Curitiba is a city in Brazil that has interested planners and transportation experts for many years now, because it has created an exceptionally effective public transport system and avoided many of the chronic congestion problems faced in other developing world cities around the world. It has also managed to achieve this fairly inexpensively, through creating a hierarchy of different bus services – including trunk services that operate pretty much like a “subway at street level on rubber tires”.
Here’s a good video showing the system there:
Now while Auckland’s Northern Busway somewhat follows Curitiba’s example, we generally haven’t pursued this system to a particularly great extent. There’s quite a big debate about whether Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) really can be ‘attractive enough’ to get people out of their cars in richer developed world cities like Auckland. While other cities such as Bogota in Colombia have created extensive and effective busway systems, generally US cities prefer to develop their light-rail/tram systems than the cheaper BRT.
So, what about Auckland? Could this system be used along some of Auckland’s main arterial routes (Dominion Road, Pakuranga Road etc.), or should we be looking at trams/light-rail instead? Would BRT work in Auckland?
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I think Dom Rd is a pefect candidate for this type of system during it’s scheduled upgrade, future proofed for light rail…
it’s a great system for a city than doesn’t have the money to build a subway or light rail system (Auckland does have the money, they’re just been spending it on the wrong things). However I wouldn’t want to adopt it on too large scale for a city such as Auckland, and I don’t think buses have the same comfort and attractiveness necessary to convince large numbers of people out of their cars in a developed, car-orientated city such as Auckland. One thing I noticed on a trip to Europe recently, travelling on tram and metro systems in many large cities is that these systems can give a very smooth and quiet ride, and people are very willing to stand-up, even if they are spare seats. This gives the rail/tram vehicles a much higher realistic operating capacity, than a bus with the same number of seats. I don’t think many people would be attracted out of their cars for shorter trips if they hand to stand up on a bus that was continually stopping and starting, but a tram could tip the balance.
Another issue I have is regarding to urban design issues, especially in the city centre. I can’t imagine Curitiba’s streets along the BRT in the city would be very liveable places, due to noise and exhaust. However if LRT ran along the city centre streets you wouldn’t have the same issues.
I agree with you Luke, that BRT isn’t necessarily the solution for Auckland, for those very issues you mention.
However, there are some thing we can learn from Curitiba for sure – like those tube loading areas. They would be great at some of the really busy stops.
Another thing integrated ticketing will make a possibility those tube stations…
One thing to note is that in Bogota (and I assume Curitiba as well), these systems are very much for the masses. In Colombia you have a large working class and underclass for whom the buses have been a huge success, but for the middle and upper classes there is still a huge resistance to the BRT system. Basically the transmillenio is built for poor people, so if you use it you must be poor.
There is some suggesting that this perception is changing, but very slowly.
I wonder if the same thing operates in Auckland to a certain extent.
It does IMO, I think the Northern Busway has changed this perception a bit on the Shore and could do the same for West Auckland given an SH16 busway or “environmentally friendly” hybrid or trolley buses, being green is all the rage these days (as long as you don’t have to give too much up)…
Yeah I think the Northern Busway has ‘converted’ a lot of people to realising that public transport can be flash & fancy.
I think electric trains will do the same thing, but on a much bigger scale!
Yes, the good old sparks effect, it’ll be interesting to see it’s effect in Auckland, I’ve consistently said it will make ARTA’s prediction of hitting capacity at 16 million in 2016 a mockery (unless we keep getting all the delays)…