Post away folks! :colgate:


Link to Thread 2 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=589987&page=159) in the Archives. :okay:

World Bank to start feasibility study on proposed Cebu BRT
December 18, 2010, 6:39pm

CEBU CITY, Philippines (PNA) - World Bank (WB) consultants are ready to start the feasibility study on Cebu’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), but Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants to see the draft of the study’s details first.

Cebu City officials met with said WB consultants last week to discuss the details of the feasibility study for the BRT, the mass transport system that the City Government wants to implement.

The consultants are scheduled to conduct the feasibility before yearend.

Former City Councilor Nestor Archival attended the meeting with the WB consultants late last week. The Cebu City mayor had Rama designated the city’s official spokesperson for the project, after hiring him as a P1-a-year consultant.

Rama said he told the WB consultants to produce a draft of what the feasibility study shall cover for the City government to go over.

He will also ask Archival to study the draft so that the role of the city can be well-defined in implementing the BRT and progress implementation of the project is established.

“The connection should be clearly established,” said Rama. Once the feasibility study is completed, the city will determine possible funding sources and other concerns, he added.

Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete, the former city planning and development coordinator, did not attend the meeting with the WB consultants, but Rama said he constantly communicates with Villarete to discuss the BRT.

Rama said that Villarete may still be busy adjusting to his new job.

Earlier, former mayor and now Rep. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City, south district) criticized Rama’s decision to have Archival as head of the BRT project, but Rama justified his choice, saying the former councilor is capable of handling the task at hand.


http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/293587/world-bank-start-feasibility-study-proposed-cebu-brt

mukhang mauuna pang magawa ang Ayala BRT sa Makati kesa Cebu BRT ..

mukhang mauuna pang magawa ang Ayala BRT sa Makati kesa Cebu BRT ..

No way to compare a private-funded/managed project with a government project!

But sometimes government projects get the upperhand if the specific contractor is the same or private contractors opt to sign-up with private contracts leaving none to do the government projects. Permitting agencies can be advised to hold in abeyance all private-funded project permit applications in favor of the government's pet project. Been there, and it's kinda frustrating!

World Bank to start feasibility study on proposed Cebu BRT
December 18, 2010, 6:39pm


Former City Councilor Nestor Archival attended the meeting with the WB consultants late last week. The Cebu City mayor had Rama designated the city’s official spokesperson for the project, after hiring him as a P1-a-year consultant.


What the bloody hell does that mean????? He only earns one peso for his consulting services? :nuts:

What the bloody hell does that mean????? He only earns one peso for his consulting services? :nuts:

The term that I know of that describes that kind consultancy service is "gratis" or something to that effect. Engr. Nestor Archival is not the first to do this. If you remember the thing with CITOM at its infancy, Mr. Sammy Darza-Escano. I was told Mr. Darza was paid an annual salary of P1! If we could have lots of these kinds of persons in the country, the government could have foregone costs that could be used to build new school rooms instead!

^^ Unless of course, he earns his fee through some other means.... ;)

^^ Unless of course, he earns his fee through some other means.... ;)

I should know how a Carolinan is being brought up, Engr. Archival is a Carolinan! Besides, Engr. Archival is clean so far! Unless you have a more reliable info than mine, you can say "earning thru other means".

Amazing ain't it? When people give services pro bono the community, others are not comfy with them!

mukhang mauuna pang magawa ang Ayala BRT sa Makati kesa Cebu BRT ..

mas malawak ang sakop ng BRT cebu keysa BRT ayala.. oviously mas dapat planuhin yun diba? :)this is cebu's first mass transport system to compliment its rapid development(meaning,more people)., no need to compare mate!!!:)

I should know how a Carolinan is being brought up, Engr. Archival is a Carolinan! Besides, Engr. Archival is clean so far! Unless you have a more reliable info than mine, you can say "earning thru other means".

Amazing ain't it? When people give services pro bono the community, others are not comfy with them!

You can't blame peeps for being cynical. I don't know this guy, but I do find it strange that peeps would do pro bono when it comes to things like this. Especially when it comes to "studies" of transit systems, which in my experience, is really all talk and no action.

I'm no advocate of BRTs, I truly detest them, but unless Cebu gets a Curitiba style BRT system really soon since they are fairly easy to implement, all these "studies" are just hot air. Even in first world countries, "studies" have one purpose, which is to enrich these consulting firms but produce nothing unless some higher up politician feels implementing a nice transit system would win them votes.

I can telll you with absolute certainty a few SSCers here and there who religiously participate in the Transportation forums can probably produce better studies at their spare time....for free. If you know this engineer guy, perhaps you should suggest to him to drop by here. The knowledge and info that the forumers can provide him would be priceless.

You can't blame peeps for being cynical. I don't know this guy, but I do find it strange that peeps would do pro bono when it comes to things like this. Especially when it comes to "studies" of transit systems, which in my experience, is really all talk and no action.

we can't blame people to be cynical, especially in this day and age. but i
can assure you it is not strange at all for engr. archival to offer to help the
city government for P1 a year. he has just completed his three (3) terms
(9 years) as city councilor and chairman of the SP - environment committee
and he's one of the other past councilors who are helping the new adminis-
tration, in his case, as consultant for environmental management. it is just
incidental that he is assigned to the BRT program to monitor its progress
and represent the mayor in the discussions with the relevant agencies. i
used to do this but i was transferred to the airport last october. i person-
ally recommended engr. archival cause i believe in his sincerity and compe-
tence to take care of this project development.

I'm no advocate of BRTs, I truly detest them, but unless Cebu gets a Curitiba style BRT system really soon since they are fairly easy to implement, all these "studies" are just hot air. Even in first world countries, "studies" have one purpose, which is to enrich these consulting firms but produce nothing unless some higher up politician feels implementing a nice transit system would win them votes.

while we believe BRTs should be designed to fit the local situation and
needs and therefore should not be "imported" from other cities, focusing on
curitiba's RIT design remain a foremost consideration. former mayor, and
now congressman, tomas osmena, went out of his way in 1996 and went to
curitiba to see for himself and talked to jaime lerner himself how the RIT
was done, and he also visited bogota in 2009 to see the TransMilenio. the
former mayor of bogota, enrique penalosa, likewise visited cebu already,
twice already, to offer his suggestions on how this should be done. i can
assure you the pre-FS done by the world bank and PPIAF (Update: The (http://www.ppiaf.org/ppiaf/feature-story/update-progression-cebu-brt-project-and-its-impact-philippines)
Progression of the Cebu BRT Project and its Impact in the Philippines (http://www.ppiaf.org/ppiaf/feature-story/update-progression-cebu-brt-project-and-its-impact-philippines))
is not hot air.

I can telll you with absolute certainty a few SSCers here and there who religiously participate in the Transportation forums can probably produce better studies at their spare time....for free. If you know this engineer guy, perhaps you should suggest to him to drop by here. The knowledge and info that the forumers can provide him would be priceless.

i agree. maybe i'll suggest that to him, but he usually do not do forums.
but i am still deeply involved in the project development and we still keep
in touch, by mail and phone, daily in fact, so what we can discuss here
could still end up being considered. he's not doing the study - he's the
city government point-person for the project (vice me). the FS/prelim des.
which would be procured under CTF in the 1st quarter will be tendered out
to legitimate qualified consultants.

for more info on the cebu-BRT history and updates, please visit http://cebu-brt.com/forum ...

and for those who may have not known engr. nestor archival yet, please
take time to see the links below. he's really a good guy ... serious and
sincere for cebu city's development ... especially for the environment and
now for the BRT. we need to give him our full support.

