2007 Sustainable Transport Award (Institute for Transportation and Dev. Policy) January 22, 2007

Jaime Nebot, the Mayor of Guayaquil, Ecuador will be honored with the 2007 Sustainable Transport Award for his leadership in dramatically enhancing Guayaquil's livability through improvements to its mass transportation system and public spaces.

In Guayaquil, a city in which 84% of its 2.3 million residents had made trips using private cars or a 20 year-old fleet of buses, Mayor Nebot has opened the Metrovia bus rapid transit system to provide cleaner, higher quality service that reduces travel time in key corridors and that is expected to grow to serve almost half a million passengers daily by 2008. Under his leadership, previously deteriorated public spaces like Guayaquil's waterfront and the Santa Ana district were successfully pedestrianized and revitalized. In addition, Guayaquil 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.

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. The 2006 Sustainable Transport Award was given to Mayor Myung-Bak Lee of Seoul, Korea.

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

Mexico City – 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

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.

Seating for this event is limited.

Official Website: https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/ITDP-InstituteForTransport/OnlineRegistration.html