattern survey with 2,500 respondents; public transport terminal surveys that asked 220 men and 225 women about their travel patterns; operator interviews; rate of occupancy and gender counts; physical assessment surveys; and a women’s focus group.

ITDP found that overcrowding, harassment, multiple transfers, long waits and travel times, high fares, and unsafe driving behaviors were issues of great concern to women reliant on public transportation. The solution is a BRT system that considers data-driven gender concerns when designing service plans and infrastructure. To this end, ITDP has proposed designated areas for women on each bus; seating for pregnant women, the elderly, people with disabilities, and adults with small children; cameras on BRT buses to monitor harassment and violence; and a complaint and redress system. Other recommendations include providing a sufficient BRT fleet to meet passenger demand and introducing an integrated electronic fare system to simplify transfers. ITDP has also suggested that all drivers and staff complete training on safety and mobility challenges. This includes customer service, sexual harassment, and sensitivity education. Additionally, increasing the number of women working in public transport would help to put female commuters at ease. The new BRT Western system would consist of a 42 km corridor connecting 6th of October City to Giza. The corridor will have a critical load of 6,400 passengers per hour each way and around 50 buses per hour along Faisal Street. Overall, the system will carry 126,000 passengers per day. The BRT Western corridor will significantly benefit city residents. In addition to time savings of at least 15 minutes per trip, the system has the potential to improve traffic by decreasing car use. The switch from polluting vehicles to high capacity BRT buses will cut air and noise pollution, leading to significant public health benefits. A well-designed BRT will significantly reduce road fatalities, especially for pedestrians, the most vulnerable road users. ITDP and partners are working to ensure that this is a BRT system that takes into account the needs of women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. For society to grow and thrive, women in Cairo and beyond must have convenient, affordable, and safe options to access their cities’ resources and opportunities.

Render of proposed plaza area in Cairo

Highlighting Women’s Contribution to Transportation on International Women’s Day

March 8, 2019

Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative Women in Transport

TUMI Remarkable Women of Transport 2019

How do we make cities better for all of their residents, including women?

Not all design is universal and the divergence across genders needs to be considered in creating design that is equitable and just for all. While women make up 51% of the population, they make up an even larger portion of transit users. Despite this majority, women’s voices remain unheard among the decisions about the transport and design that so affects their daily lives. To start, we need design that understands the different uses of transportation and public space by women and men.

On International Women’s Day 2019 we remember that progress is made incrementally and that our improvements will happen through more research and insight.

Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative has published the first edition of Remarkable Women in Transport (2019) in order to highlight the contributions of women working in transport throughout the world.

What are we doing about it?

At ITDP we are proud to have such a diverse staff, as Heather Thompson, CEO mentioned,

“I am so very honored to be leading ITDP, an organization full of women leaders. Women comprise more than 65% of our staff, more than half of our Senior Leadership Council, and 100% of the senior leadership team at HQ. All of the women at ITDP are respected and heard, and are making a difference in other women’s lives by improving real mobility for them. We aren’t just talking about it, we are making a real difference.”

Our staff are what makes this organization strong and successful, and we are proud to be reflect these values within our team.

ITDP has studied women’s use of cities to better understand how this usage determines different transportation needs. Find below, resources to help you learn more:

Access for All: Access and Gender (2018): This paper explores how transportation systems have failed to account for diverse mobility patterns and needs among different genders. It provides key stakeholders from civil society, subnational authorities, donor organizations, and national governments with a brief overview of the gender aspects of sustainable mobility and a set of recommendations to promote gender-responsive actions.

Why Gender Matters (2018): ITDP Brazil Director observes the importance of environment in providing women access to transport in cities. This paper discusses design that is open, inviting, with transportation options abundant and safe streets designed for bikes.

Women and Children’s Access to the City (2018): This report from Recife, Brazil, explores the greater challenges that women and children face in accessing work, education, and leisure opportunities and makes recommendations in multiple thematic areas.

Women and Transport in Indian Cities (2018): The brief recommends gender responsive indicators, service level benchmarks, and guidelines for comprehensive/green mobility plans as well as walking, cycling, public and intermediate public transport.