How much does an Eco Friendly House Cost? (http://www.alternat1ve.com/biofuel/2008/07/14/how-much-does-an-eco-friendly-house-cost/)
http://www.alternat1ve.com/biofuel/2008/07/14/how-much-does-an-eco-friendly-house-cost/

The First Eco-House in Cebu (http://pinoygreenacademy.typepad.com/pinoy_green_academy/2010/01/the-first-ecohouse-in-cebu.html)
http://pinoygreenacademy.typepad.com/pinoy_green_academy/2010/01/the-first-ecohouse-in-cebu.html

Nestor D. Archival's Eco-House (http://www.houseclosetonature.com/)
http://www.houseclosetonature.com/

mukhang mauuna pang magawa ang Ayala BRT sa Makati kesa Cebu BRT ..

No way to compare a private-funded/managed project with a government project!

But sometimes government projects get the upperhand if the specific contractor is the same or private contractors opt to sign-up with private contracts leaving none to do the government projects. Permitting agencies can be advised to hold in abeyance all private-funded project permit applications in favor of the government's pet project. Been there, and it's kinda frustrating!


mas malawak ang sakop ng BRT cebu keysa BRT ayala.. oviously mas dapat planuhin yun diba? :)this is cebu's first mass transport system to compliment its rapid development(meaning,more people)., no need to compare mate!!!:)


Man who's comparing?? Sabi ko lang naman mukhang maauna pa ang Ayala BRT kesa Cebu BRT...hayz sabi na nga ba eh...:lol:

Man who's comparing?? Sabi ko lang naman mukhang maauna pa ang Ayala BRT kesa Cebu BRT...hayz sabi na nga ba eh...:lol:

You must damn the written language for that! Hahaha.
People will see what intentions will be after reading a post. You mentioned two BRT projects at different locations with different proponents; with two - you are comparing; with only one - it will be just describing!
BTW, it will always be proper to qualify one's posts like: "just asking", "I'm not comparing", "my own feeling", "I could be wrong", etc. etc.

IMO, its not about whose gonna have the FIRST BRT in the country. for Cebu, its about having her FIRST mass transport system that is urgently needed right now. who cares kung sino ang mauna basta sa Cebu ANG MAS MAGANDA!!!! :lol::D:nuts:

Haaay...alam ko na ito...:ohno: bago pa magsanga sanga ito at humaba dahil lang sa misintepreted post at ilang OC, mabuti itigil na... back to topic please.. ;)

OT: oo nga...kami rin! alam din namin ang mga taong katulad mo! ito ang bagay sa mga taong paki-alamero at descompiado! :bash::bash::bash::rofl::hilarious

:lol:

....kaya walang nanyayari sa atin dito ehh tayo tayo nag aaway let's support na alng both projects para mas ok hindi ba?

....kaya walang nanyayari sa atin dito ehh tayo tayo nag aaway let's support na alng both projects para mas ok hindi ba?

Rightly so!

We could feel it, even how subtle when some people seem to downplay efforts in the provinces! Some folks who frequent this section are hoping and praying this thing to prosper and be realized; then somebody comes along and pour cold water on the topic based on nothing. I'd give it to them one-liners if we cross-paths again, IMHO.

BTW, there's nothing wrong with giving negative comments but please give reasons to allow others to grab what the negative idea proposes. They could change the minds of the people who are pro BRT. Like I said in my previous posts, it's going to be great education!

^^Action speaks louder than words...... there will be no progress if we keep on murmuring negative ideas or throwing out dirts to each other. Kaya nga mg.tulungan nalang tayo sa pag.tataguyod na masaganang pilipinas or we should share our own positve visions for the common good of the people that will be benefited by everyone........ :)

....kaya walang nanyayari sa atin dito ehh tayo tayo nag aaway let's support na alng both projects para mas ok hindi ba?

^^Action speaks louder than words...... there will be no progress if we keep on murmuring negative ideas or throwing out dirts to each other. Kaya nga mg.tulungan nalang tayo sa pag.tataguyod na masaganang pilipinas or we should share our own positve visions for the common good of the people that will be benefited by everyone........ :)

Tama..di ko nga alam bakit biglang negative ang reaction ng ilang forumers dito dun sa sinabi ko na "mukhang mauuna pang magawa ang Ayala BRT sa Makati kesa Cebu BRT ..". Samantalang wala naman akong sinabi para maliitin ang isang project over the other. I really hope Cebu BRT's feasibility study be started as soon as posible, there's already a lot of time wasted in the very long debate between a number of Cebu's government official whether to go LRT or BRT.

Whichever comes first, it will be a welcome development considering that there will finally be a proof of concept. Perhaps the Ayala BRT will show the way on how a corporation can be established and how it should operate including a compensation system for drivers and other staff directly involved in operations. That should be an actual model to look at and evaluate, and perhaps apply later on to other BRT systems if indeed Ayala is able to implement this for the Fort ahead of Cebu. In the case of Cebu, it would be a test bed for rationalization of public transport services and public participation in a process where a BRT is to be established. Certain issues may have already been raised in the Pre-FS and the FS should be able to deal with other including technical elements.

^^The BRT in ayala is for only business purposes in which employees form big corporate companies easily access to one another w/o using regular buses, jeepneys or even walking far distance.... for Cebu its for the mass transportation ika nga.... from students, business employees regular passengers and so on so forth.... Cebu BRT is a project intended to cope up the growing developments of the metro cebu perhaps due to worsening traffic congestions all over the metro, so there no big difference between that. All of these projects are for the people:) ......

I've just watched Nat Geo: Megacities featuring Jakarta..medyo napagiiwanan na ata talaga tayo it features there version of their BRT ang ganda talaga

Philippines can still catch up in BRT system. Once Ayala BRT got build and turns to be successfull most likely more BRT will be built within Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao..

^^I think they should work on these as soon as possible because we are now behind by our asean competitors just like jakarta indonesia and bangkok thailand which has BRT now.....

We're not left behind. Even malaysia don't have. Penang, Malaysia's 2 biggest Metropolis still don't have. So with Cebu's BRT system be implemented, it will be the start of BRT mass transport systems specially in the provinces...:yes:

:)...Its not important whether they have it or not, the thing is we should implement these as soon as possible......:) kaya GOGOGO!!!!!

^^I think they should work on these as soon as possible because we are now behind by our asean competitors just like jakarta indonesia and bangkok thailand which has BRT now.....

:)...Its not important whether they have it or not, the thing is we should implement these as soon as possible......:) kaya GOGOGO!!!!!



:yes:

I've just watched Nat Geo: Megacities featuring Jakarta..medyo napagiiwanan na ata talaga tayo it features there version of their BRT ang ganda talaga

lets just be optimistic.,perhaps we are behind today but i believe, in due time,we shall regain our long lost glory and we shall excel above all just like the way china regained its glory despite being underestimated and its people oftentimes being discrimanated a long time ago!:lol:BOW:bowtie:
actually,i'm close to believing we are at the same faith with china!!LOL:nuts::lol:
OT nako?? hehehe!!!

^^you nailed it.

Rightly so!

