Hangzhou The first 10km segment of Hangzhou’s 28km Line 1 BRT commenced commercial operation on 26 April, served by articulated BRT buses in a striking red color. Passengers pay before entering the station, and enjoy level boarding and alighting. In keeping with Hangzhou’s rich cultural history, stations are attractively designed, although the absence of passing…
Author: Nneka Njoku
The World Bank’s Transport Sector Board is updating its Strategy for the 2007-2015 period and plans to finalize the Strategy sometime in 2006. The purpose of the update is to articulate how the Bank’s approach to transport and development is evolving; to identify planned adjustments to priorities and approach; and to explain these adjustments to…
Organizations promoting bicycle use at the international level may have a new avenue to do so—through the liberalization of trade in bicycles, bicycle parts and components, and bicycle accessories that could result from the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) current negotiations on environmental goods and services. The mandate for these negotiations comes from the so-called Doha…
Christophe Tshego will get an AfricaBike. It won’t be as fancy as the Kona Smoke I gave him last November on my trip to Botswana, but it will be better suited to the dusty roads he’ll ride around his home in Bobonong. Tshego, a slim, soft-spoken man in his mid-30s, got the Smoke as a…
In 2000, at the UN Millennium Summit, governments committed themselves to cutting the number of people in poverty in half by 2015. This is to be achieved through eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with specific, measurable targets, all of them addressing poverty alleviation. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) do not include any specific goals or targets…
Before the trial, city newspapers had reported ever-increasing opposition to the program ranging from 60% to 80% of all citizens. One month into the trial, however, authorities claim to be pleased with the initial results. In the first week traffic was reduced by 25% to 30%, more than experts had predicted. At the same time,…
For a while, used cars were able to move over the borders into Iraq in an almost unrestricted fashion. One simply registered the vehicle (if at all) once it got to Baghdad. Unsure how long this would last, and with a significant amount of free cash in circulation, anyone who could obtain a car scrambled…
These mayors have added quality public spaces and green zones, increased recreation areas for young people, reduced traffic congestion and improved air quality – thereby upgrading the quality of urban life, and attracting business investors. These mayors recognize that by reducing greenhouse gases they can improve the daily lives of their residents and improve planetary…
Under the leadership of Seoul Mayor Myung Bak Lee, a four-mile elevated highway that once covered the Cheonggyecheon River in the city center was replaced with a riverfront park, high quality walkways, and public squares. Exclusive median bus lanes have been put on 36 miles of congested streets and the city government is now planning…