In anticipation of the impending Olympics, Beijing’s subway has undergone a series of major changes, documented in this series of photographs. With a total of five lines totaling 140 kilometers of track, Beijing plans to add three more lines this year to extend coverage to 200 km.
Above is an interactive map highlighting many of the BRT systems currently in operation or under construction in Latin America. As you can see, this efficient, cost-effective approach to transportation management is quickly becoming a standard across the region. And while Latin America cities have been BRT pioneers, the technology is catching on around the world.
Stay tuned for more detailed info on BRT systems in Central and South America, as well as the rest of the world.
Congestion Pricing. Photo by .KM.
A very interesting study released earlier this month counters conventional wisdom, suggesting that a clear majority of people support tolling and road pricing. As the authors of the study, which analyzed numerous national and international public opinion surveys, clearly write in the conclusion of their report, “…in the aggregate, the public supports tolling and road pricing.”
The study’s findings will come as a surprise to many policy makers and elected officials who offer the standard response that tolling and road pricing are unpopular, and should therefore not be implemented lest they defy their constituents.
Traditionally, attempts to solve congestion have focused on building new roads or widening existing ones. But it’s clear that the strategy has not worked. That’s in large part because there’s a cyclical logic to road construction: as more roads are built more people want to drive cars, which in turn, drives the demand for ever more road construction. For decades now, there have been proposals for reducing the demand for road space by charging drivers who use it. But these proposals more often than not went nowhere in large part because of politics. Read the rest of this entry »
I recently traveled to Santiago, Chile for the World Bank to assess the current state of “Transantiago” - the city’s ambitious and highly controversial transport reform project launched in February 2007. I was pleasantly surprised to find substantial improvements in the system, which was made infamous by its highly-publicized growing pains (for more info, check out an article that I contributed to in The Economist that covers the political fallout from the project).
The photo essay above contains photos of Transantiago I took on my trip. I hope it will provide readers with a closer look at the improving transport situation in the Chilean capital. To see a brief caption for each image, simply click on the photo.
For more info:
- Read more about my World Bank-sponsored assessment mission.
- Watch a short video I took of a Transantiago bus in action.
Shanghai - Cycles from Lrock on Vimeo.
A few months ago here on TheCityFix.com I posted a video offering a “driver’s eye view” of Istanbul’s new BRT system – Metrobus. Today I thought I would show a similar clip (see above) that I took of Transantiago’s new dedicated bus lanes. The video should give you a first-hand look of how another innovative (though controversial) urban transport project operates.
Watching the short film, you can clearly see that the central four lanes of this busy thoroughfare are restricted to bus traffic. Private cars and other vehicles are kept to the outside lanes of the street, and separated from the busway by a fence and a freshly-planted row of trees (which will eventually green up this admittedly drab route). Bus stops are located in the middle of this divider, keeping buses and bus passengers completely isolated from car traffic.
Stay tuned for a photo essay on Transantiago’s efforts to overcome the logistical chaos and political turmoil that dominated its launch.
People In Mexico City Losing Their Sense of Smell. Produced by theEMBARQ Network on Vimeo.
Rhys Thom and I recently visited Mexico City where we met with two researchers at UNAM - Mexico’s National University - who are doing some fascinating research. Robyn Hudson, a charismatic professor, originally from Australia who has been living in Mexico City for quite some time, and her colleague Marco Guarneros, a fellow biomedical researcher, conducted a study comparing the ability of Mexico City’s residents to detect certain smells, with the ability of people living in a Tlaxcala, a neighboring town. Mexico City and Tlaxcala are similar in many respects - they share a similar culture and climate, situated high in the mountains of Mexico. But there is one crucial difference: Mexico City has much higher levels of air pollution.
When compared to their neighbors, people living in Mexico City need higher concentrations of a smell in order to identify it, a clear indication that their sense of smell is deteriorating.
Read the rest of this entry »
This post is cross-posted on NextBillion.net.
File this under the eye-catching-Bottom-of-the-Pyramid-design category and add it to the list of fascinating cycle innovations intended to meet multiple needs for the poor - in this case, the challenges of water filtration and transportation.
The product is called the Aquaduct, a tricycle designed by a team of five at IDEO that stores water in a twenty gallon tank in the back of the bike’s wide, blue frame. As the user travels back home, the energy they expend pedaling is used to filter the water into a removable two gallon tank that rests in front of the handlebars.
As with any shiny new Bottom-of-the-Pyramid innovation, it’s important to remember that just because the product is inarguably cool doesn’t mean it will actually be applicable in the specific context of local consumers. Has research been done to confirm that the Aquaduct would be cost effective and functional for the BoP in different regions as compared to other available means of water filtration and transport? And I didn’t understand the idea of storing 20 gallons of water but having only two gallons filtered - is this really enough for a family? Does the user have to pedal around every time they want an additional two gallons of filtered water?
These are questions that IDEO will have to answer as the bike moves beyond its prototype status (and I’m sure they will - if they haven’t already). In the meantime, IDEO’s creation has shown promise as grand prize winner of the Innovate or Die contest for sustainable cycle design. Maybe soon, we’ll see it in use on the ground.
Today, NPR had an interesting story about “Hypermilers”, a group of people who try and get every last bit of distance out of each gallon of gas they use in their cars. In an ideal world, record high gas prices and the threat of global warming would inspire large scale systemic change where automobile companies produce ultra high efficiency cars, cities curb sprawl while fostering high-density mixed-use development, and where investment in mass transit is a top priority.
However, we don’t live in an ideal world. So, in the absence of that kind of change people can take it upon themselves, like these Hypermilers, to protect their wallet and the environment by changing the way they drive. What the Hypermilers are doing is a part of “EcoDriving“, a way of driving that decreases the amount of fuel you use and the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions that you emit. It’s not a substitute for deeper, big picture solutions that get to the root of these problems, but in the meantime, it sure can help.
Awhile back here on TheCityFix, we highlighted a video made by StreetFilms that explored Bogota’s “Ciclovia” initiative. This innovative program closes nearly 70 miles of city streets each Sunday to car traffic and opens them to throngs of runners, walkers, and bikers determined to take back their city (at least for a day).
The idea is slowly catching on all over the world. For example, the video above highlights a similar (though more limited) program in Guadalajara, Mexico…given the happy tune that the videographer chose to use for the clip’s score, it is clear that they thoroughly enjoyed their car-free day!
You can find another video of car-free street initiatives in Australia here.
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