The article linked here describes the reform efforts of Enrique Pe�alosa, who became mayor of Bogot�, Columbia in 1998, and the dividends it has paid for the city. In short, Pe�alosa pursued an aggressive approach to transform the city by restricting cars and promoting transit, namely the Bus Rapid Transit system, TransMilenio. He also promoted the building of 70 miles of bike routes.
The result? TransMilenio turns a profit, and crime has been reduced. AND "The answers he came up with have reshaped Bogot�, home to 7 million people, into a city so easy to negotiate by public transportation that people actually voted in favor of outlawing cars in the city during rush hour by 2015."
I know that Minneapolis is a different city with a different climate and a more auto-based culture. Nonetheless, why are we moving in a direction that is being recognized as a failure by more and more people around the world?
While we debate the merits of the archaic approach of the 35W Access project, Pe�alosa is a visiting scholar at New York University, and Bogot� is becoming a model for cities around the world.
When people ask why the Bogot� model is not followed elsewhere, Pe�alosa is quoted as saying, "I tell them the only issue is a political one. They don't want to take space from cars and give it to buses, bicyclists, and pedestrians."
The link is a bit of a mess.
http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release.asp?objid=D1D1364B000000F45A8D3AEC BCA40A3D
As an alternative, use the search function at
http://www.enn.com/index.asp
Search �transmilenio.� This should give you a link to the story.
Russell Raczkowski
Bancroft
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