Institute for Transportation and Development Policy: Buenos Aires, Argentina Wins 2014 Sustainable Transport Award

Lanzhou, China; Indore, India; Suwon, South Korea Honorable Mentions

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The City of Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the 2014 winner of the 9^th annual Sustainable Transport Award. The City is receiving this international honor for their improvements to urban mobility, reduction of CO2 emissions, and improvement of safety for pedestrians and cyclists in the past year.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140115/DC46435-a)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140115/DC46435-b)

In 2013, Buenos Aires gave its 9^th de Julio avenue, the widest avenue in the world, an impressive transit makeover. The city replaced several of 9^th de Julio's more than 20 lanes of car traffic with bus-only lanes for a high-quality bus rapid transit (BRT) system. The BRT has 17 stations along the median, accommodating 11 bus lines and improving travel for 200,000 passengers per day. In addition, Buenos Aires opened a new 23-kilometer BRT corridor, Metrobus Sur, and has transformed dozens of blocks in the city center into an environment that encourages walking and cycling over driving, and promoting a culture that prioritizes people over cars. Click here for more info on Buenos Aires.

Established in 2005, the Sustainable Transport Award has been given annually to a city that has implemented innovative and sustainable transportation projects in the past year. These strategies must improve mobility for all residents, reduce transportation greenhouse and air pollution emissions, as well as improve safety and access for cyclists and pedestrians. Finalists are selected by an international committee of development experts and organizations working on sustainable transportation.

The Sustainable Transport Award will be presented to Guillermo Dietrich, Secretary of Transportation for the city of Buenos Aires, in an award ceremony at the Washington Hilton International Ballroom, hosted by Janette Sadik-Khan, former Transportation Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation.

"Buenos Aires took the world's widest avenue, with more than 20 lanes of car traffic, and transformed it into a world-class BRT corridor, cutting travel time in half for more than 200,000 commuters per day." said Walter Hook, Chief Executive Officer of ITDP. "The downtown area, known as the microcentro, is a completely new pedestrian experience. They city reconstructed the streetscape with seating, bollards, way finding, and redesigned intersections that give priority to the pedestrian. This sends a powerful message that this is a city for people, not just for cars."

The Sustainable Transport Award finalists and winner are chosen by a Committee that includes the most respected experts and organizations working internationally on sustainable transportation. The Committee includes:

• Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
• EMBARQ, The World Resources Institute Center for Sustainable Transport
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)
• Clean Air Asia
• Clean Air Institute
• United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD)
• Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)
• ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability

Other finalists are:

• Indore, India for the successful implementation of iBus, the second true BRT corridor in India. iBus has set a new standard for public transport in India, providing a safe, efficient and high quality bus system for 30,000 passengers per day.  The city was also fighting political pressure and an order of the High Court to open bus-only lanes to private car traffic. The honorable mention award will be accepted by Mr. Akash Tripathi, Collector for the City of Indore. Click here for more information on Indore.
• Suwon, South Korea for long term improvements to cycling and walking infrastructure following the the 2013 EcoMobility World Festival. These improvements include wider sidewalks, cycle lanes, and creation of five "pocket parks". The honorable mention will be accepted by Mr. Lee Jae-Joon, 2^nd Vice Mayor of Suwon. Click here for more information on Suwon.
• Lanzhou, China for the implementation of Asia's second highest capacity BRT system, as well as integration of Transit-oriented Development projects along the corridor. The honorable mention will be accepted by Wang Youping, Director of Project Management for the City of Lanzhou. Click here for more information on Lanzhou.

Past winners of the Sustainable Transport Award include: Mexico City, Mexico (2013) Medellin, Colombia and San Francisco, United States (2012); Guangzhou, China (2011); Ahmedabad, India (2010); New York City, USA (2009); London, UK (2008); Paris, France (2008); Guayaquil, Ecuador (2007); Seoul, South Korea (2006), and Bogota, Colombia (2005).

The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy is a global nonprofit that works with cities around the world to design, build and implement transportation solutions that cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce poverty, and improve the quality of urban life. www.itdp.org

EMBARQ catalyzes environmentally and financially sustainable transport solutions to improve quality of life in cities. www.embarq.org

SOURCE Institute for Transportation and Development Policy