News
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Metrobüs receives BRT standard silver rating, still eyes room for improvement
Istanbul's Metrobüs bus rapid transit (BRT) system serves 800,000 people daily and reduces time spent traveling by 52 minutes for the average rider. Photo by Adriana/Flickr.
In 2007, Istanbul added the Metrobüs bus rapid transit (BRT) system to its multimodal transport network. Initially stretching 18.2 km between the city’s Avcılar and Topkapı districts, the BRT corridor has since tripled in length to 52 km and today carries more than 800,000 passengers every day according to public transport operator IETT. Currently, Metrobüs is the most used BRT system in Europe and one of the fastest, with an operating speed of 35 km/h.
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FedEx and EMBARQ Mexico collaborate to provide safety training to BRT drivers
Through the Safety First project, FedEx and EMBARQ Mexico have trained all of Mexico City and Guadalajara's bus rapid transit (BRT) drivers in safe driving techniques. Photo by Taís Policanti/EMBARQ Mexico.
Mexico has the eighth highest rate of traffic crashes in the world, with more than 406,000 collisions resulting in 15,856 deaths and 350,000 hospitalizations each year.
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City leaders and cycling advocates highlight sustainable urban design strategies that improve cyclist safety and bring economic benefits
After two years in Porto Alegre and one year in Curitiba, Brazil, the World Bicycle Forum moved to Medellín, Colombia in 2015. Photo by Claudio Olivares Medina/Flickr.
Last week, over 4,000 people gathered for the fourth World Bicycle Forum, the largest global event focused exclusively on cycling mobility and activism. City leaders, NGOs, businesses, and engaged citizens met in Medellín, Colombia from February 26 to March 1 to discuss the challenges that cyclists face, solutions for building cycling culture, and how to make local economies more dynamic and cities more livable.
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EMBARQ India welcomes Bloomberg Philanthropies continued investment in global road safety
Road safety is a major challenge in Mumbai, one that Bloomberg Philanthropies' Global Road Safety Initiative looks to tackle. Photo by Benoit Colin/WRI.
On February 17, 2015, Michael R. Bloomberg, the 108th Mayor of New York City, met with Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of the Indian state of Maharashtra, and other senior ministers to formally announce that Bloomberg Philanthropies will invest in Mumbai—together with nine other world cities—to improve road safety.
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New publication provides recommendations for making Istanbul more bike-friendly
Istanbul is looking to expand its network of bike lanes and promote cycling to improve public health and well-being. Photo by EMBARQ Turkey.
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Renewed commitment increases focus on cities and urban areas
São Paulo, Brazil (pictured) is one of ten cities selected as part of the second phase of Bloomberg Philanthropies' Global Road Safety Initiative. Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ Brasil.
Today, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the five countries and ten cities that will be the focus of its Global Road Safety Initiative, which aims to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries worldwide. The program will invest $125 million over five years to implement national road safety legislation and city-level road safety interventions that save lives.
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New Safe Access Manual from EMBARQ India lays out clear guidelines for planning and designing better transit stations
Cycling accounts for as much as half of all trips in some Indian cities. Photo by Benoit Colin/EMBARQ.
Indian cities are often burdened with intense traffic congestion, poor air quality, and inequitable access to transport.
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Action this year on sustainable cities and transport will shape development and quality of life for decades, say experts
Over two days, the Transforming Transportation 2015 conference explored solutions for sustainable, people-oriented mobility in cities worldwide. Photo by Taís Policanti/EMBARQ Mexico.
2015 is a pivotal year for the global sustainable development agenda. For the first time, cities will be a focal point and sustainable transport features clearly among the solutions. Global agreements expected over the next 12 months will lock in the choices we have about how to live, learn, work, and play in our cities for decades.
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Culmination of two-year long project brings safer streets to five Turkish cities
EMBARQ Turkey's RSLab project focuses on blackspot management, targeted interventions at dangerous intersections and roadways that yield significant safety benefits for all road users. Photo by Quinn Dombrowski/Flickr.
More than 1.2 million people worldwide are killed in road traffic crashes every year, and an additional 20 to 50 million are injured. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), if urgent action is not taken, these figures will increase by about 65 percent over the next 20 years, making road traffic crashes the fifth-leading cause of death by 2030.
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Improved planning and design of bus priority systems can benefit 31 million people every day
The new Traffic Safety on Bus Priority Corridors report shows how safe, sustainable street design—like the pedestrian refuge island shown here in Juiz de Fora, Brazil—can sive lives on city streets. Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ Brasil.
Washington, DC (January 14, 2015)—One of the primary challenges associated with rapid global urbanization is how to ensure the safety of city streets. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 1.2 million people die on the world’s roads each year, and traffic crashes could become the fifth leading cause of death by 2030 without intervention.