Urban mobility expert and former Secretary of Mobility for Bogota, Colombia, Felipe Ramirez emphasized that political will plays a crucial role in building sustainable transport systems in cities like Bengaluru. On Friday, Mr. Ramirez, who is also Director, Urban Mobility World Resources Center, delivered a talk on ‘Transforming urban mobility in mega cities: lessons from Bogota’ and interacted with the audience at Bangalore International Center.
The city of Bogota implemented one of the largest Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) networks and other sustainability mobility infrastructure by promoting bicycle-sharing systems.
He said that considering the population of Benglauru, the city needs to increase the fleet size of city buses from 6,500 to 15,000 to make public transport more accessible and effective. “It might be a little difficult to adopt the BRTS model here, with the population of Bengaluru embracing the metro,” Mr. Ramirez said.
Mr. Ramirez, on his first visit to Bengaluru, highlighted the similarities between the city and Bogota, stating that both are big cities that face challenges related to traffic congestion and transportation. He added that the need for a transportation system that is inclusive of all sections of society is necessary to ensure the smooth functioning of all modes of transport. “Provide the public with a fully connected network and make it reliable; otherwise, do not ask the people to use public transport,” he added.
He recommended cycling as a viable and sustainable mode of transport in Bengaluru. “There is no city better than Bengaluru for cyclists. The city has a lot of greenery. The government needs to build something that is safe for the people and make sure there is a proper network,” he said.
He also spoke about Bogota’s approach to building accessible buses, “One needs to pay attention to accessibility while designing buses,” he said. “There is no such thing as profitable transport,” Mr. Ramirez added, responding to a question on viability gap funding by the government. “The government must invest in a better transportation system, keeping in mind accessibility to the public.”
