19-Jan-04

1
As well as Enrique Pealosa, the
Building a New City: Sustainable
Transport in Bangkok Conference at
UNCC on 30-Jan-04 will feature:
H. E. Samak Sundaravej, Governor
of Bangkok.
Dario Hidalgo, former (2000-2003)
Deputy General Manager of
BogotsTransMilenio SA, the
worlds leading Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) system, who is assisting with
bus sector reforms and planning for
Bangkoks first BRT system.
Michael King, a pedestrian planning
expert with experience in several
Asian cities, who will present design
proposals developed with the BMA
Traffic and Transport Division for
improving conditions for pedestrians
in Khao San Road and in Mo Chit.
Peter Danielsson, Environment
Manager, Volvo Bus, who will
compare BRT with conventional bus
systems from economic and
environmental perspectives.
The Ministry of Transports Office of
Traffic and Transport Policy and
Planning on Bangkoks plan for a
198km BRT system.
The Conference will also feature
workshop sessions on non-motorised
transport and BRT designs. The latest
program can be seen at www.sutp.org.
Sustainable Urban
Transport Project Asia
implementing partners:





For further information: Karl Fjellstrom, GTZ, SUTP-Asia Project Coordinator, fjellstrom@un.org

Worlds Leading Urban Reformer Shares New Way to Build Cities
Former Mayor Enrique Pealosa Brings "Bogot Model" to the UNCC, Bangkok

Within three years, former Bogot, Colombia Mayor Enrique Pealosa transformed his city of 7 million
people from a seemingly hopelessly congested, dangerous and repulsive mess into one of the world's
leading models for sustainable urban development. Now, in a major conference at the United Nations
Conference Centre in Bangkok on 30 January 2004, Dr. Pealosa will share this inspirational story
and describe how Asias leaders can follow "The Bogot Model" for a livable city.

Traffic congestion, air pollution, inadequate public
transportation, poor access to jobs and services, and declining
city centre livability are increasingly problematic in Bangkok and
Hanoi as well as other large cities in Asia, and local leaders
have expressed interest in replicating Bogot's success.

The people of Bogot spent years hating their city, said Dr.
Pealosa, who is currently a Visiting Scholar at New York
University and is writing a book on a new model of development
for Third World cities. Now, the people of Bogot feel proud
and have hope that their lives will continue to improve. This is
the story we are bringing to cities across the world.

Under Dr. Pealosas leadership from 1998 to 2000, innovative
transport strategies such as a successful Bus Rapid Transit
system, bicycle paths and restrictions on car use were used to
help give all citizens access to mobility and begin to relieve the
traffic congestion and air pollution that was choking Bogot. His
administration also built parks, planted trees and promoted the
use of public space.

In Bogot, we chose to build a city for people, not for
automobiles, said Dr. Pealosa. Cities built for cars' mobility
suffer from congestion and unsafe street conditions and leave
many residents with poor access to jobs. Instead of these
problems, we gave our citizens enjoyable public spaces and
unprecedented mobility.

Bogot now boasts:
A world-class Bus Rapid Transit system
Latin Americas largest bicycle lane network, 250 km
The worlds longest pedestrian-only street, spanning 17km; hundreds of kilometres of
sidewalks, many through the citys poorest areas; and more than 1,000 new or reconstructed parks
The planets biggest Car-Free Day, on a regular working day twice each year, during which no
private motor vehicles are allowed to enter the entire city of 35,000 hectares.

The visit of Dr. Pealosa to Bangkok was organised by the Sustainable Urban Transport Project
Asia (www.sutp.org), a partnership between GTZ, UNESCAP, CITYNET, and the BMA. The visits to
Bangkok and Hanoi will help officials build momentum for existing Bus Rapid Transit system plans,
and encourage the provision of better facilities for cyclists and pedestrians. A 198km Bus Rapid
UNITED
NATIONS
ESCAP
19-Jan-04
2
Bogots TransMilenio BRT system has
overturned traditional ideas about mass transit
systems. Built at a fraction of the cost of a
metro/subway, TransMilenio carries 35,000
passengers per hour per direction in the peak
and more than 800,000 passengers daily, with a
trunk network of 48km. At terminals (above), free
transfers to feeder buses are provided.

