Investing in BRT systems
From a social, economic and health point of view, commuting for hours daily, from one’s house to one’s place of work, can be damaging. Long commutes waste time, man-hours; deprives commuters of time to relax, exercise, and to spend with family etc.
Researchers in Sweden have found out that the marriage of a spouse who commutes more than 45 minutes in a single direction is likely to be ruined. This does not mean that long commuting hours cause dysfunctional families, rather they are correlated. It’s no surprise that viewing centres and bars are springing up rapidly to cater for workers who hang-out waiting for the infamous Lagos traffic to ease.
Other research has also found that people who spend hours commuting are unhappy; suffer from neck and back pain, stressed and obese. In short, personal and social well being are the victims of long commutes.
Governor Babatunde Fashola in an interview with BusinessDay last year referring to the States’ new traffic laws, a complement to new infrastructure, called for Lagosians to change their lifestyle. Why do Lagosians suffer tortuous hours in traffic?
Blame it on the lack of electricity. Reliable supply of electricity is foreign to Nigerians; yet it was the defining technology of the 19th century. Electricity shaped the architecture of cities, electrifying street lights, trams, elevators etc before cars and trains took over the city landscape.
In sprawling, car-centric Lagos, time is lost either in the car or public transport. This loss is a persistent, invisible and unpriced daily burden affecting relationships, lifestyles and productivity.
Lagos, though small: 0.5 percent of Nigeria’s 924,000 sq. km, has the highest population density in the country; three times that of Anambra, the second most densely populated. According to Renaissance Capital (RenCap) “Lagos State’s population density is equivalent to that of the fifth most densely populated country in the world, and half that of Hong Kong (6,800 people per sq. km).”
In terms of rent, the biggest non-food expenditure in Nigeria, Lagosians spend the most: 20 percent of Nigeria’s expenditure. Lagosians spend heavily on fuel, a sign of high car density, population density and cost of transportation.
“Lagos State is by far Nigeria’s biggest spender on transport” RenCap says the megacity accounts for 25 percent of Nigeria’s total expenditure on transport, the busy ports of Lagos are, in part, responsible for this.
From cycling, walking to multi-modal public transportation, options are emerging on how to reduce transit time in cities. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems are known for combating congestion in sprawling car-centric cities. In China and Colombia, the Guangzhou and TransMilenio BRT carry more than 25,000 passengers per hour in a single direction.
A pioneer of BRT, Bogota’s system has 1,400 buses (as at Oct 2012), 11 lines, 115 stations allowing commuters enjoy speed similar to underground trains but a lower cost.
Hence we urge the Lagos State government and private investors to continue investing in BRT systems. The upfront cost of BRT is cheaper than light rail or metro system. And because BRT projects are public-private partnerships they are easier to construct and quicker to implement.
If strategically located, say, along a corridor where government is concentrating efforts e.g., Ikorodu, it can attract new investments, with returns on investments a 100 times more.
BRT systems stimulate development. Cash-strapped cities in the US and Europe are converting to BRT. In Cleveland, Ohio the $50 million spent on a BRT system generated $5.8 billion in new investments ($114.54 for every dollar invested in the BRT). New investment that provide jobs, revitalise the area.
Take the Guangzhou’s BRT. Along the corridor, close to commercial and residential areas, is bicycle sharing system which solves the “last mile” problems i.e., access to houses and offices located in congested areas. The bicycle sharing system has 113 stations, 5,000 bicycles used by 20,000 people daily.
Lagos has reaped some socioeconomic benefits from its BRT system. However, the system’s sustainability requires a maintenance mindset and culture; an opportunity to generate jobs. On this point, the deteriorating state of Lagos’ fleet of BRT buses is not encouraging at all.