[sustran] Re: BRT in Africa (was 'This is what happens when "green (private) cars" are promoted in the North')

[Brendan Finn]

Dear Joachim, 

Thank you for opening a very interesting and timely question, and thanks
also to Colin for sharing the Lagos experience. I would like to add a
perspective which is complementary to the technical challenge, and would
be interested in the views of other Sustran readers.

In my opinion, there are three fundamental enablers for a BRT project (and
other forms of high quality bus scheme), and unfortunately they are
typically not adequately present in many sub-Saharan African cities. I
believe that the first one is the show-stopper - you don't have that, you
have nothing. 

1) An effective city or metropolitan area authority (ideally a
transportation authority) that can lead, plan, and deliver the
transportation project, provide governance for the functioning system, and
that can establish a sustainable business model for it. Such an authority
is present in Lagos, Johannesburg, and Cape Town, which have implemented
BRT, but is absent in very many other African cities.
2) An effective and enforceable regulatory framework that can authorise
and properly manage the permitted BRT/high quality bus services, while
preventing encroachment or disruption by other bus and paratransit
operators. Such regulatory and enforcement frameworks are absent or weak
in virtually all sub-Saharan cities
3) Competent bus operators who can deliver quality bus services and
manage/sustain a viable business. Paratransit is the dominant form of
urban transit in sub-Saharan African cities, and much of the urban big bus
operations that does exist is either fragmented or of low corporate
capacity. The operating capacity required for BRT (vehicles, systems and
corporate) can be developed, but requires either transformation of the
paratransit sector or deep restructuring of the big bus sector. It can be
done, but with much effort and a not-insignificant risk of failure or
excessive compromise.

In African cities, it is usually necessary to develop the framework as
part of the BRT project, in contrast to developed countries where a BRT
project is developed within an already-existing framework. This is, to put
it mildly, a significant additional burden, which is added to the
financial and political tab of the BRT project.


In the African context, these issues are unavoidably on the table and must
be addressed in order that a BRT project can be implemented.  This is
equally true whether we seek an 'African solution' or to import a South
American- or Asian-style solution. Nonetheless, the point is well taken
that an 'African solution' at the transport and technology levels should
stand a better chance of also finding an implementable African solution at
the institutional, regulatory and business levels.

All that said, there is no reason why BRT cannot be implemented in more
than the current three African cities which have already done so - even if
it is harder work. Lagos has shown us the 'no-frills' approach which has
been focussed, swift and effective. Johannesburg and Cape Town have shown
us the transformational model. Time will tell whether either or both of
these approaches is sustainable over the long-haul, including the vehicle
and system assets renewal cycles. Regardless of their degree of success, I
do expect to see other African models emerge.

With best wishes, 


Brendan.

p.s. "Necessity is the Mother of Invention". It is worth remembering that
many of the early BRT were implemented as creative solutions precisely
because those cities had lots of problems and very little money.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
Brendan Finn          e-mail : etts at indigo.ie          tel :
+353.87.2530286





On 08/11/2011 21:55, "Joachim Bergerhoff" <agimjo at gmail.com> wrote:

