Safety first for Mexican cities

Reducing road fatalities and saving lives through sustainable transport

EMBARQ Mexico's traffic safety work makes bus rapid transit systems like Metrobús, pictured here, safer for urban residents. Photo by EMBARQ Mexico.

EMBARQ Mexico is working to improve traffic safety through sustainable urban transport and urban design. EMBARQ Mexico conducts road safety audits in housing developments as well as bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors in Mexico City—including Metrobús lines 2, 3 and 4. EMBARQ Mexico's recommendations have led to significant changes to infrastructure, urban design, and bus operation, all of which have positive impacts on traffic safety. To help scale up these efforts nationally, EMBARQ Mexico has also implemented “Safety First”, a comprehensive road safety management campaign for BRT systems. The Safety First program is sponsored by FedEx, and provides road safety training for bus drivers and traffic officers, as well as road safety audits and workshops for BRT corridors in cities throughout Mexico. The program has trained 100% of BRT drivers in Mexico City and Guadalajara, which serve a combined 1.1 million riders every day. The campaign's goal is to reduce traffic accidents by 30% on BRT corridors.