Around here, the euphoria for holding the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro is already great, after all, there are only a few days left for the opening. Fernanda already explained at the end of last year how the logistics of the games are structured from the point of view of the organization of the Rio 2016 committee, that is, how athletes, accredited journalists, sporting goods, Olympic village furniture and transmission equipment will be moved and stored/hosted in the city during the Olympic and Paralympic period. But fortunately, the Olympics are much more than the games themselves and the public sector also had to restructure the city's inefficient transport infrastructure in order to better serve visitors during the period of the games and also the local population.
The first major structural changes in city transport were the BRTs, express bus lanes. Today, with the exception of TransBrasil, still under construction, all projects are already delivered and operating. Working similarly to subways, these buses only stop at pre-established stations for passengers to board and disembark and have an exclusive lane for their operation, so as not to be stopped in traffic jams, which reduces the average and dispersion of travel time. . Today in Rio, large concentrations of population flows are already being connected by BRTs, such as Galeão airport, Barra, and a large part of the West zone.
Figure 1 – Map of the BRT corridors in Rio de Janeiro
Source: Disclosure
Another important change in the city's infrastructure is the VLTs, Light Rail Vehicles. The only difference to BRTs is that VLTs are slower rail locomotives instead of buses. Otherwise, they work the same way: they have a dedicated express lane and only stop at pre-established stations. This mode, however, is only being used in the city center and surroundings, a place with an intense flow of cars and pedestrians, in order to offer an alternative means of transport for small and medium local distances. However, places with large flows of movement are contemplated with access to the VLT, such as Santos Dumont airport, Central do Brasil and Novo Rio Bus Station.
Figure 2 – Map of VLT stations
Source: Disclosure
The most expensive and complex work in preparation for the games, subway line 4, is practically finished. Despite the short connection range (connects a part of the south zone to the beginning of Barra da Tijuca), this work is extremely important for the best flow between these regions, since the only form of transport between these two areas of the city was by road modal, on roads that are extremely trafficked for most of the day. Another feature of the subway is to provide greater integration between the two economic centers of the city through the subway network, the Center and the Barra, which, if on the one hand are not located geographically so far apart, on the other hand, the displacement time of one for the other was always extremely high.
Figure 3 - Map of subway line 4
Source: Disclosure
It is worth mentioning, however, that experts criticize the linear format of the city's subway structure. Line 4 becomes just a continuation of line 1, with no intersections and parallel integrations as in the reference subways of London or Paris, for example, which can generate an exaggerated flow and discomfort for passengers. In addition, the total cost of the work, closed at more than R$20 Bi, about 4 times more than budgeted, drew attention.
In addition to these works, some expressways were also inaugurated, such as the Rio 450 years tunnel and the Marcelo Alencar tunnel, both connecting the center to the port area, and the Joá highway, an expanded road between São Conrado and Barra. These two tunnels appear as express alternatives to the congested traffic in the center and surroundings and certainly reduce the travel time for those going from the center to the North Zone, Baixada Fluminense or Niterói.
Many question the priority given to these works, given the chaotic state of other basic areas of the city, such as health, education and public safety. But it is certain that all this restructuring of the city's transport infrastructure will be extremely important for better management of commuting flows of the population. Usually considered as one of the worst metropolises in the country to live in terms of average time spent between home and work, the city of Rio de Janeiro can use the Olympic Games as a milestone to position itself as a national reference for urban mobility.
And you who live elsewhere, which of these infrastructure works would make the most sense to implement in your city?
References
<http://www.metrolinha4.com.br/>
<http://www.brasil.gov.br/esporte/2016/05/duplicacao-do-elevado-de-joa-e-concluida-no-rio>
<http://www.rj.gov.br/web/imprensa/exibeconteudo?article-id=2349742>
