INSTITUTE FOR TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT POLICY

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: IN AFRICA, ITDP AFRICA CONTINUES TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE ADDIS ABABA TRANSPORT BUREAU (AATB) REGARDING THE DESIGN OF THE B6 BRT CORRIDOR. ITDP HAS PROVIDED FEEDBACK ON THE STATION LOCATIONS AND DESIGNS TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE SPACING AND STATION DESIGNS INCORPORATING PASSING LANES. IN OCTOBER 2024, ITDP, ALONG WITH CONSORTIUM PARTNERS LOGIT, DELIN, AND TRANSCONSULT, COMMENCED A PROJECT TO UNDERTAKE DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS, AND DETAILED DESIGN FOR THE KUMASI, GHANA BRT SYSTEM, WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE WORLD BANK. THE TEAM HAS SO FAR SUBMITTED THE PROJECT INCEPTION REPORT AND SURVEY METHODOLOGY REPORT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF URBAN ROADS. UNDER USAID'S PROGRAM FOR LOCAL AND URBAN SUSTAINABILITY (PLUS), ITDP IS UNDERTAKING A STUDY TO DEVELOP A GENDER-RESPONSIVE PUBLIC TRANSPORT INDUSTRY TRANSITION FOR THE DAR RAPID TRANSIT (DART) BRT SYSTEM PHASE 3. THE PROJECT AIMS TO IMPROVE SERVICE QUALITY AND SECURITY. IT ALSO AIMS TO ENHANCE OPERATOR BUSINESS PRACTICES AND ESTABLISH INCENTIVES TO SUPPORT HIRING, TRAINING, AND RETAINING WOMEN AT ALL LEVELS OF BUS OPERATIONS. ITDP HAS COMMENCED PROJECT ACTIVITIES, STARTING WITH STAKEHOLDER COORDINATION MEETINGS WITH DART AND THE LAND TRANSPORT REGULATORY AUTHORITY (LATRA), AS WELL AS PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION ON EXISTING OPERATIONS. ITDP AFRICA ALSO COMMENCED A PROJECT TO DEVELOP AN E-BUS FINANCING FRAMEWORK FOR ETHIOPIA WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CHILDREN'S INVESTMENT FUND FOUNDATION (CIFF). ITDP ISSUED A LETTER OF INTRODUCTION TO THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS (MOTL), WHO RESPONDED POSITIVELY TO WORKING WITH ITDP ON THE PROJECT. THE PROJECT AIMS TO ESTABLISH A NATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE ELECTRIFICATION AND FORMALIZATION OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES IN ADDIS ABABA AND THREE SECONDARY CITIES (POSSIBLY BAHIR DAR, DIRE DAWA, AND HAWASSA). TO DATE, THE TEAM HAS CONDUCTED THE INCEPTION MEETING WITH MOTL AND THE AATB. THE FOLLOWING STEPS WILL INCLUDE CONDUCTING PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION AND KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS TO INFORM PEOPLE ABOUT THE DESIGN OF THE FRAMEWORK.THE WORLD BANK APPOINTED ITDP AFRICA TO REVIEW THE DETAILED DESIGN OF THE BRT CORRIDOR IN ABIDJAN, COTE D'IVOIRE. THE YOPOUGON-BINGERVILLE BRT CORRIDOR IS INTEGRATED WITH A GRADE-SEPARATED HIGHWAY, WHICH HAS POSED SEVERAL CHALLENGES IN TERMS OF ACCESSIBILITY AND SAFETY. ITDP REVIEWED THE DESIGNS AND PROVIDED SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO STATIONS, INTERSECTION DESIGN, AND SERVICE INTEGRATION WITH OTHER MASS RAPID TRANSIT CORRIDORS, INCLUDING THE METRO LINE AND OTHER BRT CORRIDORS.IN CHINA, THE MODERNIZATION OF THE JINAN TROLLEYBUS PROJECT HAS BEEN COMPLETED, RESULTING IN A RESTRUCTURED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NETWORK, THE INTRODUCTION OF A TIERED BUS SYSTEM, STREAMLINED BUS ROUTES, AND ENHANCED INTEGRATION WITH THE METRO SYSTEM. FINANCED BY THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB), THE PROJECT INCLUDES SIX TROLLEYBUS LINES, 80 KM OF ON-ROAD BRT CORRIDORS, THE PROCUREMENT OF 661 BUS VEHICLES (210 TROLLEYBUSES, 451 ELECTRIC BUSES), THE CONSTRUCTION OF 16 BUS YARD STATIONS, AND 75.1 KM OF POWER SUPPLY FACILITIES. ACCORDING TO THE JINAN BUS COMPANY, THE PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO