The promise of Bus Rapid Transit

Cities, or perhaps more accurately urban conglomerations, are the engines of economic growth and human development, but face numerous well documented challenges in the twenty-first century. Cities are increasingly forced to compete for capital in a globalised economy, but at the same time are the cradle of creativity and prosperity. Population and income are growing, and along with them motorisation rates, trips per capita, traffic congestion, inequality, and social segregation. These problems are compounded by a sense of urgency about the need to address climate change, air pollution, traffic injuries and deaths, and lack of physical activity.

Despite the seemingly insurmountable challenges, cities provide opportunities to shift urban development to a more liveable and sustainable pattern. Sustainable cities should continually reduce their environmental footprint, while shrinking social inequity and creating a stable long term economy that can meet the demands of the current and future population. Delivering on this triple bottom line agenda requires substantial changes to the existing design and management of urban space. As a major driver of urban space, transportation is a key element of both the problems and the solutions for urban sustainability.

Over the past 100 years, cities have increasingly been designed for the needs of cars – ample parking, capacity to meet peak-hour demand, roads designed to increase speed. At the same time land use has been planned for low density and single uses, forcing people to use cars, even for the simplest trips. However, a sustainable city should shape urban space around the needs of people, with transportation being for multiple uses and with multiple transportation modes possible.

The ability to meet peak-hour transportation demand is a key concern in urban areas. In the peak hours, when large numbers of people want to arrive in the same area at the same time, the car is clearly a problem from a social perspective. Cars do not use urban space efficiently (especially with the use of cars being underpriced in most cities), causing significant congestion and creating air pollution, particularly at low speeds. In order to avoid the problems associated with the use of cars during peak periods, cities need to have a high share of sustainable transport modes, including walking, cycling and public transport.