Challenges for sustainable mobility in Quito

( Quito, December 17, 2009 ).- On December 17, Grupo Faro, CAF, and Ciclópolis , organization which promotes cycling, organized the event "Toward a sustainable mobility in Quito: lessons from the bicycle," which distributed a document with the results of a study on sustainable mobility in the city. The debate was intended to open a dialog between society and the public sector in a bid to strengthen non-motorized transport.

Since January this year, Grupo FARO, from its Environment and Society section with CAF support, has been executing the "REGREENING public policies" project to encourage citizen activities of observation, analysis and follow up of local environmental policies. In Quito, jointly with Ciclópolis , the focus is on understanding the challenges of sustainable mobility in the city.

The information for the study was collected during August and September at random on users of the Ciclopaseo and cycle routes with their opinions on mobility in the city. The presentation of the results, which were discussed during the event, is a contribution to the citizen debate on the need to promote alternative means of transport, and reflect on the design of a sustainable mobility policy for the city to improve environmental quality, increase social inclusion, and make the city more sustainable.

The Cyclopaseo is a recreational option of great importance used by 12,000 to 15,000 people every week which takes a large number of vehicles off the city's roads every Sunday. It also offers recreational options to the most numerous sector of the city: young people aged 15 to 29.

The main reasons why people do not use Ciclo-Q - permanent bicycle route covering all the city of Quito - are that they do not use bicycles as a means of transport (21.5%) and the route is not adapted to their needs (21.2%).

Among users of Ciclopaseo, 76.6% consider that mobility in Quito is a serious problem and that the most serious environmental problem is air pollution, followed by noise pollution, generated by the traffic.

Conclusions of the study

First, of the 15,000 people using Ciclopaseo, 9.4% (approximately 1,400) use the bicycle as means of transport, so the sustainable mobility policy has to incorporate their needs with respect to safety, lighting and signposting in order to increase the number of cyclists and improve orientation of the policy. Second, users of Ciclopaseo identify three main factors which could improve mobility in Quito: better quality public transport, policies which restrict demand for private transport, and promotion of alternative modes of transport, mainly the bicycle.

Third, the study found that a sustainable mobility policy involves challenges and responsibilities shared by the municipality and the public and private sectors which require not only physical works but also an integrated policy. The final conclusion is that the Metropolitan Mobility Master Plan should include incentives in its budget to encourage the use of alternative transport with educational communication campaigns.

GRUPO FARO Grupo Faro - Foundation for Progress on Reforms and Opportunities - is an independent non-party non-religious civil society organization (CSO), which uses research and analysis to support the active participation of civil society, the business sector and state institutions, in recommending, implementing and monitoring public local and national public policies with the objective of making the Ecuadorian Statea more efficient, equitable, inclusive and democratic. For more information visit the page: www.grupofaro.org