Beyond the Women-Only Train Car: Gender and Sustainable Transport (2017): By designing transportation that is accessible to all, including women, cities can bring more women into the labor market. If cities focused on creating gender neutral and accessible transport, they would allow women to enter the labor workforce, increasing up to US$28 trillion to the global economy.

In Cairo, ITDP Works to Improve Transport Access for Women (2018): For this article, ITDP worked with other organizations to understand the unique challenges women face in Cairo when using transportation. These findings are being used to determine the best BRT solutions based on data-driven gender concerns.

Women-only Transport: A “Solution” To What End? (2019): This paper explores the role of women’s only transportation solutions and their advantages and pitfalls including the rates of sexual harassment experienced by women throughout South and Central Asia.

Rickshaw in India with woman passenger in orange traditional clothing

While there are strives and advancements being made, there is still more to do. The more information we know about the role of women in urban design and development, the more we can do to address what needs to be done.

George Town Could Become a Malaysian Best Practice in Transport

March 4, 2019

18th century architecture in George Town

George Town, a scenic Malaysian city on the island of Penang, is a culturally-significant and popular tourist destination. The city is a dense, beautiful collection of colonial-era and other historic, well-preserved architecture. Listed as a UNESCO World Culture Heritage site, George Town has long been an important center of trade in Penang, founded as an entry port by the British in the 1700s, and attracting traders and workers from all over the region. Today, George Town is a diverse mix of cultures, with influences of China, India, Indonesia, Burmese, the Arabic world, and many others, including the native Malays.

However, for tourists and locals alike, access to the low-rise hodgepodge of shops, temples, and markets that cover the streets oriented to the still-active port, leaves much to be desired. Despite its density and small streets perfectly suited to walking and cycling, George Town suffers from the same car-oriented planning that plagues cities all over the world. Most residents travel by car, and a lack of parking regulation enforcement means that cars typically block pedestrian spaces, and make cycling dangerous.

The sidewalk on the left side and bike lanes on the right side of Lebuh Pasar Street are rendered unusable due to illegal parking.

Most of the local residents still use their car for their mobility despite the city’s BRT system, Rapid Penang.

While the city does have a quality bus transit system, Rapid Penang, the lack of “last mile” connections and a poor walking and cycling environment prevents it from replacing car trips. Fortunately, the Penang state and city governments are eager for change, and have been working with the Asian Development Bank and ITDP Indonesia, as well as together with local communities and organizations, to tackle mobility problems in the city, increase tourism, and improve its residents’ quality of life.

Over the last few years, the collaboration between local communities, residents and the Government has resulted in the George Town Special Area Master Plan. This plan includes pedestrian improvements, such as ensuring that sidewalks are connected and continuous, separated from cars, and five-feet wide. The bike share program, LinkBike, launched in 2016, are being expanded to better serve residents and tourists, with a higher density of stations in high-traffic locations all over the city.

LinkBike bikeshare station on Beach Street

Illegal parking in the George Town Little India, Lebuh Pasar, occupy pedestrian and cyclist space

While the city is making good progress, George Town still has a ways to go. Enforcement remains an issue. In the central neighborhoods of Little India and Lebuh Campbell, the pedestrian-friendly design was implemented, but cars still park illegally on the bike lane or on the traffic lane. More investment in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure is needed, and the existing infrastructure should be more segregated. Installing parking bollards, covering the open sewers between the car and pedestrian spaces, and encouraging more active frontage at the street level would make the walking environment safer and more pleasant.

A better walking and cycling environment would also make it much easier to access public transport. Expanding Rapid Penang, the city’s bus system, and implementing a new higher-capacity transit system are essential to accommodate the daily trips made in George Town and throughout Penang, proving a true alternative to car ownership. This would also open up the potential of limiting cars in the city center, through design, parking restrictions, and road pricing. This would provide much-needed public spaces for residents and tourists to enjoy the city on foot and bike, making George Town more livable and enjoyable, and inspiring other cities across the region and world to do the same.