BRT and MRT

Traffic congestion is one of the major problems of Dhaka. With a view to get rid of this
problem, miscellaneous measures like constructing new roads, regulations on the roads etc. has been
implemented which actually exhort motorized vehicles and circumstances remain almost same. At the
present situation Dhaka need a sustainable solution. Recently, the trend of cycling in Dhaka is rising. By
the last three years, bicycle sell have grown up to 40% and annual demand reaches almost 500000 pieces
per year. It indicates bicycle has a great potential to be a sustainable alternate transportation mode and an
appropriate solution to the present traffic congestion problem. With appropriate attention and proper
planning Bicycle could be the effective alternate mode of transportation to this city of the traffic
congestion as like as Amsterdam, Copenhagen, China, and Vietnam etc. The aims of the study are to
explore the demand, problems experienced, expectation and suggestion from the current bicycle users and
non users; to develop a Multinomial Logit model considering the socio-economic characteristics of
respondents. This research also focused on the feasibility and basic implementing consideration of bicycle
lane and how bicycle could be the effective alternate transport mode considering the effect of MRT and
BRT which are going to be activated in Dhaka by 2025.

Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, is the largest and most industrialized city with 15 million people. Due to rapid unplanned development, versatile land use, rapid population growth, poor public transport system and increase of private car users, traffic problems is worsening day by day. The only mass transit is bus which is insufficient in terms of safety, capacity, comfort and convenience. Considering the worsening congestion it is high time to develop effective mass transit system such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as a means for achieving sustainable urban transport in the city. In this paper an attempt has been made to propose a conceptual physical structure of BRT for the line3 which starts from Uttara and ends in Ramna covering around 18.5 km. The BRT stations and runways are designed in a way to satisfy the ever increasing public transport demand towards achieving a sustainable urban public transport system.

Informal-Moto-Taxis are a common feature of many ‘emerging’ Asian cities. The following proposes that perhaps potential exists to formalise and integrate these services to act as a feeder to BRT systems. Several BRT systems have considered bicycle integration and others the integration of informal-modes, though currently no BRT systems in the world demonstrate BRT integration with motorcycle-taxis. The outcome of this research provides new ways of thinking about informal-transport integration, which could be useful for other cities with informal-motorcycle-taxis that are planning for BRT.

Using ‘XeÔm’ an informal-motorcycle-taxi service in Ho Chi Minh City as a case study, the research explores ways the service could be professionalised, innovated and re-branded using the planned HCM-BRT as a catalyst. The following premises that if planned appropriately, this could extend the influence of the BRT beyond the traditional 400m walking distance and enable more inter-modal trip-chaining in a way that is better adapted to the local culture, especially in a context where pedestrian accessibility is limited, hazardous and inefficient. It is argued this could encourage the much-needed modal shift towards public transport, whilst improving the working-quality for XeÔm and simultaneously making privatised mobility optional and not necessary.
To understand the viability of this concept the research is conducted in 3 steps.  (1) The proposed HCM-BRT corridor and its station precincts are analysed,  The findings revealed accessibility to the HCM-BRT has not been given enough thought which is likely to act as a deterrent to its up-take. (2) 32 XeÔm users and 16 operators were surveyed to provide an understanding of XeÔm characteristics, features and perceptions. The findings revealed that they play an important role in HCMCs transport ecosystem, however also revealed issues of pricing, safety and accountability, it is concluded that in their current disorganised form, they have a collectively damaging behaviour. The final section, attempts to test the viability of the ‘concept’ from a public and policy perspective, revealing that both XeÔm users and operators see value in the idea, 60% of users living within <1-5km of a HCM-BRT corridors would consider using the service, and >75% of operators approved of joining a service, with 68.7% willing to upgrade to a new pricing mechanism. Furthermore, two digitisation platforms ‘GrabBike’ and ‘World-Moto’ have shown themselves to be interested in the market, and the UCCI has described it as an ‘interesting idea’. The research concludes by evaluating the ‘concepts’ applicability and long-term viability, and by putting forward potential steps for further research.

