Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Carlos Cordero, CICLORED

As the nation of Peru itself enjoyed a new democratic beginning, a new sustainable transport initiative dawned in Lima. The proposed "Public Transport Improvement Programme", was a US$ 9 million Global Environment Facility (GEF) initiative under the supervision of the World Bank. Unlike the GEF's previous emphasis on technology, the Lima project components looked to place the quality of transport service at the forefront.


Lima's transport future had not always looked so bright. Several decades of grandiose planning had produced little implementation and in some cases a few expensive mistakes. The city's unused "Tren Eléctrico" (Electric Train) stands as a testament of technology over common sense. An estimated $300 million was spent from 1986 through 1999 to build and equip the first 9.8 kilometres of a planned 41-kilometre system. High costs, poor location, and low passenger estimates meant that the project was stopped, but the continued maintenance of the mothballed system is still a costly burden.




In the 1990s, poor coordination between the local and national governments kept many plans from moving forward. At the same time, transport deregulation resulted in the public transport fleet increasing 350% from 10,500 vehicles in 1990 to over 46,000 by 1998. The "new" vehicles were hardly new with the average fleet age being 18 years for buses, 15 years for minibuses and 11 years for "Combis" (low-capacity buses). The taxi fleet also grew with over 100,000 units now plying their trade on Lima's streets. Additionally, the mass import of used vehicles, primarily from Europe and Japan, caused an explosion in the private vehicle fleet, along with the resulting levels of intense congestion and contamination.
The GEF project was the product of a wide base of cooperation of local and national groups. The Ministry of Transport, the municipalities of Lima and Callao, the Environmental Agency, multi-lateral organizations and local NGOs had all worked together in developing and promoting the project. These groups elected the National Environmental Fund (FONAM) to formally manage and direct the overall initiative.
The GEF awarded US$ 350,000 to Lima for the initial project development phase. FONAM expected to start execution of the full project in 2003, with a total contribution from the GEF envisioned to be US$ 9 million. Specifically, the project included the following components:
Study to determine how to scrap older buses, and the development of a revolving
fund for this purpose
Strategy to attract commuters back to public transit systems
Improvements in bicycle infrastructure (cycle ways, parking, etc.)
Development of a bicycle promotional campaign, including focus groups with
bicycle users and other residents
Re-activation of micro-credits for bicycle purchase
Improvements in pedestrian infrastructure, including landscaping to make
pedestrian areas more attractive
Institutional strengthening with national and local agencies and organizations.
Additionally, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) joined forces to finance a complementary Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in the city. Over 40 kilometres of exclusive bus ways were envisioned within a funding package of approximately US$ 120 million, with the World Bank, IDB and the municipality each contributing approximately US$ 40 million.
While these projects did not directly challenge the growing presence of private automobiles in Lima, they did include the key elements to lead to increased mobility and accessibility for the city's low-income majority. Perhaps most importantly the Lima GEF project initiated a participatory process in which the city's gravest problems of pollution, social exclusion and the lack of access to employment and services could be publicly addressed.

tags : transportation invesment Peru

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