One of the major examples of efficient mass rapid transit in the case of Curitiba, Brazil. Implementing bus exclusive lanes, the government has reduced transport fuel consumption to 1/4 bellow any other Brazilian city. This initiative has inspired other cities in South America, as Quito and Bogotá - cited in a previous post.
The intent of the three times Major Jaime Lerner -
also architect and urban planner - was to protect the city centre from the
trend of massive increasing of car ownership during the 70s. For that, there
was a large investment in public transport infrastructure and the opening of
exclusive bus lanes, connecting all areas of the city.
Also, lower speed streets, and pedestrian exclusive
streets were opening, improving safety in central areas streets and encouraging
people to walk. In business district, only local traffic is allowed and lots of
streets are still dedicated to pedestrians.
After the 70s, the system was continuously improved
and single fare systems were implemented allowing low-income people living in
distant areas to use the system easily. The system today transport 36 thousand
people per hour in one direction costing one hudred times less than a subway rail
system. Considering that 70% of the total journeys are made using public
transport, it is clear its success.
Text Sources:
Galvao, R 2007, Jaime Lerner: o
realizador de sonhos, Planeta Sustentavel, accessed 17 May 2014 < http://planetasustentavel.abril.com.br/noticia/cidade/conteudo_258392.shtml>
Droege, P 2005, The Renewable City: A Comprehensive guide to an urban revolution,
Wiley, Chichester.
Macedo, J 2004, 'Curitiba', in Citites, 21:6, accessed 17 May 2014 <
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275104001003>
Image Source: Dubiginski, D 2011, 'Onibus
de Curitiba, accessed 14 May 2014 < http://www.onibusdecuritiba.com.br/expresso/>
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