Posts Tagged ‘BRT’

It is difficult to get people to think in other directions. Nothing new about that. But it is sad when the plan for a new “transit friendly” suburb more or less fall because the inhabitants “don’t see any value in it”.

Have you heard about King Farm? It is a neighbourhood built to be transit friendly with light rail and easy to access to transit points and further transportation to the city centre on the outskirts to Washington DC. When reading about it, I found it quite nice; easy to walk in, comfortable access to light rail, stores within easy reach and so on. In other words, a really good neighbourhood that doesn’t require full access to a vehicle. US EPA had this to say about the neighbourhood.

But now it seems like the plans for the public transportation options have run into a speedbump. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, and several other green Internet sites, the residents of this public transportation orientated suburb see no or limited value in public transportation as most people will drive anyway.

What could a transit system give the local area. ANY local area (let’s not harp on Kings Farm but look at the bigger picture). Greater mobility is one thing. Not having to be restricted to driving, or being driven, people of all ages could easily move around. Commuters would have easy access to the DC area, and metro transit points. Wouldn’t that be good? Light rail and buses are also both clean and safe, and not to expensive. That it would be unsafe for pedestrians and drivers is false. If cities all across Europe and many places in Asia can handle this kind of system, why wouldn’t it work in the US? Gothenburg is a shining example with rail AND buses everywhere, and few accidents (The picture shows how a normal stop looks here. Safe and effective). Drivers and pedestrians have to be responsible and watch were they go/drive, but they should do that anyway. In my opinion this argument, so often heard, is just another lazy excuse.

Habits are difficult to break. It is no wonder why some of the people of Kings Farm see little value in other options. Driving is what they have always done. It is what they are used to. Having the possibility to walk is one thing, but why use the BRT or light rail when it is dirtier, cost more and are less comfortable then the family car. If you have never tried taking the bus or light rail it is difficult to consider other options. After all, why change a winning concept? Especially if the ones who WANT to commute greener have access to the metro a bit away. It is possible of course that this is a loud minority speaking, those living close to the rail who don’t want to have the inconvenience of a construction site and then loud and noisy vehicles 24/7. But let’s disregard that for a moment.

Good planning with the consent of the residents, as well as openness and simply sticking to the plan is vital. By adding a green boulevard were the rail is to be drawn you give the resident’s a green haven. Removing it to build another brown path will never be popular, even if mass transit was the norm. But habits  will have to be changed if we shall ever reach a sustainable society. People will have to start to commute greener, by train or buses, or even better with muscle operated transportation sooner or later. This project was a good try, and hopefully something to learn from. The transit system will hopefully get more accepted with time, and who knows, it may even become a norm when people get used to it.

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Fredrik

Traffic congestion is a huge problem in many cities around the world. Cities with over a million inhabitants are always stuffed to the brim with vehicles, be it bicycles, two wheelers, cars, buses or trams. It is easy to focus to much on the “west” ie. North America and Europe due to old habits. The rich developed west world and the poor and underdeveloped east. However, that world view is no longer true with India and China’s rapid economical growth. Today, congestion exists and is often just as large or worse in the huge eastern cities as well. Add to that the fact that there are many older models of cars around, and that more and more people buy a car, and we are speeding towards disaster.

In an Indian paper, DNA (Daily News & Analysis) an article describes the traffic problem in Bangalore city at length. There are some 36,5 lakh, or 3650000 cars in Bangalore, of which some 60 % are estimated to be active at any time of the day. Each year the numbers of cars are increased with some 17%/year. That is a huge figure. And a lot of traffic. Add to the problem that older vehicles seems to be left on the streets quite often, or that several households have more then one car, and the situation doesn’t look to good for the environment.

On the plus side, Bangalore have a good bus system. One bus could easily “swallow” some 40 cars, if not more. Projects and campaigns are preformed to increase the number of bus commuters (By the way, Volvo is one of the more common bus brands in India!). The local government are working hard to get the congestion down. Many people lack the space to park a car. Yet most people choose to drive anyway.

Why is it like this? The car culture have reached India and gotten mixed up with the old culture. Driving feels safe. You don’t have to mix with people you don’t know and don’t have to rely on a time table that are thought to be erratic if the traffic is thick. The prestige of owning a car is a large factor as well. Not only that but according to the article there are apparently some cultural aspects with car sharing/car pooling. Not knowing more about the Indian culture, it is best not to delve further into that aspect.

In other words; different part of the world, different culture, and the same problem as the rest of the world have. But on a bigger and faster growing scale. The car culture is problematic and difficult to combat, but very possible. As we see more and more people starting to opt for greener commute options in the west, we can see that there is still hope. With the rapidly growing economy it is no wonder more people want to have the same standard of living as the rest of the industrialized world.

No one can blame the Indians for that. However, from an environmental point of view, fast growing economies can become a problem. It may however be one that can be prevented by creative city planning and and an investment in a new BRT system. Phasing out older cars and adding congestion taxes may be one way to go. With a growing economy and its “new” and huge engineering and IT sectors, India could find some really interesting solutions if they can get started before the problem becomes to big to manage. However, human habits are difficult to break. Getting the Indians to avoid the driving culture trap may be as vital to the future environment as improving Europe’s, North America’s and Australia’s CO2 emissions. Changing the attitude of so many, who see new possibilities arise with a higher standard of living doesn’t come easy.