Every Sunday, more than 100km of main
roads in Bogot are closed to cars, and
opened for cyclists & pedestrians. From
1998 to 2002, cycling increased from
0.5% to 4% of trips in the city.
Transit network for Bangkok was on 24 November 2003 approved by the Committee for Management
of Land Traffic, a committee chaired by the Prime Minister. Hanoi is now also preparing plans for the
citys first BRT network.

Since the end of his mayoral term in December 2000,
Dr. Pealosa has travelled to Mexico City; Panama
City; Lima, Peru; Guangzhou and Hong Kong in China;
Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Surabaya in Indonesia; New
Delhi in India; and Capetown, Dakar, Pretoria and
Accra in Africa. Many of these cities are now pursuing
Bogot-type Bus Rapid Transit systems, and facilities
to improve conditions for cyclists and pedestrians.

During his tenure (1998-2001) as the political and
administrative head of a city of 6.5 million inhabitants
Enrique Pealosa:
Led a massive effort to improve marginal
neighbourhoods infrastructure promoting high
citizen involvement.
Created a successful Urban Land Reform
institution.
Created a highly successful bus-based mass transit
system, called TransMilenio.
Spearheaded major improvements to the city centre including the recuperation of plazas, creation
of a large park in an area previously totally taken over by crime and drugs; turned one of the main
downtown avenues into a dynamic pedestrian pubic space; and planted more than 100,000 trees.
Built more than 100 nurseries for children aged under 5 and assured resources for their operation.
Increased child enrolment in public schools by more than 200,000, a 34% increase in four years;
did major improvements to more than 150 school buildings and built 50 new schools. With an
innovative scheme, turned 29 poor neighbourhood new
schools administration into some of the best private
schools in the country. He also put in place a network of
14,000 computers in all public schools connected to the
Internet and a network of 3 large new libraries and
several smaller ones.
Led the transformation of the citys attitude from one of
hopelessness to one of pride and hope.
Promoted a city model giving priority to children and
public spaces, restricting private car use; built hundreds
of kilometres of sidewalks; built more than 300km of
bicycle paths, pedestrian streets (one of which more than
17km long and 15m wide, through some of the poorest
neighbourhoods) and greenways along creeks, for which
there were also formidable decontamination efforts; more
than 1,200 parks were built or totally reconstructed; a car
free day was promoted and received massive popular
support; through a referendum, people adopted a yearly
car free day and decided that from the year 2015 onwards
there would be no cars during rush hours, from 6 9 am
and 4.30 7.30 pm (although this ban has since
successfully been challenged on constitutional grounds).

Bogot is providing a new transportation model which is
changing the face of the city.

19-Jan-04
3
What is Bus Rapid Transit?

It sounds too good to be true. A mega-city can plan and build a fast and efficient city-wide mass transit
system at a cost 10 to 100 times less than current metro rail systems. It can be completed in two years
and it can be operated at affordable fares without subsidies. While some may stand in disbelief, this is
exactly what has happened in major cities in Latin America with a new technology called Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT).

As well as in a growing number of cities in Europe, North America, Australia and South America, BRT
systems are currently operating in Asian cities including Kunming, Taipei, Shijiazhuang, Jakarta and
several Japanese cities. Systems are under construction in Beijing, in advanced planning in Delhi and
Seoul, and in planning in Bangkok, Chengdu, Chongqing, Huai An, Xian, Taichung, Tainan, and
other cities. (For information, photos and videos of BRT please contact Karl Fjellstrom.)

*The following is quoted from Bus Systems for the Future, Lew Fulton, International Energy Agency, Paris, 2002.

Bus Rapid Transit is high-quality, customer-orientated transit that delivers fast, comfortable and low-
cost urban mobility. Lloyd Wright, ITDP.

