A few weeks ago we posted a link to a video of the Eugene EmX bus rapid transit line. Today, courtesy of Streetsblog, we have a seven-minute video of a much more expansive BRT system, the TransMilenio in Bogotá, Colombia. During peak hours their control center coordinates up to 1,000 buses an hour. This is an interesting video to watch and gives us pictures of a mature and efficient BRT operation serving a large city.
Want to learn more about Bus Rapid Transit? Watch this StreetFilm and let Streetsblog editor Aaron Naparstek show you how BRT works in Bogotá, Colombia. Take a gander and you’ll see an efficient, modern and — relatively speaking — inexpensive way of moving 1.3 million people per day.
In Bogotá, where the BRT system goes by the much more sexy name, TransMilenio, you’ll travel almost three times the speed of the typical New York City bus. The average TransMilenio vehicle travels at 17.4 mph. In New York City, buses poke along at 6.2 mph. Some TransMilenio routes average nearly 25 mph!
0 responses to “StreetFilm: BRT in Bogotá”
I’ve used that system. I agree that it is often crowded, but that isn’t a complaint.
Keep in mind that even with the dedicated lanes and very limited routes of the Transmilenio system, their average speeds are very comparable to our MAX system. Considering the buses hardly have to stop for lights, have special overpasses, and don’t go through a downtown core like MAX, the speeds are relatively slow on Transmilenio.
Portland had a plan for a system somewhat like this. It was developed in the early 70’s, shortly after TriMet was formed. It was called the “DeLeuw-Cather 1990 Plan”, or something like that.
DeLeuw-Cather (a consulting firm) was doing a variety of transportation plans for ODOT and the region at that time, and it was before “light rail” had entered the discussion. I think one reason it never moved forward was that the Mt. Hood Freeway money, and subsequently Federal Policy, pushed the region into a corridor-by-corridor analysis, and for the first corridor, the Banfield, light rail ended up looking pretty good.
Incidentally, it is instructive that the system designers in Bogotá understand that transfers between modes, feeders and intersecting routes are crucial for developing high system-wide ridership.
Imagine what Portland would be like if our transportation policy leaders actually planned for transportation as a regional, cohesive system, determined by need rather than political motivations to line the pockets of wealthy developers who return the favor by giving political campaign donations to said politicians.
Imagine what Portland would be like if our transportation policy leaders actually planned for transportation as a regional, cohesive system, determined by need rather than political motivations to line the pockets of wealthy developers who return the favor by giving political campaign donations to said politicians.
I think that it would look a lot like Metro’s 2040 growth concept, the regional transportation plan that is currently being updated and TriMet’s TIP. I assume that as usual that your real complaint is that you want it NOW–if that is the case, then you must have some financing plan to implement all of these plans right away–please share!
[Moderator: Italics added for clarity.]
We could always privatize again and quit feeding the highway/auto beast.
It was amazing what this country accomplished when it DIDN’T have a “PLANNERS PLAN” and just developed. I mean, even the planners are envious of what the US accomplished between 1870-1930 with interurbans, streetcars, multi-modal interconnects, heavy rail, and other assorted methods of logistical passenger transport.
But I digress… everyone hates the market these days. Heaven forbid people can buy what they want – why would anyone want them to do that?
:o
btw – It is a neat BRT system. Albeit not something that I think many Portlanders would ride since they have LRT instead. I’m betting there is a significant ride quality difference. Part of that mythical “magic” to light rail.
In another sense though, I do think some of it should be applied to our supposed express buses. The 94 is one of em’ that just doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of headway. Not really all that express like – which I think Erik H. has mentioned about 4,234,153,980 times. :)
Adron: Not sure about the “ride quality difference” you are talking about. They fit similar numbers of people, have a similar loading style (though they use sliding doors so you can’t step in front of the buses), and certainly the cost per mile is much less.
Having said that, I’m a fan of MAX (and other light rail/streetcar systems). You always know where the car is headed, since it doesn’t fare too well off the tracks. It’s always a surprise to be in a foreign country (or even a nearby city!) and have the bus suddenly turn away from where you thought it was headed.
I do agree, it’d be nice to quit feeding the subsidized road system.
You always know where the car is headed, since it doesn’t fare too well off the tracks. It’s always a surprise to be in a foreign country (or even a nearby city!) and have the bus suddenly turn away from where you thought it was headed.
Really, that’s just a question of clear route designations and good wayfinding aids. When I visited London, I wound up rarely using the Underground (to my surprise). Instead, I rode the buses (great views from the upper deck). The wayfinding maps and schedules made it staggeringly easy to figure out where I was going, even when I had only a vague sense of the local geography.