We could feel it, even how subtle when some people seem to downplay efforts in the provinces! Some folks who frequent this section are hoping and praying this thing to prosper and be realized; then somebody comes along and pour cold water on the topic based on nothing. I'd give it to them one-liners if we cross-paths again, IMHO.

BTW, there's nothing wrong with giving negative comments but please give reasons to allow others to grab what the negative idea proposes. They could change the minds of the people who are pro BRT. Like I said in my previous posts, it's going to be great education!

TAAAAAMMMMMAAAAAA!!!!!!:okay::okay::okay:

make sure to provide sources to support ones claims because otherwise, it won't be considered as HARD FACT/EVIDENCE. with regards to Ayala BRT, pls provide us with information that indeed it would be implemented first than Cebu BRT! but unfortunately, the guy who said it doesn't have facts to support the claim. he should have at least cleared himself by stating he is only giving away his own perspective about it.

parang ang dating tuloy sa amin is: "asus, eto na naman ulit tayo, sila na lang parati ang una, una, una..gusto nila palagi sila ang magsilbing ROLE MODEL para sa buong bansa at tayo dito sunod-sunoran lang!" :puke:

just like what Swiper the fox always say: "Oh man!" :lol::lol::lol:

Tama..di ko nga alam bakit biglang negative ang reaction ng ilang forumers dito dun sa sinabi ko na "mukhang mauuna pang magawa ang Ayala BRT sa Makati kesa Cebu BRT ..". Samantalang wala naman akong sinabi para maliitin ang isang project over the other. I really hope Cebu BRT's feasibility study be started as soon as posible, there's already a lot of time wasted in the very long debate between a number of Cebu's government official whether to go LRT or BRT.

If you did some back reading on this thread, there were pros and cons who argued intensely. But they all tried to lay down their reasons to give justice to the opposing forumers! Yun lang yun. Mahirap po kasi yung mga one-liners eh! Tapos magrereklamo ka re negative reactions? Sa ganang akin lang, nangyayari po ang mga ganyan dahil kulang po yung nai-post mo! It could have been different if you qualified your post like: "yun ang nakita ko" or "sinimulan na sa kabila", atbp. Sana maliwanag na po sa inyo ang lahat.

lets just be optimistic.,perhaps we are behind today but i believe, in due time,we shall regain our long lost glory and we shall excel above all just like the way china regained its glory despite being underestimated and its people oftentimes being discrimanated a long time ago!:lol:BOW:bowtie:
actually,i'm close to believing we are at the same faith with china!!LOL:nuts::lol:
OT nako?? hehehe!!!

ang maka save nato is our educational system. not until we adopt a global standard of education that is k-12 basic education curriculum, we can never be at par with other developing countries. right now we are competing with third world countries not of asia but of africa. we really have a lot of catching up to do.

@jimPUNKZ nakakatuwa naman yang post mo..sana more people musta have sentiment like yours para talaga mag move forward na tayo... OT na naman

i like what this forumer in the toronto forums has to say about having LRTs (in the meantime) over more subways in that city, it went something like this: "it's like having a toyota until you can afford a benz"

that's how i see the Cebu BRT, the BRT is like having a toyota for the meantime, cheap and practical, until the time comes for us when we can afford a benz (subways)

i like what this forumer in the toronto forums has to say about having LRTs (in the meantime) over more subways in that city, it went something like this: "it's like having a toyota until you can afford a benz"

that's how i see the Cebu BRT, the BRT is like having a toyota for the meantime, cheap and practical, until the time comes for us when we can afford a benz (subways)

kinahanglan sab gyud lihokon sa cebu ang lrt/mrt/monorail/railway system to comlement its brt system. its not enough for all the cebuanos and its visitors to rely on one mode of transportation if ever jeepneys will be totally phased out. it has to be in the planning board already just like brt that until now is still in the feasibility studies while our traffic condition in metro cebu is getting worst.

time is flying away.. infrastractures in our country is really slow... but everything can change.. and everything is possible..

time is flying away.. infrastractures in our country is really slow... but everything can change.. and everything is possible..

Amen on that bro!
What's impossible has been done (given that we have the persistence to have them done).

Cebu railway office closed
Wednesday, January 5, 2011

CEBU CITY -- The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) suspended the operation of the Cebu Railway Project Office (CRPO), effective last December 31, 2010.

It instructed General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) to take custody of the equipment in the office, set up in 2009 in preparation for the construction of the Light Rail Transit (LRT).

"We would like to reiterate our verbal request to transfer the office equipment of the CRPO to MCIAA for storage purposes, as the latter's operation is suspended effective December 31, 2010," read the letter from Glicerio V. Sikat, DOTC undersecretary for rail transport and civil aviation.

The letter, dated December 22, was addressed to Villarete, who said that maybe the reason the CRPO equipment will be entrusted with MCIAA is that both the authority and the CRPO report to the same undersecretary in the DOTC.

The CRPO holds office in Crown Plaza at the North Reclamation Area, Cebu City.

The CRPO was established in 2009 by Guiling Maondiong, then DOTC undersecretary for railway and civil aviation, who conducted a public hearing in August 2009 on the railway project in Cebu as proposed by the AMA Group of Companies.

The railway project has drawn support from Representatives Eduardo Gullas (first district), Pablo Garcia (second district), Pablo John Garcia (third district) and Benhur Salimbangon (fourth district). It will serve Mandaue City, Cebu City and Talisay City, and will stretch from Talisay City to Dalaguete town in southern Cebu and from Mandaue City to Catmon in the north.

One incident that stood out in that hearing was when then-Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña (now congressman of Cebu City's south district) opposed the LRT project and called DOTC officials "lousy" urban planners.

Osmeña, together with Villarete who was then the Cebu City Planning and Development officer, is advocating for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) instead of a rail system.

Villarete said the DOTC discussed last month the BRT proposal with World Bank representatives, who committed to provide financial assistance for the feasibility study.

In the meantime, Villarete said he is proposing to the Korean International Cooperation Agency to consider providing funds for BRT-ready transport that will link the airport to the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

BRT-ready means the proper agency will acquire buses, which can be used in any route but will be compatible with the BRT system once the infrastructure is in place. (EOB/Sun.Star Cebu)

from Sun.Star Cebu Thursday, January 6, 2011 here (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/suspension-cebu-s-rail-office-temporary)

I respect the opinion of Congressman Osmeña because the BRT is also a good means of transport. It just so happens that in the World Bank study, the LRT/MRT appears to be the best, Mamondiong said.


Is this true?

Let's ask zid about it. I remember that there was no recent WB study for LRT. AMA only copied the one made in the 90's. The Pre-FS funded by the WB was for a BRT.

Let's ask zid about it. I remember that there was no recent WB study for LRT. AMA only copied the one made in the 90's. The Pre-FS funded by the WB was for a BRT.

true. so someone seems to be either mistaken or intentionally not telling the
truth, i just can't imagine which ...

Updates...MMDA seems to be tinkering with its own concept of a BRT but this time it will be along Commonwealth rather than C5. Meanwhile, the Davao sustainable transport study is heading into its final phase and the consultants are considering doing a scoping study for a BRT in Davao.

