City-Level Decoupling-Case Studies

CITY-LEVEL DECOUPLING: URBAN RESOURCE FLOWS AND THE GOVERNANCE OF INFRASTRUCTURE TRANSITIONS

was typified by congested roads and highways, high fuel consumption, polluted air from vehicle emissions, and an unreliable and inconvenient public transport system.

In response to what had been, until then, insurmountable challenges to the transportation system, the Lagos state government developed a Strategic Transport Master Plan in 2006 to address the multi-faceted problems with the transport system and provide Lagos megacity with an efficient public transportation system within two decades. In line with this plan, a feasibility study for an initial corridor of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system was commissioned in August 2006. The primary aim for the development of the Lagos BRT was to provide more transport choices for all users, with a focus on meeting the mobility needs of the urban poor. Specifically, Lagos BRT was developed to reduce traffic congestion and urban transportation–induced emissions whilst optimizing the usage of the current road network. It also aimed to help the poor by reducing their household expenditure on public transportation and time spent on the road. The Bus Rapid Transit system called ‘BRT-Lite' was implemented by the Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority (LAMATA), modifying the BRT model by making use of a dedicated lane to prevent interference from other motorists. The BRT-Lite runs along a major commuting route from Mile 12, in the northern axis of the city, through Ikorodu Road to Lagos Island, the largest commercial and business district in Lagos megacity. The design and implementation of BRT- Lite was promoted by study tours undertaken by key transport sector stakeholders to three Latin American countries in 2004 and 2006. This comprised LAMATA officials and representatives of the Lagos state branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria. Visits were made to the Curitiba Research and Urban Planning Consultancy in Brazil, Colombia’s Transmilenio BRT in Bogota, and Chile’s Transantiago. The tours were used to educate the team and build their support for a Nigerian BRT by exposing them to best practices in public transport. The 22 km of BRT lanes are designed with 65% being physically demarcated by 400 mm high kerbs, 20% separated by road markings from existing roads and 15% mixing with other traffic. The advantage of this approach is that new road construction for the exclusive use of BRT buses was not required. The carriageways' medians were narrowed instead to ensure that road widths remained, largely, unaltered. Huge savings on construction costs were therefore realized, and BRT-Lite was delivered at a total cost of US$1.7 million per km compared to an average of US$6 million per km for the better known premium BRT systems. Supporting infrastructure consists of a 3.3 metre BRT lane, three terminals, two bus garages, 26 bus shelters, and ten 100KVA generators to provide backup power for street lights. The construction of infrastructure commenced in February 2007 and became operational in March 2008 despite a break in construction work for four months due to the laying of gas pipes in the city. The BRT-Lite took only 15 months to complete from conception to implementation, setting an example for swift implementation of public transport systems to other cities. The financing of the scheme benefited from the provision of US$100 million credit granted by the World Bank to LAMATA to implement the Lagos Urban Transport Project. This was in addition to a US$35 million contribution made by the Lagos state government. The private sector participated through the financing of rolling stock for 100 high-capacity buses by Ecobank Plc .

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