SAVE 41,200 TONS OF GHG EMISSIONS AND 17.9 TONS OF PM2.5 EMISSIONS PER YEAR. ITDP HAS BEEN A KEY PARTNER THROUGHOUT THIS WORK, PROVIDING TECHNICAL AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT SINCE 2017, INCLUDING BRT CORRIDOR SELECTION, MULTI-MODAL INTEGRATION, LEZ DESIGN, AND BUS LINE OPERATION. AT NEARLY USD $157 MILLION, TIANJIN COMPLETED ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT URBAN STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OF ITS KIND IN CHINA, WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE WORLD BANK. THE PROJECT RESULTED IN OVER 260,000 MORE DAILY TRIPS BY WALKING AND CYCLING, AND 175,750 MORE TRIPS BY METRO. THE PROJECT SUPPORTED UPGRADES AND IMPROVEMENTS TO 189 ROADS IN THE CITY'S URBAN CORE, TOTALING 132 KILOMETERS. UPGRADES INCLUDED RECONFIGURING EXISTING STREET LAYOUTS, REPAVING STREETS, AND INSTALLING BARRIERS TO SEPARATE NMT FROM VEHICLES. IN ADDITION, THE CITY IS UPDATING PEDESTRIAN CROSSING FACILITIES, SIGNAGE, BUS SHELTERS, AND JUNCTION CONNECTIONS. THE PROJECT ALSO IMPROVED AREAS AROUND 96 METRO STATIONS. ITDP PROVIDED SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT THROUGH PLANNING AND DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS. AS OF DECEMBER 2024, INDIA HAS DEPLOYED 9,500 ELECTRIC BUSES TO CITIES NATIONWIDE, FOLLOWING THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF A NEW FINANCING SCHEME IN 2023 TO FACILITATE THEIR DEPLOYMENT. ITDP WAS APPOINTED AS THE LEAD TECHNICAL PARTNER FOR IMPLEMENTING THE SCHEME BY THE ASSOCIATION FOR STATE ROAD TRANSPORT UNDERTAKINGS (ASRTU), THE LEAD AGENCY SUPPORTING CITIES. ITDP DEVELOPED THE "CARBON CREDIT GUIDEBOOK FOR STATE TRANSPORT UNDERTAKINGS (STUS) IN INDIA," A COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK FOR UNLOCKING CARBON FINANCING FOR E-BUS OPERATIONS, ENSURING THE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF THEIR E-BUS FLEETS. THIS INITIATIVE MARKS A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD FOR INDIA'S E-BUS SECTOR. ADDITIONALLY, THE NATIONAL MINISTRY OF HEAVY INDUSTRY HAS FORMED 11 TASK FORCES TO ACCELERATE TRANSPORT ELECTRIFICATION. AS PART OF THE TASK FORCE ON FREIGHT, ITDP WAS TASKED WITH DESIGNING CITY AND STATE-LEVEL INTERVENTIONS FOR FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION. IN BRAZIL, RIO DE JANEIRO MARKED A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE TOWARDS REDUCING EMISSIONS WITH AN ESSENTIAL EXTENSION OF ITS BRT SYSTEM. THE NEW TRANSBRASIL CORRIDOR ALONG AVENIDA BRASIL, ONE OF RIO DE JANEIRO'S MAIN THOROUGHFARES, WILL ENABLE 250,000 MORE PEOPLE TO RIDE SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT BY 2030. IT PASSES THROUGH 26 NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE CITY AND CONNECTS WITH MANY MUNICIPALITIES IN THE METROPOLITAN AREA. OVER THE LAST DECADE, ITDP BRAZIL HAS BEEN A STRONG ADVOCATE OF THE CORRIDOR, PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVED OPERATIONS AND INFRASTRUCTURE. ITDP BRAZIL HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN ADVANCING E-BUSES ACROSS BRAZIL, INCLUDING HELPING THE CITY OF RIO DE JANEIRO PARTICIPATE IN A GLOBAL INITIATIVE CALLED THE BREATHE CITIES INITIATIVE, WHICH SUPPORTS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF E-BUSES. ITDP IS SUPPORTING THE INITIATIVE BY PROVIDING THE TECHNICAL BASIS FOR THE INCLUSIVE ADVANCEMENT OF ELECTRIFICATION. THROUGH THIS WORK, RIO AIMS TO GRADUALLY INCREASE THE NUMBER OF ELECTRIC BUSES TO REACH ITS TARGET OF REPLACING 20% OF THE PUBLIC ROAD TRANSPORT FLEET WITH NON-EMITTING VEHICLES BY 2030. IN BELO HORIZONTE, ITDP SIGNED A NEW MOU WITH THE CITY TO SUPPORT E-BUS PROCUREMENT AS PART OF THE NATIONAL PAC