Urban Transportation Solutions.

[RodalfoWalsh]

I'm full of unsolicited ideas about how to help fix the transportation disaster we live with daily.

The train thread got me writing a few down and I thought I'd take it to its own thread so other people can contribute.

These ideas aim to address the problems around Buenos Aires, not the whole country and to be realistic and achievable.

• Nationalize the urban and suburban colectivos. The current system is completely non functional and results in unnecessary overcrowding of the streets and underutilization of other methods of public transport. Some things that can be done following this move
  • Integration of fares. Lots of people avoid using multiple means of transportation since it implies pay more than a slower single colectivo
  • Removal of redundant colectivos. For example the 68. Once the connection between the H and D lines of the subway are complete there is absolutely no reason for these buses to continue to run. I'd also venture you could remove the 118 and 41 buses as well because of the following.
  • Realization that people can walk more than 2 blocks. Lets move bus stops a little farther apart. There is no reason that ever 2nd or 3rd block has a stop on it. This will increase the speed with which people move via colectivo and will also greatly reduce the negative effect that colectivos have on general traffic.
• New Highway: Raise the San Martin onto a viaduct for its entire length, that isn't actually my idea, it's something they're currently doing which I think is a great idea. My idea is that while they're at it they should build a 2 level viaduct which also could carry a highway from Av General Paz to Au. Illia. with exits at nazca, warnes, cordoba, and libertador. This would clear up some of the congestion around the panamericana and provide important connections for the west of the city
• Remove street parking in Once. Talk about no brainer. It's bad enough that people are constantly loading and unloading merchandise, why do we have to add to the problem.
• Buenos Aires - La Plata into the rio de la plata, underwater in a tunnel, over water on a bridge either way get it out of la boca. Connect Au 9 de Julio to Buenos Aires - La Plata in Dock Sud. This works on so many levels.
  • It revolutionizes the the downtown traffic situation by removing heavy transit from Huergo/Madero.
  • It would allow la boca to have a real estate resurgence with it's own beautiful view of sinking rust buckets. (Hey it works in puerto madero)
  • It could be connected to the Illia in Retiro and massively improve the connection between zona sur and zona norte
  • It could be multimodal, cargo trains running from the port around the city which would free up the right of way in Puerto Madero
• Connect the Belgranos. Using the right of way in Puerto Madero and La Boca, minimal expropriations would allow the connection of Retiro and Estacion Buenos Aires. This would do wonders for North - South connections including one long overdue, the..
• Train to EZE. This is a gaping hole in the transportation infrastructure of the city and the country. Assuming the previous suggestion is concreted an express train from EZE could run with stops in Puerto madero, Retiro, Aeroparque and Puente Savedraa, there by linking the international airport with a large number of international hotel chains, the downtown business district, the airport from which many international tourists will leave on connecting flights to other domestic destinations, the long distance bus terminal, the transportation hub of retiro, and the international ferry terminal.

And so much more... Unfortunately I don't rule the world and nobody cares about my ideas.

 

[mimyr]

I agree with a lot of the points, especially about nationalizing the bus lines, but your point about removing entire lines such as 68 and 41 isn't taking into account that those lines travel into areas that the subte doesn't reach. 41 for example goes all the way up through Munro, and a lot of people, myself included, rely on it for that. 68 goes all the way up to General Paz, 20 blocks away from Congreso de Tucuman.

The problem with anything requiring changes to the trains or new highways is that anything involving construction seems to turn into a disaster here. They've been working on a bus lane in Cabildo for I don't know how long now, and certain parts of that project have still barely even gotten started.

 

[RodalfoWalsh]

Here's one I had forgot. This is a lot more ambitious.

Av. Dr Honorario Pueyrredon used to be the location of a train which connected Caballito and Chacarita. Lets bring it back, let the sarmiento come from moreno and head north from caballito to the tracks of the San Martin, they're both the same gauge. This would let people from the western suburbs take a train directly to Retiro, Chacarita, or Palermo and a trip that today involves several subway combinations could be reduced to a single trip. Most people riding the sarmiento aren't heading to once, it is a transportation hub that is very inconveniently located.

 

[RodalfoWalsh]

I agree with a lot of the points, especially about nationalizing the bus lines, but your point about removing entire lines such as 68 and 41 isn't taking into account that those lines travel into areas that the subte doesn't reach. 41 for example goes all the way up through Munro, and a lot of people, myself included, rely on it for that. 68 goes all the way up to General Paz, 20 blocks away from Congreso de Tucuman.

The problem with anything requiring changes to the trains or new highways is that anything involving construction seems to turn into a disaster here. They've been working on a bus lane in Cabildo for I don't know how long now, and certain parts of that project have still barely even gotten started.

That is exactly what I'm talking about though. A bus like the 41 should leave from Congreso and there is no shortage of colectivos that travel between Congreso and General Paz. The short amount of time you save by not having to walk down into the subway is lost in traffic on cabildo / santa fe / pueyrredon. The inconvenience of making a connection for a few people seems small in comparison to the effect of removing all of those buses from some heavily transited arteries.

 

[estebandepraga]

I agree with many of the points esp. the integration of fares! But I doubt , being private companies, this will ever happen!
One thing which is excellent is "como llego" the page by the city of ba but I needed to go to Olivos yesterday starting in Capital and it stopped at the Grl Paz! Not much of a help!

 

[Chet]

Have you noticed how many people use canes or other walking aids? Reducing the number of stops would be punishment to partially disabled people all over the city.

 

[Flay]

I agree with nationalising the colectivos. The government is so proud of having nationalised Aerolineas, but surely urban transport should have been the priority. Working people use busses more than planes.

 

[scotttswan]

Express busses that stop at a limited number of stops on existing lines.

I.e. the express eze airport bus that stops once in each barrio on its way to the airport.

This will also fix and eliminate the huge lines for the ridiculous mini busses going in and out of the city each day.

 

[RodalfoWalsh]

Have you noticed how many people use canes or other walking aids? Reducing the number of stops would be punishment to partially disabled people all over the city.

Yes, a lot fewer than who don't and many of those who do don't take buses at all.

The number of people who currently take the bus who would stop taking it due to an added 2 blocks of distance is most likely a minuscule fraction of the population where as the benefit of reducing the frequency of stops would be nearly universal.

Also, in two months it will have been 70 years that Argentina has been driving on the drivers right side of the road, passing on the left. There needs to be a vigorous campaign to bring this habit to pedestrians. For example if there is a barrier dividing a staircase or hallway like this

We should hire some transit officers to stand near the top and yell "WALK ON YOUR RIGHT PELOTUDO" since apparently that is not self-evident.

Edit: In a similar vein we clearly need to purchase a large quantity of decals such as this one

 

[RodalfoWalsh]

Easy to use bicycle parking garages within 100m of the subte lines termini. Can be a pay service and doesn't necessarily need to cost the government any money, even if free it is not a costly service and would contribute to the use of bicis. Must have security and insurance and be open during the hours of the subway.