Bus Rapid Transit in Bogot, Colombia

BRT systems are much more than simply bus lanes. They have some or all of the following elements:
Dedicated bus corridors with strong physical separation from other traffic lanes.
Modern bus stations, with pre-board ticketing and comfortable waiting areas.
Multi-door buses that dock with bus stations to allow rapid boarding and alighting.
Large, high capacity, comfortable buses, preferably low-emission.
Differentiated services such as local and express buses.
Bus prioritisation at intersections either as signal priority or physical avoidance (e.g., underpasses).
Co-ordination with operators of smaller buses and paratransit vehicles to create new feeder
services to the bus stations.
Integrated ticketing that allows free transfers, if possible across transit companies and modes (bus,
tram, metro). [Integration with existing metro lines (Blue Line, BTS) will be an important feature of
the Bus Rapid Transit system in Bangkok.]
Real-time information displays on expected bus arrival times.
Good station access for taxis, pedestrians and cyclists, and storage facilities for bikes.
New regimes for bus licensing, regulation and compensation of operators.
Land-use reform to encourage higher densities close to BRT stations.
Park and ride lots for stations outside the urban core.
Well-designed handicap access, including ability for wheelchair passengers to quickly board buses.
Excellence in customer service that includes clean, comfortable and safe facilities, good information
and helpful staff.
A sophisticated marketing strategy that encompasses branding, positioning and advertising and
establishes a unique and positive image for the system.
Sustainable Urban
Transport Project Asia
(www.sutp.org) partners:




Draft Conference Program

BUILDING A NEW CITY:
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IN BANGKOK

30
th
January 2004
Room 1, United Nations Conference Centre
Ratchadamnern Nok Ave, Bangkok

08:00 08:30 Registration

08:30 08:45 Opening Statements

08:45 09:45 Sustainable Transport and City Livability in Bangkok
Samak Sundaravej, Governor of Bangkok

PART I: BUS SECTOR REFORM AND BUS RAPID TRANSIT

09:45 10.00 Video screening: TransMilenio, Bogotas Bus Rapid Transit system

10:00 10.45 Building a New City: the Experience of Bogot and Ideas for Bangkok
Enrique Pealosa, Visiting Scholar New York University, former Mayor of Bogot

10:45 11:00 Morning tea break

11:00 11.15 Bus Rapid Transit: Recent Developments in Asia
Karl Fjellstrom, GTZ, Project Coordinator, SUTP-Asia

11.15 11:30 BRT vs. Conventional Bus Systems: Economic and Environmental Aspects
Peter J. Danielsson, International Bus Systems Expert

11:30 12.15 Bus Rapid Transit in Bogota and its Potential in Bangkok
Dario Hidalgo, Consultant, Formerly Deputy GM, TRANSMILENIO S.A., Bogot

12:15 13.00 Lunch break

13:00 13.45 Planning for Bangkoks 198km Bus Rapid Transit System
Chalermsak Rabilwong, Director, Transport and Traffic System Devt. Division,
Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, Ministry of Transport

PART II: IMPROVING CONDITIONS FOR PEDESTRIANS IN BANGKOK

13.45 14.15 Pedestrian Improvements in Demonstration Locations in Bangkok
Nathanon Thavisin, Permanent Secretary for the Bangkok Metropolitan
Administration and Chitchanok Kemavuthanon, Director General of Department
of Traffic and Transportation, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration

14:15 14:45 Improving Conditions for Pedestrians in Bangkok: Design Proposals for
Two Demonstration Locations
Michael King, Consultant

14:45 - 15:00 Afternoon tea break

PART III: WORKSHOPS / PANEL DISCUSSIONS: (i) Bus Rapid Transit; (ii) Pedestrian improvements

15:00 16:00 Workshops / Panel Discussions

16:00 16:30 Report of Workshops / Panel Discussions to Plenary

16:30 Closing of Conference
UNITED
NATIONS
ESCAP