PROGRAM. BELO HORIZONTE IS SEEKING 100 E-BUSES AND REQUESTED ITDP'S COLLABORATION TO DEFINE THE SERVICES TO BE PRIORITIZED, SECURE A HIGH-QUALITY OPERATIONAL PLAN, AND REVISE KEY DOCUMENTS ESSENTIAL FOR IMPLEMENTATION. SALVADOR WILL SOON ACQUIRE 100 E-BUSES THROUGH WORLD BANK FINANCING, AFTER SIGNING AN MOU WITH THE MUNICIPALITY TO STRENGTHEN COLLABORATION. ITDP WAS A KEY PART OF THE PLANNING PROCESS, PROVIDING COMPARISONS FOR OPERATIONS PERFORMANCE FOR ELECTRIC VERSUS DIESEL BUSES. IN INDIA, FOLLOWING THE RESOUNDING SUCCESS AND HIGH NATIONAL PARTICIPATION, THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT EXTENDED THE SMART CITIES MISSION AND THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (MOHUA)-LED TRANSPORT4ALL, CYCLES4CHANGE, AND STREETS FOR PEOPLE CHALLENGES UNTIL JUNE 2024, WHEN THE PROGRAMS CONCLUDED. ITDP HAS BEEN A LONG-TIME PARTNER OF THE INDIAN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH EVERY STEP OF THESE PROGRAMS TO PROMOTE ACTIVE MOBILITY, STREET IMPROVEMENTS, AND TRANSPORT INNOVATION THROUGH CAPACITY-BUILDING AND INVESTMENTS IN PILOT PROJECTS.AT THE SUB-NATIONAL LEVEL, THE INDIAN STATE OF TAMIL NADU'S GOVERNMENT RELEASED A REVISED ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) POLICY THAT INCLUDED REVISIONS BY ITDP, FOCUSING ON PRIVATE SECTOR AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT ELECTRIFICATION, AS WELL AS THE PROVISION OF CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE. THE UPDATED EV POLICY IS A PROMISING STEP BY TAMIL NADU TOWARDS ACCELERATING ELECTRIC MOBILITY IN THE REGION. IN ADDITION, FOLLOWING A SUCCESSFUL FIRST-EVER RESEARCH STUDY ON THE ELECTRIFICATION OF THE PRIVATE BUS SECTOR IN INDIA, ITDP HOSTED CAPACITY-BUILDING SESSIONS ON ELECTRIFICATION FOR PRIVATE BUS OPERATORS. THE FINDINGS FROM THE WORKSHOPS WERE SUBMITTED TO THE STATE AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENT, WHICH ADVOCATED FOR POLICY AND REGULATORY REFORMS TO SUPPORT PRIVATE SECTOR ELECTRIFICATION IN TAMIL NADU. WITH TAMIL NADU BOASTING ONE OF INDIA'S LARGEST PRIVATE BUS FLEETS, THIS INITIATIVE IS SIGNIFICANT. IN THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA, ITDP HAS ALSO BEEN A CRUCIAL KNOWLEDGE PARTNER, SUPPORTING THE STATE IN THE RECENT ROLLOUT OF 5,150 ELECTRIC BUSES AND PRESENTING THE LOCAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PROVIDER, PUNE MAHANAGAR PARIVAHAN MAHAMANDAL LIMITED (PMPML), WITH A REVISED ROADMAP FOR FLEET ELECTRIFICATION, DEMONSTRATING HOW TO MEET A 30% FLEET ELECTRIFICATION TARGET.

SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT: IN AFRICA, ITDP IS DEVELOPING A GLOBAL REPORT ON PATHWAYS TO LIVABLE CITIES IN THE REGION. THE PROJECT WILL DISCUSS THE NEED FOR INCREASED INVESTMENT IN NMT AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, AS WELL AS MEASURES TO FORMALIZE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICES AND LAND-USE TRANSPORTATION INTEGRATION. ITDP FURTHER INITIATED A PROJECT TO ENHANCE NON-MOTORIZED TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE IN NAIROBI, KENYA, FOCUSING ON IMPROVING URBAN MOBILITY FOR PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS, PARTICULARLY FOR VULNERABLE GROUPS SUCH AS WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. THE PROJECT INVOLVES COLLABORATION WITH KEY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO ADDRESS GAPS IN NMT DESIGN. IN KENYA, ITDP IS FURTHER SUPPORTING KENHA WITH THE DESIGN REVIEW FOR THE REGIONAL ROAD THAT PASSES THROUGH VARIOUS CITIES. THE REVIEW WILL INCLUDE AN ASSESSMENT OF THE STRETCHES THAT TRAVERSE URBAN AREAS TO INCORPORATE BEST PRACTICE STREET DESIGNS WITH SAFE CROSSINGS FOR PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS. ITDP