Bangkok has failed in the implementation of its BRT system. The single line in operation since 2010 stretches only 15 km and transports merely 15,000 passengers daily. This article examines the reasons why Bangkok has (so far) been unable to implement a full BRT system, unlike many counterparts in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, which have similar financial constraints. The authors' position is that there is as much to learn from failure as from success. BRT issues are placed in the broader context of urban transport problems in Bangkok. The study indicates that the Bangkok BRT project was curtailed due to a combination of reasons, which confirm the findings of prior studies on BRT planning and implementation worldwide. The crucial issues in this case were the weak and discontinued political leadership and the failure to manage competing modes, the primary of which is the automobile. Nonetheless, creating a however limited BRT system was not a loss for Bangkok and extension plans could always be resumed in the future. Should another attempt be made at creating an integrated and large-scale BRT system, local planners and leaders who care about the city's sustainable future must avoid repeating past mistakes and falling into past behavioral patterns. While this article focuses on a single case study, the findings apply to a number of cities in similar geo-political and economic contexts.

The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Corridor in Delhi was anointed as a controversial urban
transportation development project even before it began functioning. There has been immense
discussion and criticism of the project in mass media, which have termed it as ‘ill-conceived’,
‘killer’, and ‘waste of money’. However on a closer inspection a divergent view on the issue can
be seen where a section of media, activists and populace is seemingly satisfied by the BRT and
regard it as a success full project. This was further established when the ruling part (Congress)
was reelected to power in Delhi (2008 state elections) even after a strong projection of its defeat
by media, based on government’s bad transportation policy of BRT. The case of BRT in Delhi
presents a scenario where media played a big role in creating a bourgeois agenda of promoting
freedom of movement for private vehicles while developing an adverse view of the BRT. This
paper analyses the conditions and circumstances that lead media towards taking such a strong
anti-BRT stand against a transportation project that was widely successful all over the world and
hoped to promote public transport in Delhi.
Keywords: Bus Rapid Transit system, class divide, mis-representation, media

Department of Energy of Philippines statistics reveal that from 2000 to 2010, the road transport fuel consumption and corresponding CO2 emissions have grown modestly with an annual growth rate of 0.5%. This modest growth is in contrast to the rapid increase in vehicle numbers, economic activity and in absence of implementation of comprehensive sustainable transport policies and options. The main objective of this research is to correlate official fuel consumption data (i.e. top-down) with bottom up quantifications and provide relevant policy recommendations. Based on the assessment of transport demand variables and review of policies and strategies, fuel consumption in transport sector was found to be growing at a much faster rate when compared to official estimates. Use of official data on fuel consumption in road transport sector may lead to serious errors. This has huge implications on policies and investments.

Il trasporto su gomma è, nel panorama dei trasporti collettivi in sede propria (TCSP), quello con minore capacità ma maggiore economia di implementazione, non necessitando di infrastrutture proprie. Il paper illustra i risultati di una analisi tecnico-trasportistica svolta per la città di Belo Horizonte (Brasile) circa il progetto di inserimento di un corridoio tipo BRT all'interno del raccordo autostradale che circonda per due terzi la terza metropoli brasiliana. Metodologicamente l'analisi è stata fondata sull'esperienza francese delle Busway ad Haute Nivél de Service (dal Trans-Val-de-Marne di Parigi al Mettis di Métz) e ha costituito una occasione di incontro tra la nascente esperienza europea nel campo del trasporto di massa su strada ed il BRT sudamericano (quello, per intenderci, da 500.000 passeggeri al giorno di Curitiba). Come noto il trasporto con autobus è caratterizzato da estrema flessibilità ma anche dall'incapacità di garantire un servizio regolare, proprio perché vincolato dal traffico privato, con cui condivide la sede. Se il bus (o il filobus) si muovono su corsie proprie, separate (e protette) si realizza una busvia: in questo caso i maggiori oneri di costruzione sono ripagati dall'avere un servizio più regolare ed efficiente. Quando si adoperano mezzi articolati (da 18 metri, ma esistono in commercio anche mezzi da 24 e 32 m, non utilizzabili in Italia date le limitazioni del Codice della Strada) e le intersezioni sono ridotte al minimo e attrezzate con asservimento semaforico si parla di busvia ad alta capacità (BAC o FAC, nel caso di filovia).
Probabilmente anche in Italia, dove la domanda di trasporto di massa non trova corrispondenza in una offerta adeguata, è giunto il momento di introdurre degli elementi di flessibilità normativa che permettano l’adozione di mezzi articolati per il servizio pubblico.
Allo stesso tempo dovrebbero essere prodotte delle linee guida che consentano di valorizzare il mezzo su gomma attraverso infrastrutture ad hoc e non mutuate dai sistemi di trasporto su ferro definendo una volta per tutte i sistemi ad alta capacità (BAC) ed i sistemi ad alto livello di servizio (BALS).