Updates...MMDA seems to be tinkering with its own concept of a BRT but this time it will be along Commonwealth rather than C5. Meanwhile, the Davao sustainable transport study is heading into its final phase and the consultants are considering doing a scoping study for a BRT in Davao.

which is probably the most feasible line in the first place! it was supposed
to be the no. contender during the pre-FS study but was stricken off the list
because that like is "reserved" for MRT 7. i hope this plan will push through
and mmda will not get into a head-on collision with dotc. which is also what
i think is the foremost obstacle to this plan - the institutional issues bet-
ween dotc and mmda.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a proof of concept line along Commonwealth considering it will take time before MRT7 is constructed and fully operational (if ever)? DOTC and MMDA should put their heads together and perhaps already meet with bus companies to organize them into at least simulating a BRT if the real one cannot be realized immediately.

I found this on the internet, it contains initial plans for AYALA BRT just want to share:
www.baq2008.org/system/files/sw33_Tan+presentation.pdf

Although the plan presented in the document is somehow not updated it contains images on how AYALA BRT will look like.

Ayala sidewalk redevelopment is almost 50% done, if i remember it correctly as per AYALA CORP this is in preparation for the BRT Project. I hope they can start the BRT project along AYALA AVE this year. :banana:

Presentation by Buddy Tan, Ayala's transport guy. Marami pa yatang butas ang BRT nila. Among the issues to be resolved are traffic signals in Bonifacio. They are not yet optimized and should be to give priority to buses. One the Ayala side, they still have to coordinate with LTFRB regarding their proposed route. I hope they have also discussed certain issues with both Makati and Taguig as recommended to them in a meeting at the ADB where Ayala tried to convince ADB to support the project.

anyway, just info in this thread, i am reposting my previous post at the cebu
infrastructure and urban planning thread, ... minus the highlights ...

THREE (3) BRT PROJECTS ARE PART OF THE DOTC INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM,
AND THE PNOY PPP LIST, FOR THE NEXT 5 YEARS

please see the DOTC website here (http://www.dotc.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=134&Itemid=72#road):

http://www.dotc.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=134&Itemid=72#road

Department of Transportation and Communication

Public-Private Partnership Projects

Road Transport

2. URBAN TRANSPORT PROGRAM FOR HIGHLY URBANIZED CITIES: BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM

Project Description

The proposed urban transport project is envisaged to focus on integrating transport systems to land use and street network to promote "walkable" cities and greater mobility, access and safety; introducint the BRT systen and expanding non-motorized transport to lessen vehicle emissions; and improving traffic management and enforcement. Key urban centers covered by the Program include: (1) Cebu City; (2) Metro Manila; and (3) Davao City.

Cost: TBD

Implementation Schedule: 2012-2016

Status:
- Feasibility studies will start by 1st quarter of 2011. Under the Clean Technology Fund grant World Bank-assisted FS will look for possible PPP arrangement in the development, operations and maintenance of the BRT system in Cebu city. USTDA assistane expected to support the conduct of FS for Manila BRT. ADB technical assitance for Pre-FS on BRT in Davao City will commence in November 2010.
- The introduction of BRT systems in Cebu City, Metro Manila and Davao City included in the Philppine: Country Implementation Plan, which was approved in December 2009 with funding support of $50 million from the World Bank.

Sponsoring Agency: DOTC

we need 100 brt buses for davao and cebu and 500 brt buses in c5 and soon c6, to ease our transport system...700 brt buses for the philippines...30 seconds interval in metro manila and 3 minutes in cebu and davao

c5 alone from bicutan to mindanao ave.(taguig,pateros,pasig,quezon city eastern part,marikina city) had almost 5 million residents that is equal to population of metro davao and metro cebu(2.2million and metro cebu 2.5 million) $160 million for brt buses cist around 10 million pesos each and another $160 million for terminalas,ticketing,communication and gps booths,engineering and mechanical dept,etc

$320 million(14.1 billion pesos) is needed...as of my idea....15 billion pesos sarado pati na tong sa mga city officials

ticket sales will reach 14 million pesos at 1 year time it will make 1.6 billion pesos income for operation plus 2 billion gov't subsidy direct to the investor. at 10 years time investors will get the right roi at 20 billion pesos at a net income of 500 million pesos per year...put money and money will put on you at profitable margin...at 3.333 percent rate interest per annum...plus the rental spaces and ads...wow,evereybody happy

well, thanks for your "idea(s)." those statistics need very thorough and com-
plex studies to arrive at a specific decision criteria with an acceptable level
of confidence for the government and the funding institutions to proceed, and
that's the reason why proper pre-feasibility studies, full-blown feasibility
studies, preliminary service plans and design, and detailed route planning
and engineering are conducted.

if there are completed studies with definite figures, please don't introduce
new estimates cause it will confuse the readers of the forum who are deli-
gently following this thread for updates. refer directly and quote from these
studies so that we will have uniformity of understanding.

for example, as far as the cebu brt is concerned, here are the headline sta-
tistics from the PPIAF/WB Pre-FS:


317,039 Passengers per day
190 Buses
411 Drivers
16km of segregated running lanes
$115mil capital cost
$7.2mil capital cost per km
$7.9mil direct operating cost per annum
$0.63 direct operating cost per vehicle km
$15.0mil revenue per annum (low case forecast)
2.45 Cost Benefit Ratio
9,655 tonnes of PM10 saving up to 2035
1.6mil tonnes of CO2 saving up to 2035

the other relevant information are available in the full report. the full-
blown FS/Prelim Design will be done by WB under the CTF (-TA) starting
first quarter this year.

with regards to the manila brt (EDSA-Binangonan route), please refer to
the pre-FS done by USAID-ECAP/CAI-Asia/NCTS sometime in 2008. there's
another one floated by MMDA, but that doesn't have a Pre-FS yet so that
would probably come at a later time, and if the institutional issues are
cleared. the third proposal (private, from the Ayala group) plans to connect
Fort Bonifacio to Makati, but is still under discussion as to its financing mix
(probable ADB participation) and have not been elevated to DOTC yet.

the davao BRT looks promising with ADB's sustainable transport program
almost completed and the Pre-FS soon to be started (DOTC officials and
consultants were in davao last week).

the thing is, we're beyond the perception/speculation stage so it would be
prudent to discuss the actual statistics and figures from the completed
studies rather than offer new figures which will try to complicate the SSCer's
understanding of the issues surrounding the upcoming projects. thank you.

^^only problem in cebu feasibility study is the low case forecast,the budget is really accurate including those for (lagay) authority,in binangonan-edsaply is put into trashed because the g-liner has 600 buses and rrcg has 300 buses also despite manila east road will be widened to 8-10 lanes,the ayala group started already the brt transport called the fort bus with 2 main route 1. to bonifacio global city 2. ayala route,there is also the citylink buses owned by andrew tan that runs the 3 integrated hub of AGI(eastwood-mckinley hill-resortsworld/newprot city-naiaa3) but they are lacking of buses,the route is on c5, the mmda plan now is c5 and c6 for future traffic decongestion within the aquino administration...

Wouldn't it be nice to have a proof of concept line along Commonwealth considering it will take time before MRT7 is constructed and fully operational (if ever)? DOTC and MMDA should put their heads together and perhaps already meet with bus companies to organize them into at least simulating a BRT if the real one cannot be realized immediately.

he he he, it would be "nice" but that proof of concept line would definitely
shake the feasibility of MRT7 itself, considering that it is asking a huge gua-
ranteed subsidy from national government and would send the proponent-
investor scampering to block it (the simulated BRT) at all costs. after all, if
you start floating the idea of the BRT there, then people would realize it is
really the better and more feasible and economical option than MRT7. that's
why they deleted that route from the Pre-FS in the first place, he he he.

