Dedicated bus lanes, subway-like stations, intermodal terminals and infrastructure improvements to move buses more efficiently are all features you might see in one of the many Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems that are popping up in cities all over the world. After the success of the world’s first BRT in Curitiba, Brazil, planners in cities including Bogotá, Mexico City, São Paulo, Hanoi, Seoul, Istanbul and Quito, among others, began implementing BRT systems to not only provide a valuable mode of transportation for the city’s inhabitants, they address traffic congestion and associated air quality. And as planners learn what works and what doesn’t with the new bus systems, some creative new designs are being implemented.
One of the newest BRTs is also one of the most advanced. Only one year old, the BRT in Guangzhou is already carrying up to one million passengers daily. China has eleven BRT systems currently in operation but the 4.3-mile (23 km) Guangzhou bus corridor design is the first to integrate bicycles into its design — five thousand of them.
Streetfilms, in collaboration with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), recently released a video highlighting Guangzhou’s BRT.
Article by Timothy Hurst, appearing courtesy Earth & Industry.