Uganda decided to develop a BRT for its capital city Kampala, to be financed by the World Bank. ROM, Arup and AH developed a lean and flexible concept that fits to local conditions and made the design for the BRT pilot corridor. The concept minimises land acquisition and minimises the need for operational subsidy. Presentation made at the UATP conference in Johannesburg, October 2014.

Permasalahan perkotaan dewasa ini semakin hangat dibicarakan karena keterkaitannya dengan hampir segala aspek kehidupan manusia. Perkembangan kegiatan suatu kota sering menjadi tumpuan harapan masyarakat sehingga mereka berduyun-duyun berebut kesempatan untuk bisa memperoleh penghidupan di kota tersebut. Tak dapat dihindari bahwa penghidupan yang baik juga dilihat dari sebuah konteks mobilitas di dalam ruang perkotaan. Semakin baik kehidupan manusia di perkotaan melihat bagaimana kualitas sarana dan prasarana transportasi perkotaan. Kehandalan dari sistem transportasi juga memerlukan penataan dan perencanaan dalam membuatnya sehingga operasi sebuah sistem transportasi bisa memenuhi kebutuhan manusia.

The prevailing model of development of urban areas is increasingly oriented to a territorial isotropy, notwithstanding the evidences of a considerable literature. This is due to the absence of mathematical
models able to translate this awareness into appropriate financial models. Nowadays a city no longer exists as mere physical built place, but as a dematerialized "cloud" of flows: people, goods, information. The vicious circle is all here: the car has allowed the urban sprawl; mass transit does not allow the widespread use of a city. This is the time of urban sustainability. If each urban element (home-work-facilities) is framed dynamically within the daily circadian rhythm that connects them, it will be possible to develop a sustainable solution that is not partialized on a specific sector. A balanced city produces social wealth: that turns into a financial one because it can be measured. The paper presents a methodology that combines the most modern epidemiological knowledge and the energy aspects of mobility. The Enhanced Financial Analysis (EFA) approach considers the Public authority as investor and manager of a planned infrastructure. Revenues come from fare and savings on current health expenditure. The model explores the morbidity of some peculiar diseases of which there is an identified cause-and-effect pollution (direct and indirect) and air quality. The avoided health expenditure is measured by health services that will not be paid out in the medium and long term compared with the do-nothing scenario. EFA allows introjecting some aspects that usually are relegated to the economic analysis, but are part of the current spending of the funder. This realizes a comprehensive financial analysis of the possible alternative technologies for a mass transit corridor, correcting the bias that may arise on the electrical transport - even on the rail transport - compared with apparently less expensive choices.

Motorisation is increasing globally, especially in major cities of Asia and the Gulf region. To illustrate, over the last decades, Doha, the capital city of Qatar, has experienced a fast urban growth along with a wide increase in the need for new transportation options. Recently, the Qatari Government has planned to improve Doha's transport system, by developing projects that include a new metro and light rail scheme. On the other hand, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)'s track record provides a compelling case for more cities to consider it as a transit priority. Within this context, this article critically examines three relevant factors (implementation time, cost effectiveness, and performance) for the successful dissemination of BRTs in relation to the city of Doha. The article argues that the implementation of a BRT scheme is a beneficial and effective alternative to the metro scheme that is under construction in the city.