^^only problem in cebu feasibility study is the low case forecast,the budget is really accurate including those for (lagay) authority,in binangonan-edsaply is put into trashed because the g-liner has 600 buses and rrcg has 300 buses also despite manila east road will be widened to 8-10 lanes,the ayala group started already the brt transport called the fort bus with 2 main route 1. to bonifacio global city 2. ayala route,there is also the citylink buses owned by andrew tan that runs the 3 integrated hub of AGI(eastwood-mckinley hill-resortsworld/newprot city-naiaa3) but they are lacking of buses,the route is on c5, the mmda plan now is c5 and c6 for future traffic decongestion within the aquino administration...

that is NOT a BRT, that's a bus line. The real Ayala BRT is the one presented
by Buddy Tan during the Better Air Quality (BAQ) conference in Bangkok in
November 2008, and which ADB assessed last year (where Lloyd Wright and
Colin Brader participated). that one has yet to be completed and presented
to DOTC. just be careful in labeling things as BRT when these are not, we
might end up like the "BRT" of former MMDA chief bayani fernando which
was criticized among urban transport planning circles.

panira lang yan sa commonwealth,in 3-4 years time may mrt 7 na,yung c5 plan na ang dapat unahin nila,maraming pasahero going to up,ateneo,psba,miriam and other universities from taguig to qc

look at the brt concept of ayala, it is a kinglong and mercedez buses

look at the brt concept of ayala, it is a kinglong and mercedez buses

it could be mercedez or volvo or any other bus for that matter, it doesn't
make it a BRT. the kind of bus is just one of the many characteristics of a
BRT system, and one of the less important one. maybe @olineil could fill
you in on what actually is the concept of BRT. or better still, talk to Buddy
Tan who is on top of the urban and transport planning of the Ayala Group -
he can explain to you that what they have now is NOT a BRT but a scheduled
bus shuttle service, and that their real BRT proposal is still undergoing the
financial assessment and due diligence for possible funding by ADB. there
are still NO BRT service in the philippines at this time. the Fort Bus is NOT
a BRT ... and nor was the former project of bayani fernando.

actually, this is the single biggest obstacle to BRT acceptance in countries
where no BRT is in existence. we try to explain the urban transport charac-
teristics of a BRT system, then people starts talking about other systems
which are NOT BRTs. this make people confused.

^^
right! let there be light! :D

I found this on the internet, it contains initial plans for AYALA BRT just want to share:
www.baq2008.org/system/files/sw33_Tan+presentation.pdf

Although the plan presented in the document is somehow not updated it contains images on how AYALA BRT will look like.

Ayala sidewalk redevelopment is almost 50% done, if i remember it correctly as per AYALA CORP this is in preparation for the BRT Project. I hope they can start the BRT project along AYALA AVE this year. :banana:

I like this plan!

The BRT connecting the Makati CBD to BGC is excellent, although of course Ayala is just thinking about themselves really when they designed this, but it should be a start if they could implement it since implementing a BRT along EDSA is really difficult politically because of all the transport groups.

I think they should extend the Makati Loop MRT spur line all the way to the PNR Buendia station for the benefit of those coming from the South, but anyway that should be a good topic in the MRT thread.

Anyway, the recent revocation of the bus franchise of Claire "Ride na po" Dela Fuente could possibly be a good strategy for reducing buses on EDSA in case they start fully implementing a BRT. Join a strike, and get your bus franchise revoked... permanently hehe.

it could be mercedez or volvo or any other bus for that matter, it doesn't
make it a BRT. the kind of bus is just one of the many characteristics of a
BRT system, and one of the less important one. maybe @olineil could fill
you in on what actually is the concept of BRT. or better still, talk to Buddy
Tan who is on top of the urban and transport planning of the Ayala Group -
he can explain to you that what they have now is NOT a BRT but a scheduled
bus shuttle service, and that their real BRT proposal is still undergoing the
financial assessment and due diligence for possible funding by ADB. there
are still NO BRT service in the philippines at this time. the Fort Bus is NOT
a BRT ... and nor was the former project of bayani fernando.

actually, this is the single biggest obstacle to BRT acceptance in countries
where no BRT is in existence. we try to explain the urban transport charac-
teristics of a BRT system, then people starts talking about other systems
which are NOT BRTs. this make people confused.

the brt concept are long 2-3 connected coach 18-meter buses with 3-4 doors buses,just the way you say, there was no brt system in the philippines up to this time,ayala's named their concept bus transport as brt, look at them, sounds like they fool commuters, the ayala's may be called their concept as bus concept rapid tranport (bcrt) not brt because they dont use the long brt buses and elevated concept terminal(door level of bus)...they mislead us with their ayala-the fort bus route and ayala-makati cbd brt buses...

it is simple to understand brt concept(the real one) but this misleading plan of influential businessman makes the brt as truly bus(one door bus), the ayala's named it brt that's why we call it brt...:banana::banana::banana::banana:

you can tinker around with the concept, and as you have mentioned, this is a
free and democratic country, with freedom of expression. but this is the BRT
thread and we aim to provide a venue for a better understanding of a fairly new
system (comparatively) and that's why the preference is to stick to the common
universally, internationally, and commonly-accepted idea of what a BRT is.

that's why we have international standards or BRT definition which everybody
in urban transport science circles agree to and abide with. you are certainly
welcome to create your own definition or quote/cite somebody else's one, but
we sincerely hope you can be prudent enough to help and not sow chaos in our
search for a better understanding of this urban transport solution that the DOTC
is implementing in manila, cebu, and davao.

these has been posted before, mostly by olineil and others, but let me repost
some of the links to the standard design guidebooks for BRT, from which we
can glean whether or not some particular systems are really BRTs or not. it's
a simple matter to assess a system with a given set of criteria and check
whether this conform to what is known as a BRT.

BRT Planning Guide - September 2007 (http://www.itdp.org/index.php/microsite/brt_planning_guide_in_english) --> http://www.itdp.org/index.php/microsite/brt_planning_guide_in_english

Developed through the support of

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Global Environment Facility (GEF) / United Nations Environment Programme
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH

Published by:
Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) ... http://www.itdp.org/
127 W. 26th Street, Suite 1002
New York, NY 10001 USA
alternate download site --> http://www.euromedina.org/bibliotheque_fichiers/Doc_BRT4.pdf

Characteristics of BUS RAPID TRANSIT for Decision-Making (http://www.nbrti.org/docs/pdf/Low%20Res%20CBRT%202009%20Update.pdf)
--> http://www.nbrti.org/docs/pdf/Low%20Res%20CBRT%202009%20Update.pdf
Project No. FTA-FL-26-7109.2009.1, February 2009

Disseminated by:
Federal Transit Administration
Department of Transportation
United States of America

Published by:
National BRT Institute (http://www.nbrti.org/)
The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) --> http://www.cutr.us/

Hige-resolution document maybe downloaded here --> http://www.nbrti.org/CBRT.html


in a nutshell, may i quote from the Characteristics of BUS RAPID TRANSIT for
Decision-Making, the following are the basic BRT elements:

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t63/pvillarete/BRT%20Images/CBRT2009-1.jpg
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t63/pvillarete/BRT%20Images/CBRT2009-2.jpg
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t63/pvillarete/BRT%20Images/CBRT2009-3.jpg

yung point ko ay ang brt sa atin ay hindi brt concept just like from u.s. and europe, yung brt natin ay buses na regular, dun ka magreklamo sa mga ayala's na nagsasabi na brt transport daw yung ginagawa nila...

even if you explain a lot, many people knows the brt buses, brt buses are different from regular buses,ok, that's it....look at jakarta's and guangzhou brt, a regular buses ply, thats why ayala's called their transport system as brt...

it could be mercedez or volvo or any other bus for that matter, it doesn't
make it a BRT. the kind of bus is just one of the many characteristics of a
BRT system, and one of the less important one. maybe @olineil could fill
you in on what actually is the concept of BRT. or better still, talk to Buddy
Tan who is on top of the urban and transport planning of the Ayala Group -
he can explain to you that what they have now is NOT a BRT but a scheduled
bus shuttle service, and that their real BRT proposal is still undergoing the
financial assessment and due diligence for possible funding by ADB. there
are still NO BRT service in the philippines at this time. the Fort Bus is NOT
a BRT ... and nor was the former project of bayani fernando.

actually, this is the single biggest obstacle to BRT acceptance in countries
where no BRT is in existence. we try to explain the urban transport charac-
teristics of a BRT system, then people starts talking about other systems
which are NOT BRTs. this make people confused.

bago pa ang ppp at bot project ng ayala, may brt na daw sila kaya yun ay tumatak sa tao na brt ang gamit nila,yung sample nila ay mercedes benz 2 doors na parang train ang loob,katulad ng sa jakarta at guangzhou mga normal bus ang gamit nila,may proper dispatching at time table kung ilang minutes ang interval ng bawat bus, even in seoul =,korea brt ang tawag nila at yung mga station sa seoul ay parang sa edsa lang na ginawa ni bayani, that's why ayala before called their transport buses as brt...:banana::banana::banana::banana:

yung point ko ay ang brt sa atin ay hindi brt concept just like from u.s. and europe, yung brt natin ay buses na regular, dun ka magreklamo sa mga ayala's na nagsasabi na brt transport daw yung ginagawa nila...

why will i complain to them eh they are not posting in this thread? you are! i
gather from your post that you actually know the difference, so why keep
calling those as BRT when they are not? i am only saying post prudently, with
an intention to help, so that harmonious yung thread. if you keep citing non-
BRT systems and calling them as BRTs, ma clutter na naman tong thread na to
and the mods will clean these up again! be a responsible forummer.

even if you explain a lot, many people knows the brt buses, brt buses are different from regular buses,ok, that's it....look at jakarta's and guangzhou brt, a regular buses ply, thats why ayala's called their transport system as brt...

the problem, if i may repeat is you continue on focusing and pounding on the
vehicle type! vehicle type is just one of the many concerns of BRT solutions
and they are not even the most important. download the planning guide-
lines and criteria. the service and operations plan is the most important
element, followed by travel time savings, capacity, ridership, and operating
efficiency. you can have ordinary 12-m buses and still operate it as a BRT,
if the elements are there, and you can have 24-m double-articulated buses
and yet wont be running in a BRT system. don't look at the vehicle, look at
the system!

bago pa ang ppp at bot project ng ayala, may brt na daw sila kaya yun ay tumatak sa tao na brt ang gamit nila,yung sample nila ay mercedes benz 2 doors na parang train ang loob,katulad ng sa jakarta at guangzhou mga normal bus ang gamit nila,may proper dispatching at time table kung ilang minutes ang interval ng bawat bus, even in seoul =,korea brt ang tawag nila at yung mga station sa seoul ay parang sa edsa lang na ginawa ni bayani, that's why ayala before called their transport buses as brt...:banana::banana::banana::banana:

well, if you insist, continue calling it BRT if you want. i understand the
probable reasons why a private business will call it BRT - its from marketing
purposes, although, i really doubt if they really did this, or some people
are just too eager to call it as such.

but we are in the BRT thread, where we discuss BRT implementation in the
philippines, so it is really better to discuss real BRTs here rather than
other systems. i know ayala has a real BRT proposal, it is proposed for
funding under ADB, and will be submitted to DOTC once the project docu-
ment is completed. but until such time as the project is officially submitted,
i prefer to discuss the manila, cebu, and davao, BRTs which are already in
the official radar of DOTC and even posted in the website.

bago pa ang ppp at bot project ng ayala, may brt na daw sila kaya yun ay tumatak sa tao na brt ang gamit nila,yung sample nila ay mercedes benz 2 doors na parang train ang loob,katulad ng sa jakarta at guangzhou mga normal bus ang gamit nila,may proper dispatching at time table kung ilang minutes ang interval ng bawat bus, even in seoul =,korea brt ang tawag nila at yung mga station sa seoul ay parang sa edsa lang na ginawa ni bayani, that's why ayala before called their transport buses as brt...:banana::banana::banana::banana:

@zidlakan was very clear in his posts what BRT is and what is not BRT. You don't need to muddle the issue more. Naming foreign cities doesn't change the correct definition of what the thing is. I'd keep my fingers still if i see things are written in the correct context/ definition!
Maawod kit intoy!

i just don't want what happened to the cebu infrastructure and urban planning
thread to repeat and happen again. two pages were deleted by the mods for
irreverent and irrelevant non-productive posts! of course, we can argue and
debate on issues. but it should be with the intent of mutual improvement of
knowledge and understanding, not sow intrigues, misunderstanding, or disinfor-
mation. a personal appeal lang.

^^

Well this is a public forum, and you will encounter people with different backgrounds, levels of understanding, and attitudes, just like in real life. Except that here, things are easier to clean up with a click of a mouse.

I guess this a review of the information and what has transpired before on this thread, but we shouldn't get drawn into an inane discussion on definitions when it has already been defined, clearly or not, by those who coined and implemented it.

Things like this are cyclical of course, and we shouldn't expect that discussions will always be up to par. Anyway, keep up the good work by making information readily available to the general public, keep on democratizing information.

BRT comes with different design of bus and style.

yup, what about the difference of jakarta,guangzou and seoul brt from calafornia's brt buses

Here we have low floor level BRT buses, the Vaughn's YRT/Viva, the Brampton's Zum, and Mississauga's MiWay. Both system didnt have those dedicated lanes, and so are still sharing traffic with other vehicles.

Here are some of the videos i found from youtube, and these buses are the upgraded versions of the regular bus mass transit here:

VAUGHN'S YRT/VIVA BRT
mJmqq4C4Jbw

MISSISSAUGA'S MiWay BRT
hxRzEWSigv4
efo9iBn_wSk

BRAMPTON'S Zum BRT
WAMd8gb1I2I
gngPAzTVisg

^^See people, BRT buses doesnt have to be like those from jakarta or colombia. And these are hybrid type. I hope the philippines can fast track their own version of BRT sooner.

what about the type of coach or bus,how many doors do they have and how long 12,15 or 18 meter buses, is that the same what we see the current buses in the philippines or not??? if it's not the brt of korea is not a bus rapid transport...thats the real point what are the differenceof bus rapid system and bus rapid transport...look at the pics of cities with brt's, for me, the real brt is, is the use of REAL BRT BUSES WHICH IS LONG BUSES CONSISTS OF 2-3 COACHES...

o yan pala nailagay mo na,yung sa mississauga sa canada ay yan ang totoong bus rapid transport at yung brampton zum ay regular buses, yan ang ginawa ni bayani sa edsa na kinondena naman ng mmda at ayala na wala pa raw brt system sa atin at yung ayala ply route tinawag pa yun ng ayala na brt kasi nga siguro katulad ng brampton buses, eh ngayon ang ayala nagsasabi na wala pa raw brt system sa bansa, kinain din nila ang kanilang sinasabi noon...

