Mayor Bloomberg Praises "Evolution" of Rio de Janeiro

This article was originally published in Portuguese on EMBARQ Brasil.

After coordinating the meeting of the C40 Climate Leadership Group and visiting the Morro da Babilônia favela, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg met officials at the Rio Operations Center on Tuesday afternoon. The city officials were led by Mayor Eduardo Paes and accompanied by EMBARQ Director Holger Dalkmann, EMBARQ Chief Operating Officer Clayton Lane, EMBARQ Brazil Director Luis Antonio Lindau, and World Resources Institute Media Director Michael Oko. Also present was Carlos Osorio, secretary general of the Organizing Committee for the 2016 Olympic Games.

The partnership between EMBARQ and the city of Rio de Janeiro has grown closer during the design phase of the new bus rapid transit system. With funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, EMBARQ Brazil provided technical assistance to the city through conducting road safety audits of the project.

Leaders talk in Rio de Janeiro's operations center.
Photo by EMBARQ Brazil

"Bloomberg Philanthropies has invested heavily in the BRT project in Rio de Janeiro, helping to improve road safety, reduce crashes and save lives. This was only possible through a partnership with EMBARQ," said Paes in front of journalists at the Operations Center.

"I was in Rio 20 years ago and I can see the differences, primarily in the actions of people. The city has evolved. I saw many smiles around here. I think the locals are following the right path toward sustainability," Bloomberg said.

Traffic Guidelines for Road Safety

Dalkmann, Lindau and Bloomberg with EMBARQ's new traffic safety guidelines.
Photo by EMBARQ Brazil.

EMBARQ, the sustainable transport center of the World Resources Institute (WRI), recently published a new guidebook, "Traffic Safety on Bus Corridors: Pilot Version - Road Test." Based on more than two years of research, the publication is part of Road Safety in 10 Countries (RS10) program, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.