[sustran] Bus only lanes - Seoul-inspiring change

[Eric Britton]

Seoul-inspiring change

By MIKE KOREEN http://torontosun.com/News/World/2007/03/12/pf-3736397.html

Buses in Seoul now travel faster than cars thanks to an extensive network of
bus-only lanes.
It was Seoul's version of the Gardiner Expressway -- a bumper-to-bumper
elevated highway blocking the water.
For years, the South Korean capital deemed the Cheonggyecheon road a
necessary evil. That changed in 2003.
After 400 meetings with worried downtown business owners, Seoul send in the
wrecking ball. Four years later, the results are spectacular.
The Cheonggyecheon stream, previously invisible, is now a major attraction
and wildlife has returned. Almost 75,000 fewer cars travel in the area each
day thanks to major public transit improvements.
"What Seoul has been able to do has been nothing short of incredible," said
executive director Brian Shifman of Smart Commute North Toronto, Vaughan.
"It's absolutely astonishing."
With the population doubling to 10.4 million in 2003 (from 5.4 million in
1970) and the number of vehicles climbing 46 times in the same period, Seoul
was dealing with a transportation and environmental nightmare.
With its back against the wall, Seoul built an extensive network of bus-only
lanes, running through the middle of roads. Now buses often race past cars
at rush hour. The average bus speed has doubled to 20 km/h. Cars average 16
km/h downtown.
"We told them if you use public transit, you can keep your appointments ...
your life will improve," said Dr. Gyeng Chul Kim, of the Seoul Development
Institute's department of urban transit.
Seoul also reduced parking spaces downtown and has made Monday a transit
day, taking away even more spaces and raising parking rates.
A popular electronic debit device available as a card, necklace or bracelet,
which allows users to pay for subways and bus rides, is another effective
tool in taking people out of cars.
BY THE NUMBERS
A quick comparison of three subway transit systems:
LONDON
- Began operation: 1863
- System length: 408 km
- No. of lines: 12
- No. of stations: 275
- Daily ridership: 2.7 million
SEOUL
- Began operation: 1974
- System length: 490 km
- No. of lines: 8
- No. of stations: 112
- Daily ridership: 8 million
TORONTO
- Began operation: 1954
- System length: 68 km
- No. of lines: 4
- No. of stations: 69
- Daily ridership: 1.2 million
STAFF, Transport for London, Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corp., Toronto
Transit Commission

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