Video: Learning to Walk in Arequipa, Peru

Mercaderes Street, Arequipa, Peru from EMBARQ Network on Vimeo.


Como la Ciudad de Arequipa resolvio muchos de los problemas que presenta Caracas, dandole prioridad al Peaton.

Sin embargo, el tema de la seguridad y control es clave. Asi como es le dan prioridad al peaton ante el trafico, tambien lo es ante los buhoneros, motorizados, etc.. Como es el caso de Sabana Grande por ejemplo.

Articulo: Folding Electric Bike Rental at Bus Stops to Make Ultimate Commute

Folding Electric Bike Rental at Bus Stops to Make Ultimate Commute
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 09.17.09
CARS & TRANSPORTATION
(http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/09/bus-stop-e-bike-share.php?dcitc=daily_nl)

BUZZ UP!




















Folding Electric Bikes + Bus Stops = Perfect Commute?
Every once in a while, you see a proposed design and think, "there's absolutely no reason this shouldn't already exist." This is one such design--folding bike rental hubs combined directly with bus stops for a comprehensive public transit system. The system would allow users to rent folding e-bikes from a modular hub attached to each bus stop. Pics and details on how the system would work after the jump.

According to Tuvie, the system would work as follows:

This concept comprises a foldable e-bike that can be rode from the home and deposited to modular mobile hub, and board a bus. Upon arrival at destination, another hub will be there to rent another bike through using the unique Oystercard which can be availed by leasing the service on a per trip or monthly basis.





















Folding Electric Bike Design
The E-bike has been designed with airless tires, robust tubular construction and shaft drive, ensuring durability, while the luminated front bar and dazzling graphics increase the visibility and safety for the rider. E-bikes have designed to be folded quickly and intuitively by the user and deposit it into the storage modules after arriving to a transit hub. RFID technology has been utilized to charge the users on their Oystercard according to the amount of E-bike rental time. When docked, E-bikes act as hub seating and get charged for the next renter.
Not so sure if the 'dazzling graphics' are necessary--and the folding bikes probably don't have to be e-bikes, either. But the proposed system may have a better chance of being feasible if they are, unfortunately.











The transit hubs are designed to be iconic and recognizable, like subway stops. The hubs would also provide a "real time transit schedule" that users can access to help plan their commutes. And the e-bikes are evidently charged on board the bus as it drives: "During the time passengers board on a bus, its ultracapacitors get charged until next stop via a small arm extended from the hub. The buses collect and disperse E-bikes according to demand." This makes it possible for both bike share and bus to be operated by a public authority.









From Tuvie:

The electrical modular buses aim to optimize the needs of next generation commuters by providing ultimate convenience for public transit.










It's a great concept--if there were a system to provide bikes (electric or not) to commuters at every bus stop, it'd make urban traveling much easier. And hopefully, more attractive an option.

Shweeb Promo Clip

You jump into an aerodynamic capsule and race like a bullet for three laps. With seven gears to play with it’s easy to get up to your top speed.

Velib

On July 15, 2007 Paris debuted the world's largest self-service "bicycle transit system" called Vélib outdoing previously designed bike share programs. Vélib is a balance of scale and functionality, clocking in with more than 20,000 bikes, and 1,451 docking stations, which are never more than 1,000 feet apart. As a result, Vélib is effectively a new form of public transportation that has generated more than 25 million new bicycle trips in its first year, 10% of which substitute former car trips.Today the program celebrates its first anniversary. And, throughout the year cities across the globe have kept a close eye on the progress of this environmentally-friendly public transportation mode. Overall, bike-share programs have proven to increase public transportation options at a relatively low cost to the city. Any registered user can "borrow" a bike from a station for a nominal fee and return it to any other station in the system. In Paris, Vélib has saved the city 10 million km in car trips, roughly equal to $10 million in savings. With 200,000 Parisians paying the city $50 each for an annual Velib pass, this has yielded an additional $10 million in revenues. Beyond economics, Paris has seen tremendous traffic calming and air quality benefits from this public bicycle system.Here in the States, a bike share program is about to kick off in Washington DC, and Chicago and San Francisco are in the process of implementation as well. Last week The New York City Department of Transportation announced its plans to examine the possibility of creating a bike share program. In April, I had the chance to visit Paris with Transportation Alternatives' Caroline Samponaro to learn about Vélib. Check out this video to get a picture of it yourself. Oh, and Happy Birthday Vélib!