>Dear Colin, and all, you are very right to point to the regulatory and
>planning issues.  Congrats to Lagos for this success, which shows that
>things are possible.  My point is that there are several dozen other
>cities
>in Africa that don't have the same resources and market conditions as
>Lagos, but should also have BRT and who should be able to reengineer the
>concept, technical and regulatory, and make it meet their needs, too.
>Yours
>Joachim
>
>
>2011/11/8 Colin Brader <brader at itpworld.net>
>
>> Dear Joachim
>>
>> Can I suggest that you look at Lagos BRT-Lite. It is not a Curitiba copy
>> but is BRT - all be it 'Lite'. It is Lite in that it focusses upon
>> delivering key user needs only. It is BRT as it is planned as a system
>>and
>> includes institutional and regulatory reform to support its operation.
>>It
>> is also successful in that it carries almost 200,000 people per day
>>(along
>> a single line) and its users are much happier than they were
>>previously. It
>> was implemented, from conception to operation in 15 months and cost
>> significantly less than $2m per Km.
>>
>> Regards
>> Colin Brader
>> Managing Director
>> Integrated Transport Planning Ltd
>>
>> Cornwall Buildings
>> 45 Newhall Street
>> Birmingham
>> B3 3QR
>> www.itpworld.net
>>
>> Tel:       +44 (0)121 213 4728
>> Fax:      +44 ( 0)121 213 4793
>> Cell:      +44 (0)7771 707538
>> Skype: colin.brader
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Offices in Milton Keynes, Birmingham and Nottingham
>> Registered in England and Wales No: 3485430
>> Registered office: 50 North Thirteenth Street, Milton Keynes, MK9 3BP
>> VAT Number: 705011395
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: 
>>sustran-discuss-bounces+brader=itpworld.net at list.jca.apc.org[mailto:
>> sustran-discuss-bounces+brader=itpworld.net at list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf
>> Of Joachim Bergerhoff
>> Sent: 08 November 2011 10:17
>> To: eric britton; Todd EDELMAN
>> Cc: Amanda Ngabirano; Nite Tanzarn; Sustran List; tafmod-u tafmod;
>>UWABA;
>> Gatnet - Gender and Transport Community of Practice
>> Subject: [sustran] Re: This is what happens when "green (private) cars"
>> arepromoted in the North
>>
>> The synthesis is clear: it is good news that there is an African
>> competence in innovative vehicles.  It would be better if this
>>competence
>> was applied to sustainable transport systems, like BRT, for instance.
>>
>> Why are Africa's large cities not equipped with BRT ?  Because there are
>> no functional and inexpensive mass transit systems on the market.
>>African
>> public transport riders cannot afford an imported copy of Curitiba and
>>one
>> cannot do BRT without a thought through high capacity vehicle/station
>> system.  Hence, the real challenge and best news would / will be the
>> re-engineering of the BRT concept to meet the capacities and needs of
>>the
>> African manufacturing industry and mass urban transport market.  Anybody
>> working on this ?
>>
>> Joachim
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> 2011/11/8 eric britton <eric.britton at ecoplan.org>
>>
>> > _____________________________________________________
>> >
>> > World Streets
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I appreciate your point Todd, but I think a bit differently about
>>this.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > The path to sustainable transport and sustainable cities, passes by
>> > sustainable lives. Now what I like about this project is not that it
>> > is an EV and we all know of course by now that E-vehicles are more
>> > than a bit of hype when it comes to their claim as sustainable
>>transport.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > But what I like about their project is the fact that a group of young
>> > Ugandan students are putting their heads together to create something
>> > that is different and that is a great laboratory for learning and team
>> work.
>> > It's not a sustainability project per se, but that they can learn as a
>> > next step.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I see this as a step in a process and bravo to them (and to their
>> > wonderful University, Makerere, which thought all the turmoil's of
>> > these recent hard decades in Uganda has somehow endures when so much
>> else fails and suffers).
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Thanks for drawing this to our attention Todd.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Eric Britton
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > On Behalf Of Todd Edelman
>> > Sent: Monday, 07 November, 2011 21:55
>> > To: 'Sustran List'
>> > Subject: [sustran] This is what happens when "green (private) cars"
>> > are promoted in the North
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Uganda's First Electric Car Built by Makerere Students
>> >
>> > http://inhabitat.com/ugandas-first-electric-car-is-built-by-students/
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > A group of 25 Ugandan students from Makerere University's College of
>> >
>> > Engineering, Art and Design have built Uganda's first electric car,
>> > the
>> >
>> > Kiira EV. Initially designed in 2009, the fabricated car was taken for
>> > a
>> >
>> > public test drive last week. Most of the parts of the two-seater,
>> >
>> > including the core body and combustion system, were designed and built
>> >
>> > locally...
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Click on link for full story....
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> >
>> > Todd Edelman
>> >
>> > Green Idea Factory / SLOWFactory
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >    Eric Britton, Editor / Managing Director
>> >
>> >    <http://www.worldstreets.org/> World Streets /
>> > <http://www.newmobility.org/> New Mobility Partnerships  /
>> > <http://seminars.ecoplan.org/> Sustainability Seminar Series
>> >
>> >   8, rue Jospeh Bara   75006 Paris France
>> >
>> >   Tel. +331 7550 3788   |  editor at newmobility.org   |  Skype:
>> newmobility
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > P Avant d'imprimer, pensez à l'environnement
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --------------------------------------------------------
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>> >
>> > ================================================================
>> > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred,
>> > equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing
>> > countries (the 'Global South').
>> >
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>>
>> ================================================================
>> SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred,
>> equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries
>> (the 'Global South').
>>
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>SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred,
>equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries
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>