Urban mobility is directly related to people's quality of life. Just imagine living in a city where moving around is easy, pleasant and at an affordable price. Everything is too beautiful to imagine.
But the reality is almost always different.
Most mayors find it very difficult to improve the situation of public transport and roads – which includes sidewalks, bike paths, vehicles, bus lanes, school transport and much more – because they don’t even know what “urban mobility” is. .
Professor at the University of Brasília (UnB) and doctor in territorial development policy, Joaquim Aragão suggests that, before defining the priorities of their administration, mayors observe some characteristics of their municipality – mainly in relation to the size and number of inhabitants.
“All city halls, regardless of the size of the municipality, need, first of all, to take into account good mobility conditions for pedestrians”, emphasizes Aragão when asked about what first steps the manager should take to improve people’s coming and going in your city.
“In municipalities in rural areas or with delimited urban perimeters, for example, many things can be solved with bicycles, walking or motorcycle taxis which, in addition to providing income for many people, are very relevant and used by the population – and, for this, they urgently need to be regularized even so that these professionals are trained, in order to provide a safe service”, explains the professor.
According to Aragão, in the case of rural municipalities, one of the major challenges for mayors is related to rural school transport, which moves students between home and school. Through a contractual adjustment and intelligent regulation, it is possible to allow contracted operators to circulate and extend the service to other citizens, while students are in class or have already returned to their homes.
“Our experience shows that school transport plays a very important role, which goes beyond just being school. But, to be well used, these vehicles must have guarantees regarding their maintenance, safety and regularity”, says the specialist, remembering that resources for this purpose can be obtained with the help of the National Fund for the Development of Education.
In the case of medium-sized cities, the concern goes beyond school transportation. According to Aragão, it is necessary to have a more adequate bus system. But, for that, it is necessary to have a contract that, in fact, seeks the best among the proposals presented. Especially in cases where the city hall does not have technicians to help control and verify the quality of the service.
“In this sense, it is very important that there is dialogue between the population, operator and public operator. These three parts have to talk, not just complain about each other. It is a consensual construction policy for the city”, argues Aragão.
Larger cities, on the other hand, need a system with more defined public planning, with heavier mass transport. Starting with exclusive BRT corridors (Bus Rapid Transit), until reaching systems on rail, necessary for cities with a population of over 2 million inhabitants.
“It is also important to look at other means of transport that are not motorized, such as bicycles, which play a very important role today. Other points to be considered are traffic and parking in central areas, so that cars do not park in such a way as to disturb circulation. There has to be a good policy so that there is really a good use of all this”.
The circulation of freight transport also has to be taken into account because it is very common for mayors to be concerned with public transport and end up forgetting the large vehicles that, in many cases, end up having to circulate on the small roads of the municipality. “Mayors need to be alert to prevent trucks and road trailers from circulating freely, disrupting traffic and damaging sidewalks and asphalt,” said Aragão.
One thing is consensus among the specialists consulted by the Brazil Agency: to make traffic flow, it is essential to have efficient public transport services and that they are prioritized over cars.
This is what the president of the National Association of Urban Transport Companies (NTU), Otávio Cunha, defends. “Dedicated lanes on the right side of the road is a cheap and efficient measure because many of the problems we currently have are related to the appreciation and priority given to individual transport over the last 25 years. We really need to prioritize the displacement of the bus”.
According to the entity, cars occupy 70% of road space and transport 25% of people, while buses occupy less than 10% and transport 40% of the population. “Even from the point of view of the democratization of urban space, it is fair to invest in public transport”, said the executive.
According to the superintendent of the National Association of Public Transport (ANTP), Luiz Carlos Néspoli, Brazil has evolved a lot in the implementation of exclusive lanes and BRT corridors, but their use is little compared to the potential that this modal has.
“A good measure [to illustrate its little use] is the number of kilometers with dedicated lanes, compared to the total number of kilometers of lanes served by buses. Today, the average in Brazil is only 4.4%. That is, for every 100 km of roads where buses circulate, only 4.4 km have priority”.
ANTP estimates that cities with more than 250,000 inhabitants still need around 9,000 km of priority roads, with 7,700 km of exclusive lanes on the right side of the road; 1,100 km of central avenue corridors; and 198 km of BRT, with more sophisticated corridors.
For ANTP, the integration of public transport is indispensable because it helps to rationalize transport networks, creating trunk lines (large corridors) that are fed by neighborhood lines, having the transfer terminals as the connection point. In Néspoli's evaluation, this is essential for cost reduction, as it prevents all lines from going to the central regions of the city, which involves higher expenses.
“Integration – both physical, via terminals, and tariff, via single tickets – creates greater possibility of using the transport system, making life easier for citizens. But you have to pay special attention because transfers have to be done in better physical conditions, with better terminals. And it has to be punctual, so that people don't wait too long to change vehicles”, he explains.
“According to the National Urban Mobility Policy [Law 12,587/12], these revenues may come from taxing the means of transport that generate the most negative impacts – and which cities need to discourage, such as the private car. Whether through the use of parking resources, the blue zone, or fees on transport through applications or on gasoline”, defends the researcher from Idec.
This fund, according to him, can be made up of other simpler sources, such as advertising on buses, bus stops and terminals. “In addition to tariffs, the funds can also help to develop and carry out works such as corridors, bicycle paths and the expansion of sidewalks”, he suggests.
NTU also defends the sharing of public transport with the whole of society. “After all, the benefit of its use is not restricted to the user. All economic activity can be streamlined in the city with good public transport. Industry, commerce, services, leisure can be streamlined thanks to easy, cheap and fast displacements”, said Cunha, president of the association that represents urban transport companies.
In response to a demand from the Brazil Agency, in which information was requested on the main support that the federal government can provide to future mayors in their mission to improve mobility in their cities, the Ministry of Regional Development highlighted the extension of the deadline for more than 1,800 municipalities to prepare their Urban Mobility Plans (PMU).
Cities with more than 250,000 inhabitants must prepare the document by April 12, 2022, while municipalities with a population of up to 250,000 people can complete production by April 12, 2023.
Cities that have not yet presented their plans may once again receive resources from the General Budget of the Union (OGU) destined for the sector until the deadline. The ministry adds that cities that do not meet these deadlines will only be able to request and receive federal funds destined for the sector if they are used for the elaboration of the PMU.
In order to support mayors in preparing this plan, the Ministry provides financial assistance to cities with populations of over 100,000 inhabitants, via the Avançar Cidades – Urban Mobility Program. As for municipalities with a population of less than 100,000 people, the department offers technical assistance based on two instruments: the Support System for the Development of Urban Mobility Plans and the Support Booklet for the Development of Urban Mobility Plans.
“After the conclusion of the draft of the plan, the proposal must be discussed with civil society, voted by the City Council and instituted as a plan by means of municipal law or decree”, informs the ministry.
Another possibility suggested by the ministry for obtaining resources is the presentation of proposals via parliamentary amendments, in budgetary action destined by the ministry to support the preparation of the PMU. “The requests occur within the scope of Program 2,219 – Urban Mobility, in action 15UE – Local Urban Mobility Plans”, informs the body.