But on the other hand, unlike in the “West”, owning a car isn’t something everyone naturally has to do. The driving culture isn’t as rooted yet. With the mentioned ingenuity and whole new perspectives on technique, a greener commute is possible. Climate change is to large a problem NOT to work against. A rapidly growing economy doesn’t have to mean pollution-spewing factories and 5 cars/family.

It is the west worlds responsibility as well as the Indian governments to cater for a greener development. And I am sure they will succeed. There are many ways to combat traffic congestion and stimulate a newer, cleaner car fleet. It is just a matter to keep working, investing, and to stimulate the Indian city people to choose a greener commute!

/ Fredrik btw, have you tried Commute Greener! Facebook App Yet?

Hi!

I guess it is no surprise that the winter is cold this year. Really cold. And snowy. Most people with a drop of common sense choose let the bike rest and drive instead. Right? Well, winter is no reason to not keep the commute green!

Biking to work on slippery streets through the snowfall is not the best way to begin and end your day, but bus commuting or commuter rail are still good options.  Very good options in fact. I must say that I am impressed with the local transit company for keeping the buses and trams mostly on time during the heavy snowfalls and below zero temperatures (Celsius). And they got lots of customers regardless of temperature. Cold weather and snow just demand some preparation to be a smooth affair, just like rainy commutes. Some of MY favorite preparations include

• Warm jacket/coat, gloves and a warm hat/cap of some sort. A no brainer.
• Long Johns (?)  (long underpants). They look silly, and feel strange to wear, but is really cozy when you are waiting on the bus in -10 degree Celsius…
• Spiked/studded shoe attachments. These little fellows were first marketed to the elderly, to prevent broken bones due to falls during the icy winter, but now you see them on people of any age. A lifesaver. Get some if you live in a snowy country…
• A warm and waterproof bag for my mobile phone, the cold and wet weather can mess with the electronics, and the phone just have to work. How could I run Commute Greener! without it;)
• A thermos of hot coffee or chocolate. I usually bring one every day of the year, but during winter it is nice to sip on something warm.
• Nordic-walking sticks. Yes it look silly. Yes you will get stupid comments. Yes they are not the most practical thing to carry around. But they are good for keeping balance in ice and in the slouchy snow of the inner city, especially if you remove the rubber ends and use the spikes. Well, I have only done this once or twice, but it works!
• Reflexes. Winter evenings are dark. Motorists have trouble seeing you AND stopping in time. A reflex makes you visible at a longer range, so they can stop in time.
• A good book. OK, I admit that this is a standard preparation for any bus commute regardless of the time of year. That or the news paper.
• Take an earlier bus if possible. You MAY happen upon one of those late buses after all.
• I am sure there are loads of different ideas and improvements floating around out there. If you have any good ones, feel free to post it here.

See, next to no extra preparation and the commute can still be greener. There is no bad weather, just bad clothing and planing. It is easy to keep up the green commute even if the cold weather strikes. Let us do that, let us make a commitment to keep working on improving our CO2 footprint even during the winter!

Commute Greener! everybody!

/Fredrik

PS. Have you tried our facebook app or visited our facebook page? If not, take a look.

It is not often that we write about Latin America here at the blog. It is so much easier to focus on the “western” world in the north hemisphere, as the language barrier can bring some difficulties in getting information. Not knowing Spanish can sometimes be a big road block after all. Yet a lot of commute related things are happening in Latin America, which deserve some praise. For example, Commute Greener! is setting up dedicated communities in Mexico City, and several cities are revising their bus systems.

EMBARQ (world WRI centre for sustainable transportation) and the world resources institute recently released a report about new BRT systems in several Latin American cities. Many of these cities went from having an existing but less then effective system to a more modern one. There were of course bumps in the road, but that is to be expected.

Modernizing Public Transportation

In the “lessons to be learned” section of the report, one can learn that although the implementation lacked planning due to time and money constrains, as well as some inter-agency responsibility discussions the service became better for the travellers. Which is great. After all, if you are going to reduce the environmental impact from travelling in big cities you will need an efficient transfer system.

This study really hi-lights the need for planning and time in implementation of new BRT systems. Time for information and education of the drivers are vital for smooth operations, and for more modern infrastructure.

But one lesson to be learned for the “western” world is that large scale bus public transportation does work. Some of the lines has 40 000 travellers/hour during rush hour. If comparatively poor nations can make systems that can stand this kind of rush, why do the west resign to invest in infrastructure for driving as “everybody drive anyway”.

Another interesting lesson here is that it is possible to build away some future environmental problems in these countries. While many drive, there isn’t as many cars on the roads as it is in the industrialized “old world” such as Europe, or North America (or am I wrong? feel free to correct me if so). By simply not getting as many cars in the first place, congestion and environmental problems there of may not be as severe as it could be.

On a last note, why not try our facebook application and to give us a like and share your thoughts. We love hearing about commute stories and discussing the environment.

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Fredrik