[sustran] Fw: [cai-asia] Updates: Efforts to Promote Bus Rapid Transit and SUT in Metro Manila (Apr 2007)

[hfabian at adb.org]

Dear all,

Apologies for cross-posting but we thought that this update would also be
of interest to the group..

Please find below a short summary of efforts being undertaken to promote
BRT and SUT in Metro Manila...

Bert
___________

Since the first visit of Enrique Penalosa, former Mayor of Bogota,
Colombia, to the Philippines in December 2004, the Partnership for Clean
Air, CAI-Asia, the University of the Philippines - National Center for
Transportation Studies (NCTS), the United States Agency for International
Development, through its Energy and Clean Air Project,, and other
organizations have been trying to promote the Bus Rapid Transit System as a
viable alternative to the current public transportation system in Metro
Manila and help to drastically improve air quality.  CAI-Asia and the
Partnership for Clean Air in cooperation with other organizations have
dialogued with relevant government agencies, like DOTC including LTFRB,
NEDA, and the Metro Manila Council in order to promote BRT. A training
course on BRT has also been organized by CAI-Asia in November 2005 in
Antipolo with support from the GTZ - Sustainable Urban Transport Project
and the United Nations Centre for Regional Development.

In mid-2006, the USAID-Energy and Clean Air Project has agreed to support a
Pre-feasibility Study for a Bus Rapid Transit System in Greater Metro
Manila. In support of this study, the DOTC has formalized a Technical
Working Group to supervise and provide guidance to the conduct of the BRT
Pre-FS. The UP-NCTS has been contracted by ECAP to conduct the BRT Pre-FS
and they are now mid-way in its implementation. A stakeholder forum focused
on public transportation operators was recently held last 12 April in
UP-NCTS in order to know the sentiments and opinions of the operators in
coming up with a better public transportation system in Metro Manila.
Discussions focused on the need to have a stronger and unified
institutional support for the regulation of public transportation in Metro
Manila. The need to eradicate corrupt practices and the strict and
"unbiased" enforcement of the law were also cited several times by the
transport operators. The results of this stakeholder forum will be used by
the UP-NCTS in identifying the gaps in the institutional set-up and coming
up with recommendations on how the institutional setup in the current
system can be improved especially considering the introduction of a BRT
system in Metro Manila.

A mid-term report will be submitted by UP-NCTS to the USAID_ECAP and a TWG
meeting will be organized towards the end of this month to discuss the next
steps for the BRT Pre-FS. The TWG, however, is mainly a government-led
venue for policy discussion with a limited membership. We will in the
future update the members of this listserv on the conduct of the Pre-FS and
when a broader stakeholder dissemination workshop will be organized.

In parallel, NCTS has recently completed a Capacity-Building Program for
Mainstreaming Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) in Local and
Metropolitan Development for mid-management staff of LGUs in Metro Manila.
This was done through a series of inter-LGU consultation and strategic
planning meetings and capacity-building activities aimed at mainstreaming
EST objectives. A Declaration on promoting environmentally sustainable
transport was signed by participants and officials of the LGUs in Metro
Manila. The Declaration envisions Metro Manila to be well-coordinated and
systematic in urban development and management. It seeks for the
establishment of a pilot benchmarking and recognition system for best
practices in Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) policies and the
provision of technical assistance and technology transfer on EST
strategies.

The participating cities also developed action plans for promoting EST for
five city clusters in Metro Manila, namely Manila-Pasay and QC (MAPA-QC),
Makati-Taguig-Pateros (MATAPAT), Pasig-Mandaluyong-Marikina-San Juan
(PAMAMARISAN), Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela (CAMANAVA), and
Muntinlupa-Paranaque-Las Pinas (MUNTIPARLAS). Most of the action plans
placed a high priority in improving the public transportation system and
facilities, including Bus Rapid Transit systems, and promoting
non-motorized transportation.

This Capacity-Building Program was done through the Vice Mayor’s League of
the Philippines – NCR Chapter (VMLP-NCR), the UP National College of Public
Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG), the UP National Center for
Transportation Studies (UP-NCTS) in cooperation with the Metropolitan
Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA). More information is available on this link <
http://www.ncts.upd.edu.ph/CBP/EST-mainstream001.html#CBP>.

All in all, we hope that all these efforts contribute to the realization of
implementing a BRT system and a more sustainable urban transportation
system for Metro Manila.

__________

Best regards,

Bert

Herbert G. Fabian
Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities
Asian Development Bank, Manila
tel: + 63 2 632 4444 loc. 7666
fax: + 63 2 636 2381
e-mail: hfabian at adb.org
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia