Brazil wins the gold medal for gridlock

[M II A II R II K]

Brazil wins the gold medal in gridlock


April 7, 2012

By Vincent Bevins

Read More: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...,4157659.story

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Explosive growth has pulled 30 million Brazilians out of poverty in the last decade, propelling the nation to a position as the world's sixth-largest economy. Its up-and-coming global role will be highlighted when President Dilma Rousseff visits Washington this week. But the country's transportation network is woefully lacking. Now, with the World Cup looming and Brazil preparing to host the Summer Olympics only two years later, Rousseff has launched an effort to modernize it, selling off three major state-owned airports to private interests.

- Analysts say pitiful infrastructure is keeping Brazil from even faster growth and that action is needed on the country's other transportation bottlenecks. But even limited privatization is a hard sell to unions and other hard-core supporters of Rousseff's Workers' Party. It's unclear how much further Rousseff, a former leftist rebel, might go. "These are strategic national assets," said union leader Ubiraci Dantas de Oliveira. "And we have bad memories of previous privatizations." Demonstrators gathered in early February in front of the Sao Paulo stock exchange, waving red flags as the airport in the capital, Brasilia, and two Sao Paulo-area airports, Guarulhos and Viracopos, were auctioned off. South African, French and Argentine companies are paying $14.2 billion for them, much more than Brazil was seeking.

- By reaching out to the business community, Rousseff was using a strategy employed by her mentor and predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a former union organizer who combined pragmatic, business-friendly policies with the traditional social goals of the left. He finished his second term in 2010 with sky-high approval ratings. With Brazil expecting an influx of foreign visitors for the World Cup in two years, airports were the most pressing concern. Even after the airport auction, Jerome Valcke, general secretary of FIFA, the world soccer authority, caused a scandal in Brazil by saying the country needed a "kick up the backside" to prepare for 2014. Airport privatization "is a very big deal," said Tony Volpon, a New York-based economist for international bank Nomura Securities. "But the question is if this is a one-time thing, because of the World Cup, or if it is the beginning of a bigger movement that could be exported to other airports, roads and ports. Because there is so much that needs to be done."

- Brazil needs up to a trillion dollars in infrastructure investment to reduce its production costs and ensure sustainable growth, said Jerome Booth, head of research at Ashmore Investment Management in London. Signs of Brazil's infrastructure needs are everywhere. On the way to the beach for Carnaval in February, Sao Paulo drivers had time to get out of their cars to chat or buy snacks from vendors in the middle of the freeway. City residents often say they won't even try leaving town on a busy weekend because the traffic is just too bad. Farmers export more than $75 billion in commodities every year, much of it to Asia. But they say they could do even better — and the country would prosper even more — if it didn't take longer to transport their goods across Brazil than it does to get them from the port to China.

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[Trantor]

everything takes geological eras to be done in Brazil.

the section of the BR-116 road between Porto Alegre and Novo Hamburgo is the 2nd busiest single road in Brazil, with over 150 thousand cars daily. Its only FOUR fucking lanes (2 each direction) and obviously, daily traffic jams in the 40km drive.

they are building a metropolitan ring... the first part of it, the BR-448, with 6 lanes in total, which should divert traffic from Caxias do Sul (2nd biggest city in the state, about 134km from POA) and surrounding cities... taking at least 50 thousand cars and trucks OUT of the BR116.

but they started this 20km section of the metro ring over 5 years ago and almost NOTHING was done yet.

even worst is the duplication of the BR-101 road, the main connection between Porto Alegre and Florianópolis (capital of Santa Catarina state). They are doing it for like 10 years already, and while some parts were already duplicated (from single lane in each direction to dual lane each direction), there is still tons of work to do.

really, cars will be a thing of the past after we discover anti-gravity, and we will still be building these god damn roads...

usually when a road project is completed in Brazil, its already at least 10 years outdated.

[DocAwesome]

Tell this to the Rio Metro, which has had multiple giant, cavernous, technically difficult stations added to its lines in a few short years. I guess the Olympic motivation really kicked in there.

[M II A II R II K]

As Traffic Snarls Brazil's Cities, Officials Plan For More Cars


April 20, 2012

By Stephen Smith

Read More: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/3312...evelopment.htm

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Fed up with traffic, the city's wealthiest citizens have taken to the air, making São Paulo's helicopter fleet the largest in the world. But for Paulistas who can't launch themselves into the sky every morning, solutions on the ground are urgently needed.

- In addition to mass transit improvements, environmentalists and developers have suggested a decidedly less sexy goal: stop forcing builders to accomodate parking for cars that the city's roads can't handle. A few decades ago Brazil joined a number of developing nations in adopting American-style minimum parking requirements for new developments, even as these so-called "parking minimums" are falling out of favor in the U.S. While planners seek to make sure everyone who has a car has some place to park it, critics contend that rather than simply making room for those who will inevitably drive, the policies are actively encouraging motorization.

- While Brazilian cities have a reputation for auto orientation, Alejandra Devecchi, a project manager and environmental planner at global engineering and architecture firm AECOM, says that the vast majority of trips are not made with individual motor vehicles. In the greater São Paulo metropolitan region, home to 20 million people and the country's most extensive transit network, only 30 percent of all trips are made with private automobiles. And yet, Devecchi notes, "We can easily see that much of the public space is designed for automobiles, shifting costs to the general public," carless though the average Paulista may be.

- One of the reasons often given for Brazil's parking minimums is that unlike large cities in developed nations, the transit infrastructure in Brazilian cities leaves much to be desired. And while it's true that São Paulo lacks the transit capacity of, say, New York City, land use decisions still lag behind the transportation investments that are made. Malls adjacent to metro stations with as many floors of underground parking as above-ground floors of retail are not uncommon in São Paulo, and smaller cities aren't immune. The southern city of Curitiba, for example, was a pioneer in what is now known as "bus rapid transit," in which dedicated lanes and pre-boarding fare payment allow for faster speeds and more reliable service than buses in mixed traffic, but without the capital expensive of laying rail.

- There are, however, tentative signs that change may be coming. In a study completed in 2011 on the historical evolution of parking relative to building size in Brazil's largest city, Hamilton de França Leite, Jr. and his colleagues at the University of São Paulo found that the proportion of space dedicated to parking in residential buildings may have peaked around 2001, when for every two square meters of private apartment space built, one square meter of parking was included. The researchers found that the amount of parking fell slightly until the middle of the decade, but that after 2006, it resumed its upward trajectory. And while many planners and architects said they've seen no change, the mall developer said that for the first time in her 15 years building in the city, the Traffic Engineering Co. eased up on the original parking requirement. But when asked if she thought it was an enduring trend, she hedged, saying, "It's too soon to say that things are definitely changing."

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[UrbanImpact]

That is not a Brazilian city int he above picture..........maybe Chinese???

[Trantor]

Originally Posted by UrbanImpact

That is not a Brazilian city int he above picture..........maybe Chinese???

that one is chinese, but this one is from São Paulo


http://qualidadedevida-jim.blogspot....ongestion.html

[Swede]

uh... so in Brasil, cars entering the roundabout have right-of-way, not the ones exiting?

[min-chi-cbus]

Originally Posted by M II A II R II K

As Traffic Snarls Brazil's Cities, Officials Plan For More Cars


April 20, 2012

By Stephen Smith

Read More: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/3312...evelopment.htm

Interstingly to me, that pic demonstrates that round-abouts like these create jams ONLY coming in, but not going out (to the point where I can't figure out where all of those cars are trying to go)! I realize this may be common sense to most, or to people who live in cities with lots of roundabouts, but it makes me question their efficacy all of the sudden!

[Trantor]

Originally Posted by Swede

uh... so in Brasil, cars entering the roundabout have right-of-way, not the ones exiting?

I am not sure that can be considered a roundabout. Its just an avenues intersection with a small yard in the middle for the traffic lights. If it was a true roundabout, there would be no traffic lights.

either way, I am not sure I understand what you mean. In roundabouts, the preference is always from the cars coming from the left, not from cars entering or exiting the roundabout.

the problem below is that clearly traffic was slow and traffic lights closed WHILE cars were crossing. Those cars stopped blocking the path for cars in another direction. Instead of waiting and opening a path for cars from the 3rd direction, they tried to cross, but blocked cars for the 4th direction!!!

the only way to open space there, making a path for cars to pass and thus unblock one direction, which will in turn unblock the other direction, etc, would be for some KIND SOULS to turn right on the empty avenues, in a direction they do not want to go, and make a u-turn several blocks later.


as for the REAL roundabout in the article picture, its CHINESE, not brazilian.

[Trantor]

there are also in many brazilian cities ADAPTED ROUNDABOUTS (Rotatória Adaptada), which may have different rules (someone coming straight from a street may have preference over someone coming from the left or already inside the roundabout)

this news reportage about a rotatory in Campos Mourão (i think its a city in Paraná State) is funny... nobody knows if it IS a roundabout or nor, then a cop explains the drivers should NOT follow the rules of larger roundabouts. The urbanist from the city tells people should pay attention to the SINALIZATION, not to the shape of the crossing.

as you can see in the video (who is stopping to whom), despite the roundabout shape, one street has preference over the other.
• Video Link

[Swede]

Originally Posted by Trantor

either way, I am not sure I understand what you mean. In roundabouts, the preference is always from the cars coming from the left, not from cars entering or exiting the roundabout.

That's what I ment, the ones already in a roundabout have preference over those trying to enter it. Same way as here, but I've heard of parts of southern Europe were that isn't the case!

