Political will can clear roadblocks: Enrique Penalosa

"Wide roads and flyovers cannot solve traffic problems. It needs political will to do so," said Enrique Penalosa, the man who is known as the father of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). He is credited with using the BRTS to solve the public transportation woes of the city of Bogota in Columbia.

Explaining why wider roads will not solve the traffic problem he said that such roads will lead to more cars and this will not end the traffic woes of any city in the world. "The government needs to take certain strict measures such as high fuel tax and special tax for cars," said Penalosa at a function organised by the Rotary Club of Ahmedabad Majesty on Sunday.

Penalosa also said that there must be separate lanes for buses and bicycles. "The roads should be distributed for buses, cycles, footpath and cars. There is no technique for such a distribution. It is a political decision to distribute the roads," he said.

Penalosa also said that the public transport should be the priority in a democratic country. "The BRT project in Jakarta, Indonesia failed because of lack of political will," he said. At present, there are nearly 14 bus stations on the seven kilometre long BRTS stretch from Akhabarnagar to Blind Peoples' Association.

This affects the speed of the buses, he said. Penalosa was of the opinion that the faster the buses the more economical the project will be. "So, Ahmedabad should create four-lane BRT corridor like Bogota and start express buses that stop only at one station after five, ten or even twenty bus stations," he said. Such express bus service will be faster and helpful for longer routes.

He said that the city is getting bigger by the day and with the rise in population the city will further extend its limits. "The horizontal development will lead to consumption of more energy and money for building infrastructure. The areas covered by the public transport facility should have higher density," he said.

The heritage structure and life in the walled city impressed the former mayor of Bogota. "Ahmedabad and Gujarat are full of life and dynamism," he said. The heritage of the city has great potential and the government should announce some scheme to finance restoration of the heritage properties in the city, said Penalosa.

He said that the centre of the city should also be the centre of cultural events and have best quality restaurant and wider pedestrian space to add to the beauty of the city. 
Penalosa was all praise for chief minister Narendra Modi's vision. The government of Gujarat has gifted Ahmedabad with two wonderful projects like the riverfront and Kankaria Lake, he said. "I would like to take the experience of River Front Project with me and share it with my friends in Bogota," he said.