Bus rapid transit arrives in Barranquilla, Colombia: Understanding a changing landscape through residents' travel experiences

Palacios, Manuel Santana; Cochran, Abigail L.; Bell, Corwin; Jiménez, Ulises Hernández; Leshner, Eleanor; Morales, Francisco Trejo; Chatman, Daniel G.

doi:10.1016/j.tbs.2020.06.003

Cited by 14 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The first flooding incident occurring in Barranquilla was registered in 1916 [22]. However, it is in the period 2010-2011 that the area was impacted by the historically most severe natural event ever suffered ("La Niña") [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple Hazards and Governance Model in the Barranquilla Metropolitan Area, Colombia

et al. 2021

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The Barranquilla Metropolitan Area is exposed and often vulnerable to various natural and anthropogenic hazards. The paper’s main objective is to identify the level of understanding that local and regional institutions have of such a multi-hazard scenario, as well as the effectiveness of governance arrangements in minimizing impacts. Research employed a questionnaire applied to 115 stakeholders from government and a survey of 391 households from four communities in the study area. Four focus groups were held during the update of the Barranquilla Development Plan 2020–2023. The results allowed the identification of an updated set of hazards and the levels of government response capacity. The overall level of capacity and effectiveness of local government to respond to hazards was classified as regular. Seventy-seven percent of epistemic ‘experts considered that the institutions responsible for risk management did not undertake sufficient analysis for identifying and managing multiple hazards. Finally, the research team developed a new model of risk management.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple Hazards and Governance Model in the Barranquilla Metropolitan Area, Colombia

et al. 2021

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“…BRT roll-out in these cities has often been promoted as a means for restructuring pre-existing, largely privately-run, loosely regulated or unregulated, and inefficient shared "private transit" and "paratransit" services (Ardila-Gómez, 2008;Munoz & Paget-Seekins, 2016). Private transit services consist of mid-to large-size buses, often managed by private companies regulated by the state; paratransit is defined as a subset of private transit consisting of smaller vehicles that are typically more loosely regulated or illegal (Santana Palacios et al, 2020). Because private transit services operate in often-congested mixed-traffic lanes, the higher speeds enabled by BRT corridors may result in large travel time savings for commuters who switched to BRT services.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shorter commutes, but for whom? Comparing the distributional effects of Bus Rapid Transit on commute times in Cape Town, South Africa, and Barranquilla, Colombia

Palacios

Rayle²

2021

JTLU

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Bus rapid transit has become an increasingly popular investment in cities in the Global South, where policy discourse often positions BRT as a pro-poor investment. Planners usually expect BRT to reduce commute times in urban areas, particularly for economically disadvantaged populations, thus reducing mobility gaps between transit users across different socioeconomic population groups. Despite increased interest in BRT, there is surprisingly limited research testing these assumptions. Using data from a retrospective survey administered in Barranquilla, Colombia, and Cape Town, South Africa, we investigated whether BRT contributes to reducing commute time gaps between socioeconomic populations. Our comparative and distributional analyses indicate that, while BRT narrowed the gap in commute times in Cape Town, it did not contribute to closing the gap in Barranquilla. We argue that this contradiction may, in part, be explained by the degree to which BRT route configuration responded to the urban form and pre-BRT transit conditions in each city—two factors often overlooked in academic literature and discussions surrounding BRT planning. We close by providing policy recommendations that promote more equitable planning practices and recognize the links between transport and land uses in the Global South urban context.

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Big effort, little gain for users: lessons from the public transport system reform in Bogotá

2023

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Semi-regulated, privately-operated public transport (PT) systems are common in low and middle-income countries of the Global South. Several cities are now planning or implementing formalized schemes intended to improve quality of service, safety, security of PT services and to reduce negative externalities, with limited success. Bogotá, which embarked on a progressive citywide PT reform process starting in 2009, replicates the negative experience of other large cities introducing citywide transit reforms. The new formalized scheme was implemented gradually between 2012 and 2021. As a result two types of services coexisted in the city for nine years: semiformal and formalized services. This resembled a natural experiment that provided a unique situation to evaluate the restructuring reform in Bogotá from the user’s perspective. This study analyzes passenger satisfaction surveys for both systems by means of ordered Probit models and Importance-Performance Analysis. Despite the good intentions behind the formalization process, results show that users provide better ratings to the traditional semi-regulated services than the new formalized system, mainly because bus frequency and fares are worse and expected improvements in road safety, personal security and comfort have not been delivered. The reform in Bogotá allowed the city to have resilience during the pandemic, though; and provided a framework for inclusion of zero and low-emission buses. The analysis suggests some recommendations for the improvement of transit reform processes: putting the focus on service quality, as well as assigning sufficient funding and developing institutional capacities to undertake the required changes.

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Bus rapid transit arrives in Barranquilla, Colombia: Understanding a changing landscape through residents' travel experiences

Cited by 14 publications

References 15 publications

Multiple Hazards and Governance Model in the Barranquilla Metropolitan Area, Colombia

Multiple Hazards and Governance Model in the Barranquilla Metropolitan Area, Colombia

Shorter commutes, but for whom? Comparing the distributional effects of Bus Rapid Transit on commute times in Cape Town, South Africa, and Barranquilla, Colombia

Big effort, little gain for users: lessons from the public transport system reform in Bogotá

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