Mayor of Guayaquil, Ecuador to Receive International Sustainable Transport Award Honored for Improving City's Quality of Life

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Walter Hook (212) 629-8001
Matt Sholler (646) 873-6004 (ITDP)
Sean Crowley (202) 572-3331, scrowley@environmentaldefense.org

(Washington, DC - January 22, 2007) – The Mayor of Guayaquil, Ecuador, Jaime Nebot, will be honored tonight with the 2007 Sustainable Transport Award for his leadership in dramatically enhancing Guayaquil’s quality of life through improvements to its mass transportation system and public spaces.

The award is part of the Transportation Research Board Annual Conference, which is expected to attract 10,000 transportation professionals from around the world, at the Marriott Wardman Park, Omni Shoreham, and Hilton Washington Hotels in Washington, DC, Jan. 21-25. The award and reception will be held tonight, 6:00pm to 7:30pm, in the Palladian Room of the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Learn more about the awards ceremony here and learn more about the conference here.

Each year, the Sustainable Transport Award is given to a city that provides an international example for enhancing the livability of its community by reducing transport emissions and accidents, increasing access for bicyclists and pedestrians, or improving the mobility of the poor.

“Mayor Nebot belongs to a new generation of bold mayors and governors around the world who are tackling seemingly intractable problems like traffic gridlock and air pollution – and winning,” said Walter Hook, executive director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP).

Until recently in Guayaquil, a city of 2.3 million, the quality of public services like transportation was at an all-time low. Traffic congestion and air pollution were ever-increasing problems as over 80% of the city’s residents made their trips in individual cars or 20-year old buses. In 2006, Mayor Nebot opened the first 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) of the Metrovia bus rapid transit (BRT) system, which provides cleaner, higher quality service that reduces trip times in key travel corridors.

At its current rate of growth, the BRT system is expected to expand to 45 kilometers (28 miles) serving almost 500,000 daily passengers by 2008. Equally as remarkable is Mr. Nebot’s success in integrating the private bus services into the Metrovia operating consortium while retiring over 500 of the fleet’s oldest and highest-polluting buses.

Also under Mr. Nebot’s leadership, previously deteriorated public spaces, including Guayaquil’s waterfront and Santa Ana district, were refurbished to encourage pedestrian use and form an important part of the city’s resurgence. In addition, the city celebrated its first Car-Free Sunday in September 2006, closing streets to traffic that allowed thousands of residents to enjoy the city by walking and riding bicycles.

“Since a majority of the world’s population now lives in cities, effective urban leadership is crucial to protecting public health and our planet’s environment,” said Michael Replogle, said Michael Replogle, Transportation Director of Environmental Defense and a former consultant for U.S. Federal Highway Administration. “Guayaquil and the other cities awarded with honors illuminate ways that cities can address some of the key local and global challenges facing human societies today.”

Cities that will receive Honorable Mention at the 2007 Award ceremony for their sustainable transport initiatives include:

Mexico City, Mexico – for introducing ultra-low sulfur diesel, for continued improvements in vehicle inspection and maintenance, and for the Metrobus BRT corridor

Pereira, Colombia – for opening a BRT system through its city center, the first city in Colombia to emulate the success of TransMilenio in Bogotá

Quito, Ecuador – for efforts to re-establish exclusive bus priority on its Trolebus BRT system, after initially re-opening lanes to cars and taxis

Jakarta, Indonesia – for extending its TransJakarta BRT system from one to three corridors in 2006, modernizing interchanges and improving corridor sidewalks

Beijing, China – for expanding its BRT system and overcoming some operational challenges, significantly increasing ridership

Hangzhou, China – for opening a near-BRT bus priority system complete with improved facilities for cyclists and pedestrians

Past Sustainable Transport Award recipients include Myung-Bak Lee, former Mayor of Seoul, Korea and Enrique Peñalosa, former Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia.

The award selection and ceremony are organized by ITDP, Environmental Defense, the US Transportation Research Board Committee on Transportation in Developing Countries, the regional Clean Air Initiatives for Asia, Latin America, and Africa; GTZ and the United Nations Centre for Regional Development.