Write down one word that comes into your thought when you read the following word: 15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini Transport

15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini Words contributed by the participants:

Improving the transportation sector? What do you understand by that? Transporting what? People or cars? Why do people need transportation? 15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini

People need transportation because it gives them the ability to move from one place to another. Is mobility a necessity in life? Yes, it is. Mobility give people access to……… So, transportation is all about accessibility and mobility? 15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini

How to improve the mobility and accessibility of people? = How to improve the transportation sector? Do they both mean the same? If not what is the difference? 15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini

Traffic: vehicle movement and speed where congestion or inadequate roads is a problem Source: Mobility: Efficient movement of people and goods where congestion or inadequate roads need not be a problem Accessibility: ability to reach opportunities where congestion or inadequate roads should not be a problem 15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini

In road-focused approach: access to services, goods and contacts requires a lots of mobility, as it is in the case of remote rural areas. Is it? 15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini

Tata’s nano car – any comments?

15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini Source:

What are the problems associated with automobile dependent cities? Environmental problems Economic problems Social problems 15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini

September 22 World Carfree Day Source:

How to access services, goods and contacts with less mobility? 15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Station in Curitiba, Brazil which pioneered BRT technology in the 1970s - BRT system is different from conventional bus service - buses run in dedicated lanes - buses have signal priority so they spend less time stopped at red lights - board passengers through all doors after paying fares at station platforms - space for the busway is often re-allocated from existing traffic or parking lanes Source:

15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini BRT helps to reduce transport-related pollution, improve urban transport, improve accessibility, Improve traffic safety, improve public security, and boost the quality of public spaces in the City. The existing 20 km BRT line (is being extended to 220km in five years) already carries more than 260,000 passengers each day and has shortened commute times by up to an hour Source: Mexico’s BRT system

15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini Bogotá, Colombia built 70 miles of bicycle routes and closed several streets to cars (converting them into pedestrian malls). - The initial $350 million, 38 km TransMilenio system was introduced in less than 2 years. - The buses are able to carry 780,000 people a day at an average speed of 26 km per hr. - Unlike expensive subways or elevated trains, the TransMilenio actually runs at a profit.

15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini The Transjakarta Busway in Indonesia, Asia’s biggest BRT, began operations in February 2004 amid stiff opposition - but its success silenced critics. Source: The system carries 100,000 passengers a day, three times the number when it started. It is so popular that six corridors will be added in the next 3 years.

15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini TransSantiago BRT system in Santiago, Chile failed catastrophically. Why?

15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini Shanghai Overpass – a transport solution

Source: 15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini London is the largest city to adopt congestion pricing cutting traffic and air pollution, fighting climate change to create high- quality public spaces “Congestion pricing is a superior gridlock and pollution solution because it has a financial incentive that discourages driving, encourages mass transit and funds it.” - Michael Replogle

Source: 15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini Congestion pricing works by shifting purely discretionary rush hour highway travel to other transportation modes or to off-peak periods, taking advantage of the fact that the majority of rush hour drivers on a typical urban highway are not commuters. Airline tickets and phone rates use congestion pricing

Source: 15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini Paris created an individualized mass transit system called Vélib (“Freedom Bikes”). People pay a low fee to use the bikes from one of the 1,200 bike parking stations located in the city and they can return the bikes to any station they wish. By the end of 2007, Vélib had more than 1,200 stations and 15,000 bikes in the system. As of November 2007, more than 11 million trips have been made on these bikes. cutting traffic and air pollution, fighting climate change to create high- quality public spaces

15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini $120M

Source: 15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini - Paris is revitalizing community life in public spaces - Paris is prioritizing pedestrians by renovating public squares and plazas, widening sidewalks, and adding new landscaping and raised crosswalks - Paris has built more than 314 km of bike lanes, and bicycling has increased 48% during the past 5 years - 3 corridors of the new BRT system also opened in private vehicle traffic is decreased by 20% - CO 2 emissions is reduced by 9%

visit 15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini What about the terrain? Could you bicycle in Kandy with its high slopes? To experience an invention for cyclists on a slope in a country that gets very cold,

15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini Isn’t it risky to ride a bicycle on city roads? visit To experience cyclists lives on a busy Dutch intersection without any traffic controls,

15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini Both the stop sign and stop light were invented in Detroit — ca and 1920, respectively! Urban streets had been happily and safely shared by pedestrians, cyclists, horses, and whatnot. Traffic regulations only became necessary once cars began choking the streets, since cars’ size and speed make them nearly incapable of civilly sharing the road. Source:

15 Feb 2008 R. Shanthini Source: When everyone drives a car, there will be no space on the road to drive it.