By Omar Jacob, Communications Officer, Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, Fortaleza
The latest investments made by the City of Fortaleza in areas such urban mobility, road safety and sustainability have gained prominence on the United Nations’ website. The publication says that Fortaleza has improved the traffic scenario with safe, sustainable and clean alternatives, as in the case of ‘Bicicletar,’ or shared bicycle system and ‘VAMO,’ a shared electric car fleet.
The UN news agency reports that by 2030, Fortaleza has committed to reducing the pollution emissions released by transport by 20 percent. It has also implemented a network of cycle lanes and cycle paths, that has grown by 204 percent in the last four years. The article also highlights the priority of public transportation, which already has 98 km of dedicated bus lanes, including a BRT corridor in operation. The Fortaleza initiatives were presented at the ‘Transforming Transportation’ event in Washington, DC promoted by the World Bank and World Resources Institute (WRI), two of the partners in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety.
“We are aiming to reshape our streets and avenues in a safer way, especially for the most vulnerable users. But we are also focusing on data analysis, and stronger law enforcement tied to mass media campaigns, so we can reduce fatalities and injuries caused by road crashes,” said Fortaleza Mayor Roberto Claudio. This week a new “Mini Bicicletar” project was launched – a shared bike system for children from three to 10 years, to help prepare new generations to be the guardians of Fortaleza city streets.
Fortaleza’s road safety policy is supported by the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) and Vital Strategies, and has already achieved a 35.7 percent reduction in road crash fatalities according to the latest Road Crashes Annual Report (2015). Other interventions on road design, such as lowered speed zones, raised crosswalks and curb extensions, coupled with strong enforcement and mass media campaigns, are also helping to reshape the way ‘Fortalezenses’ deal with road safety.