Dapat kasi sila na mismo bumisita dito sa canada at pagaralan yung BRT system dito.

Those buses are just upgraded version of their regular buses here. That's a lesson that philippines can learn something about of this BRT. We dont measure up BRT by it's bus style, but the system itself. Actually any bus will do as long as they are applying the BRT system with those ticketing machines, like purchasing bus tickets before you board the bus.

That's the difference from regular bus system here in north america, where here you can actually give your busfare to the bus' coin and ticket dispenser. Sa pinas merong kundoktor.

yung mercedes buses ng the fort bus ay katulad ng brt bus sa brampton....sino ang nagkamali,eh di yung mga taong nagsasabi na ang orange at apple ay parehas na hindi naman...dapat malinaw at factual para madaling ma approve ang project, kaya naging marami ang usapan kasi sa gagamiting bus palang hindi na magkaintindihan...hindi pwede ang pwede na sa mga foreign investors at banko tulad ng adb,noa,even imf

Problema kasi sa pilipinas, sa gobyerno naghuhumpisa ang lahat ng problema kaya ganyan na napakabagal ng mga implementation ng mga kung ano anong projects kasi pinagaaralan pa ng mga gago kung paano sila makakanakaw ng pera.

This has something to do with fixing the government system first. The reason why here can finish their projects faster compared to the philippines, because each cities here have their own mindset, and can manuever freely without relying too much from the central government which is ottawa. So thanks to federalism, parliamentary system. Us filipinos should really finally learn something from this system para matapos na agad lahat ng pangarap nating magkaroon ng mga BRT, etc....

I like this plan!

The BRT connecting the Makati CBD to BGC is excellent, although of course Ayala is just thinking about themselves really when they designed this, but it should be a start if they could implement it since implementing a BRT along EDSA is really difficult politically because of all the transport groups.

I think they should extend the Makati Loop MRT spur line all the way to the PNR Buendia station for the benefit of those coming from the South, but anyway that should be a good topic in the MRT thread.

Anyway, the recent revocation of the bus franchise of Claire "Ride na po" Dela Fuente could possibly be a good strategy for reducing buses on EDSA in case they start fully implementing a BRT. Join a strike, and get your bus franchise revoked... permanently hehe.

In my opinion, they should not prioritize any BRT system along EDSA, even though it may compliment the MRT service along that route. Let alone the MRT system there for now and just upgrade the regular bus system along that route.

What they need is a multiple BRT north and south bound routes crossing EDSA's west and east bound (circling to north). Example of this is the Ayala's north and south bounds. There is the Roxas blvd and coastal road too. But yes its gonna be difficult because most of the roads around metro manila are too narrow.

c5 is now the priority project for brt but mmda as i heared with my friend in commonwealth that there will be a proposed brt in commonwealth,im not sure if its true because by mid 2011 the mrt 7 will start it's project, mindanao ave. in quezon city to bicutan in taguig will be a reliable brt system,like us in eastwood,we really want a good transportation going to fiairview,up,ateneo and techno hub in diliman in north then going south to fort bonifacio, we have citylink buses which has a morning and afternoon trips only going to resortsworld and naia

And the sustainable transport award goes to...

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2011/01/110124-guangzhou-china-
sustainable-transport-prize/

^^

seems like a broken link ...

heres the link to the ITDP site:

Guangzhou wins 2011 Sustainable Transport Award for innovative transport solutions (http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news/detail/guangzhou_wins_2011_sustainable_transport_award_for_innovative_transpo/#)

http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news/detail/guangzhou_wins_2011_sustainable_transport_award_for_innovative_transpo/#

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t63/pvillarete/BRT%20Images/Gangding_Station032010.jpg


in 2010, it was Ahmedabad Janmarg BRT which bagged the award.

Ahmedabad Wins 2010 Sustainable Transport Award (http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news/detail/ahmedabad_wins_2010_sustainable_transport_award/)

http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news/detail/ahmedabad_wins_2010_sustainable_transport_award/


hope a closer look at the Guangzhou and Janmarg BRT will gain a better
understanding of what a BRT system is since both use non-articulated bus
vehicles and not articulated or bi-articulated ones predominant in latin
american BRT systems.

^^looks like bayani fernando concept that was put into trash and lots of criticism and now they adopt it for commonwealth trial bus rapid transit...the difference was the metro mayors and dpwh didn't support the exclusive use of two-four lanes in edsa and the high tech and high definition cctv's...the proper dispatching of buses makes edsa a beautiful rapid transit,hope that bus operators plying edsa will have their best to incorporate their buses into a single color buses,have an led display route,electronic single ticketing system,improvement of loading and unloading bay into a world class stations,we dont need a budget from other banks for the implementation of brt's,if our own bus operators and mmda will cooperate with each other then the transportation in edsa and other major roads in metro manila will be smooth and someday we will be awarded also for the best transport in south east asia overtaking jakarta,kl and singapore cities

dissolve LTO and create a new land transport agency, cancel all bus franchises and create new franchises exclusive to BRT like transjakarta and SBS transit.. napaka simple ayaw lang talaga gawen kaya magdusa pa mga commuters.. Bus dispatching system here is even worse than africa!!!

^^looks like bayani fernando concept that was put into trash and lots of criticism and now they adopt it for commonwealth trial bus rapid transit...the difference was the metro mayors and dpwh didn't support the exclusive use of two-four lanes in edsa and the high tech and high definition cctv's...the proper dispatching of buses makes edsa a beautiful rapid transit,hope that bus operators plying edsa will have their best to incorporate their buses into a single color buses,have an led display route,electronic single ticketing system,improvement of loading and unloading bay into a world class stations,we dont need a budget from other banks for the implementation of brt's,if our own bus operators and mmda will cooperate with each other then the transportation in edsa and other major roads in metro manila will be smooth and someday we will be awarded also for the best transport in south east asia overtaking jakarta,kl and singapore cities

Not really...BF's idea was just for a glorified dispatching system that he just wanted to call a BRT. A BRT, after all, is more than just cooperation among operators and an MMDA managing it. (Refer to previous discussions on this thread.) Eventually, the MMDA abandoned the RFID project without clearly saying what went wrong. That, after spending a lot of money and NOT even asking the those in the know about technology about the capabilities and limitations of the RFID system they wanted to put in place. Bottomline is that they wanted to do a quickie and it failed. Now, the MMDA is not calling this thing a BRT but is campaigning to have PUVs take the designated lanes and stop at designated places - which, is what should be, with or without BRT.