IS SUPPORTING AN EVALUATION OF 37 KM OF STREETS IN DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA, FOCUSING ON SEVEN AREAS OF THE CITY. A WORKSHOP HELD ON AUGUST 22, 2024, GATHERED FEEDBACK ON FUTURE NMT IMPROVEMENTS AND DETAILED DESIGNS FOR CORRIDORS IN TEGETA AND SINZA. ITDP PROVIDED FEEDBACK ON DESIGNS RECEIVED FROM TARURA FOR THE DMDP 2 PROJECT, EMPHASIZING BEST PRACTICE STREET DESIGN ACROSS VARIOUS CORRIDORS. SINCE 2023, ITDP CHINA HAS BEEN DEEPLY INVOLVED AS AN EXTERNAL ADVISOR TO THE WORLD BANK-FINANCED HUBEI CITY CLUSTER DECARBONIZATION PROJECT, CHINA'S FIRST WORLD BANK-FUNDED PROGRAM FOR RESULTS (PFORR). THE PROJECT, A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING INVOLVING COORDINATION ACROSS 60 DEPARTMENTS, SPANS FIVE YEARS AND HAS A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF $435.6 MILLION, INCLUDING A $252.7 MILLION LOAN FROM THE WORLD BANK. UPON COMPLETION IN 2028, THE PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO REDUCE TRANSPORT EMISSIONS BY 500,000 TONS, INCREASE PUBLIC TRANSPORT USE BY 30%, AND HELP YICHANG ACHIEVE ITS CARBON REDUCTION GOALS, POSITIONING IT AS A PILOT FOR LOW-CARBON URBAN TRANSPORT. THROUGH OVER 70 ONLINE AND IN-PERSON MEETINGS, ITDP HAS SUPPORTED THE PREPARATORY WORK FOR THIS TRANSFORMATIVE PROGRAM, PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS AND GHG MODELING, WHICH HAVE RESULTED IN DETAILED PROJECT SCENARIOS AND PLANS FOR CITIES, INCLUDING YICHANG. THE PLANS PROVIDE A ROADMAP FOR POLICIES AND ACTIONS IN THE AREAS OF TRANSPORT DEMAND MANAGEMENT, TRANSPORT MODAL SHIFT, INCENTIVES FOR LOW-CARBON CHOICES, FINANCE SCHEMES, PARKING REFORM, AND LOW-EMISSION ZONES. WORLD BANK'S MANAGEMENT, THE YICHANG GOVERNMENT'S MANAGEMENT, AND THE YICHANG GOVERNMENT ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME A BENCHMARK FOR URBAN TRANSPORTATION DECARBONIZATION INITIATIVES IN CHINA. IN BRAZIL, THE RIO DE JANEIRO CITY COUNCIL HAS APPROVED A CITY MASTER PLAN THAT WILL GUIDE THE CITY'S DEVELOPMENT OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS, PROMOTING COMPACT URBAN DEVELOPMENT AROUND RIO'S MASS TRANSIT NETWORK, PARTICULARLY IN THE CITY CENTER AND THE NORTH ZONE. THE PLAN ESTABLISHED AN "URBAN STRUCTURING" MACROZONE, WHICH WILL PROMOTE COMPACT URBAN DEVELOPMENT AROUND RIO'S MASS TRANSIT NETWORK AND ABOLISH OR ENFORCE OFF-STREET PARKING MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS IN MOST PARTS OF THE CITY.WITH SUPPORT FROM ITDP MEXICO, THE MUNICIPAL PLANNING INSTITUTE OF THE MEXICAN CITY OF MORELIA (IMEPLAN) HAS PASSED ITS URBAN PLAN, WHICH INCLUDES THE ELIMINATION OF PARKING REQUIREMENTS IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT PLANS. THIS IS THE FIRST PARKING REFORM IN A METROPOLITAN AREA OF A CITY IN MEXICO, WHICH HAS A GROWING POPULATION OF OVER ONE MILLION AND SIGNIFICANT URBAN SPRAWL. FUNDING HAS BEEN SECURED FOR THE FIRST PHASE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MASSIVE OVERHAUL OF THE BUENAVISTA RAIL STATION IN MEXICO CITY, WHICH FOLLOWS ITDP'S TOD FRAMEWORK. THIS MARKS YEARS OF ADVOCACY AND TECHNICAL WORK, ACHIEVED BY ITDP DESPITE YEARS-LONG FUNDING CHALLENGES. ITDP'S EFFORTS INCLUDED A COMPLETE MASTER PLAN FOR DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION, WHICH WAS PRESENTED TO THE MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT. IN 2024, ITDP PUBLISHED AND PRESENTED THE PLAN AT CORE FORO URBANO 2024, MARKING THE OFFICIAL DELIVERY OF THE PROJECT TO PUBLIC AUTHORITIES. BUENAVISTA IS A VITAL RAIL STATION WITH TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL TO ANCHOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND SERVE AS A MODEL FOR TOD IN MEXICO.