Originally Posted by Trantor

I am not sure that can be considered a roundabout. Its just an avenues intersection with a small yard in the middle for the traffic lights. If it was a true roundabout, there would be no traffic lights.

How could I NOT notice that? lights and a very square shape usually denotes it not being a roundabout

Originally Posted by Trantor

the problem below is that clearly traffic was slow and traffic lights closed WHILE cars were crossing. Those cars stopped blocking the path for cars in another direction. Instead of waiting and opening a path for cars from the 3rd direction, they tried to cross, but blocked cars for the 4th direction!!!

the only way to open space there, making a path for cars to pass and thus unblock one direction, which will in turn unblock the other direction, etc, would be for some KIND SOULS to turn right on the empty avenues, in a direction they do not want to go, and make a u-turn several blocks later.

Yeah, not that hard to figure out logically, but who's gonna make the first move? most cars are blocked from behind as well. My guess it was all sorted out when either a cop showed up or someone else stepped up and started giving orders.

[bunt_q]

Definitely a cultural thing. That just does not happen here, even when the traffic lights go out. Everybody waits their turn. Typically people don't stop in the intersection. But I guess if there's any one thing the U.S. should be quite good at (too good sometimes), it's traffic engineering...sigh...

Seriously though, there's no way to build yourself out of that. That photo there - that's a very large intersection. Engineered right, with people obeying laws, you could move a crap ton of cars through that intersection.

And that bus...oh the bus! He's blocking the entire road. Nobody will ever escape. People are probably still sitting there now!

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by min-chi-cbus

I realize this may be common sense to most, or to people who live in cities with lots of roundabouts, but it makes me question their efficacy all of the sudden!

Roudabouts are good at intersections that are heavy in turning movements (that might answer your question about where people are trying to go, assuming that intersection in the photo was engineered and not just there for looks or convenience). Roundabouts are peculiar beasts - they work very well, and oftentimes better than traffic signals, up to their capacity. And then they break down entirely, which you can see in the photo. The main reasons you don't see many in the U.S. (other than people just not liking/understanding them) is higher land needs, high traffic, and not a lot of turns (making signals a better choice). Also, when you have multiple signals in sequence - a full traffic network - throwing in a single roundabout does more harm than good.

That intersection above probably needs a grade separation, which I'm assuming they just don't want or can't afford. If not that, then it needs to be signalized (traffic capacity on the high end is better than for roundabouts, unless 25% of that traffic is turning - then they're just screwed). But that also assumes people would actually follow the traffic signal.

[Trantor]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Definitely a cultural thing. That just does not happen here, even when the traffic lights go out. Everybody waits their turn. Typically people don't stop in the intersection. But I guess if there's any one thing the U.S. should be quite good at (too good sometimes), it's traffic engineering...sigh...

Seriously though, there's no way to build yourself out of that. That photo there - that's a very large intersection. Engineered right, with people obeying laws, you could move a crap ton of cars through that intersection.

And that bus...oh the bus! He's blocking the entire road. Nobody will ever escape. People are probably still sitting there now!

if traffic is slow, you may ALREADY be through the intersection when the light turns yellow and then red.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

The main reasons you don't see many in the U.S. (other than people just not liking/understanding them) is higher land needs, high traffic, and not a lot of turns (making signals a better choice). Also, when you have multiple signals in sequence - a full traffic network - throwing in a single roundabout does more harm than good.

We had several in New Orleans that were later removed. Several still remain, but some bone-headed engineer decided to replace Desaix Circle (a 5-legged traffic circle) with a spaghetti-knot intersection.

Old Photo

Today

How do roundabouts handle special-event traffic? Is there a way for police to "take control" of a roundabout to help traffic move smoothly if one or two of the legs suddenly have an insane amount of traffic?

[Trantor]

you guys will like this video I found... also São Paulo and absolutely the SAME situation as the above photo (of São Paulo, not the photo of China)... until a cop comes to the rescue
• Video Link

[kwoldtimer]

That video makes me chuckle. Here in Panama City, the same thing happens whenever the traffic is heavy, except the chance that a cop would come along to help sort out the traffic is slim to nil. The drivers seem to delight in pulling into intersections knowing they will not get through, thereby blocking the cross traffic, which moves to fill in any gaps. If you try to leave a space so something can move, then some aggressive twat behind you blares on his horn and aggresively tries to get around you, usually by pulling out into the wrong side of the street, to fill the space, thereby ensuring that opposing traffic will be fully blocked. Meanwhile you get four, five or six cars abreast in two or three lanes, as the primal urge to move forward overtakes any form of rational behaviour. And, of course, nobody in the intersection can see the traffic lights so even if there is an opportunity to move, it has nothing to do with right of way. All good fun - I love to get in there blasting my horn and mixing it up like the natives! Eventually something seems to give and vehicles begin to move again, but it's like magic.