Buenos Aires awarded for converting world’s widest avenue into first class BRT corridor
Argentinian capital given 2014 Sustainable Transport Award by ITDP for world-class BRT corridor that is reducing travel time by half for more than 200,000 commuters
The Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires, has won the 2014 Sustainable Transport Award, after making impressive improvements to transport efficiency and instituting pedestrian friendly policies.
The city was given the award by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) after giving 9 de Julio Avenue – the widest avenue in the world – a transit makeover. Some of its 20 car lanes have been converted into bus lanes and a high-quality bus rapid transit (BRT) system has been introduced.
A 23km BRT corridor, the Metrobus Sur, was also opened last year and has resulted in a significant increase in the number of commuters walking or cycling to work.
The award provides recognition for some innovative and landmark achievements and secretary of transport in Buenos Aires, Guillermo Dietrich, said: “The success of Buenos Aires proves that you can dream of a sustainable city.”
The ITDP's Chief Executive, Walter Hook, said: “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.”
Previous winners of the award include Mexico City, New York, Columbia and London. Finalists for the 2014 award included cities from India, China and South Korea.