RFID is on land transportation office and not on mmda's hand, bwcause of quickie implementation of bayani's brt concept and his vice presidenrial bid the bayani concept of brt was left unattended by his successor which is old enough to be a visionary, it is now the young chairman tolentino whose proposing their own concept of brt, brt system in the world has so many concepts and designs,it's up to the government what they want to name a concept of their commuter's buses system.,there's a lot of different types of brt system in the world, and no one could say that this is a true brt or not which has no similarity to other nation's brt system.:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

^^looks like bayani fernando concept that was put into trash and lots of criticism and now they adopt it for commonwealth trial bus rapid transit...the difference was the metro mayors and dpwh didn't support the exclusive use of two-four lanes in edsa and the high tech and high definition cctv's...the proper dispatching of buses makes edsa a beautiful rapid transit,hope that bus operators plying edsa will have their best to incorporate their buses into a single color buses,have an led display route,electronic single ticketing system,improvement of loading and unloading bay into a world class stations,we dont need a budget from other banks for the implementation of brt's,if our own bus operators and mmda will cooperate with each other then the transportation in edsa and other major roads in metro manila will be smooth and someday we will be awarded also for the best transport in south east asia overtaking jakarta,kl and singapore cities

trashed eh? for a newbee, you sound eerily like @megatall, who was banned
after his last post on January 25th, 2011, 01:52 AM. i see that you had
your first post on January 25th, 2011, 01:29 PM. must just be a coincidence.

^^only problem in cebu feasibility study is the low case forecast,the budget is really accurate including those for (lagay) authority,in binangonan-edsaply is put into trashed because the g-liner has 600 buses and rrcg has 300 buses also despite manila east road will be widened to 8-10 lanes,the ayala group started already the brt transport called the fort bus with 2 main route 1. to bonifacio global city 2. ayala route,there is also the citylink buses owned by andrew tan that runs the 3 integrated hub of AGI(eastwood-mckinley hill-resortsworld/newprot city-naiaa3) but they are lacking of buses,the route is on c5, the mmda plan now is c5 and c6 for future traffic decongestion within the aquino administration...the brt concept are long 2-3 connected coach 18-meter buses with 3-4 doors buses,just the way you say, there was no brt system in the philippines up to this time,ayala's named their concept bus transport as brt, look at them, sounds like they fool commuters, the ayala's may be called their concept as bus concept rapid tranport (bcrt) not brt because they dont use the long brt buses and elevated concept terminal(door level of bus)...they mislead us with their ayala-the fort bus route and ayala-makati cbd brt buses...

it is simple to understand brt concept(the real one) but this misleading plan of influential businessman makes the brt as truly bus(one door bus), the ayala's named it brt that's why we call it brt...:banana::banana::banana::banana:


anyway, if no one could say what is a true brt or not, what's the reason for
continuing this thread. if one could connect a string of buses (or a string of
jeepneys for that matter) and call it BRT, what is our common basis for
commenting on BRTs, when it's just anybody's definition?

but the fact of the matter is, there is a general agreement in transport
science on what a BRT is and transport engineers do have a common under-
standing on what is a BRT and what is not. true there are many variants of
the BRT in the different cities in the world, but they are bound by common
characteristics and a shared definition, most especially on the basic fact
that they are transport systems and not just types of vehicles. even the
wikipedia page for BRT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_rapid_transit), open
sourced as it is have a semblance of the common definition of a BRT and
lists the same based on that, excluding those which do not conform to the
agreed usage. as i said before, it is your right to call anything a BRT, but
transport planners don't have to conform to your wishes.

as far as the government is concerned the focus is mindanao ave. and C-5
for manila, bulacao - talamban corridor for cebu, for 2012 implementation,
hopefully for 2013/14 roll-out, and the FS for davao.

trashed eh? for a newbee, you sound eerily like @megatall, who was banned
after his last post on January 25th, 2011, 01:52 AM. i see that you had
your first post on January 25th, 2011, 01:29 PM. must just be a coincidence.




anyway, if no one could say what is a true brt or not, what's the reason for
continuing this thread. if one could connect a string of buses (or a string of
jeepneys for that matter) and call it BRT, what is our common basis for
commenting on BRTs, when it's just anybody's definition?

but the fact of the matter is, there is a general agreement in transport
science on what a BRT is and transport engineers do have a common under-
standing on what is a BRT and what is not. true there are many variants of
the BRT in the different cities in the world, but they are bound by common
characteristics and a shared definition, most especially on the basic fact
that they are transport systems and not just types of vehicles. even the
wikipedia page for BRT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_rapid_transit), open
sourced as it is have a semblance of the common definition of a BRT and
lists the same based on that, excluding those which do not conform to the
agreed usage. as i said before, it is your right to call anything a BRT, but
transport planners don't have to conform to your wishes.

as far as the government is concerned the focus is mindanao ave. and C-5
for manila, bulacao - talamban corridor for cebu, for 2012 implementation,
hopefully for 2013/14 roll-out, and the FS for davao.


Sir Paul, just don't mind the trolls :okay:

Sir Paul, musta ang study sa World Bank?

who cares for them,off topics, im a newbie but doesn't mean i dont know everything, the most important in brt is the system,regardless of vehicles used, that' why i wrote a message that our bus operators and mmda if they get an agreement to have a single color buses,led display route,electronic ticketing and improvement of stations ,okay, who are you and what is your right to interrupt's one's own idea and reasoning, we just shared our little knowledge in this forum,now,if you are a technical person with regards to brt shared it in polite way, wag kang bastos,
this was my post that that makes you a wrong accusasions to people

^^looks like bayani fernando concept that was put into trash and lots of criticism and now they adopt it for commonwealth trial bus rapid transit...the difference was the metro mayors and dpwh didn't support the exclusive use of two-four lanes in edsa and the high tech and high definition cctv's...the proper dispatching of buses makes edsa a beautiful rapid transit,hope that bus operators plying edsa will have their best to incorporate their buses into a single color buses,have an led display route,electronic single ticketing system,improvement of loading and unloading bay into a world class stations,we dont need a budget from other banks for the implementation of brt's,if our own bus operators and mmda will cooperate with each other then the transportation in edsa and other major roads in metro manila will be smooth and someday we will be awarded also for the best transport in south east asia overtaking jakarta,kl and singapore cities



not all people had the same ideas with you,some people had similar ideas with others,just a little RESPECT TO THIS FORUMERS AND RESPECT FORUMERS THOUGHT AND LIMITATIONS

what is the use of this forum if there is only one thought and idea will be delivered...this forum used for the exchange with one's own knowledge and understanding eve if ti is right or wrong,let the conversation roll on,if you are the official person from the dotc just make an informative report to forumers to guide them

YOU ARE A CEBUANO THAT IS EMPLOYED IN DOTC,THAT IS NOT THE RIGHT THING OF A GOV'T EMPLOYEE TO DO SUCH REACTION AND ACCUSATIONS MR. PAUL VILLARETE

Sir sensya na pero di na ako makatiis. I respect your opinion but your opnion doesn't really qualify as correct. Kung makikinig ako sainyong dalawa ni sir Zid I will listen to Zid cause alam ko na sya po ang isa sa mga original proponent ng BRT for Cebu. His knowledge about a BRTS is a first hand account experience being being received from the front row seat of the BRT theater if you may. Its just so happened that he got promoted to become the Airport GM for MCIA but that doesnt mean that he still doesnt have the most credible knowledge here when it comes to the future of BRT in our country and those BRT-pretenders in the country.

Suggestion: Better read this thread from the very first one thread 3 na tayo if you are really interested to understand BRT you will read from there... maybe you will be enlightened more and hopefully when you are done. You actually can contribute the debate on how to implement BRT in the Philippines.

OT: @forumer-mistaken-for-a-troll: BASICALLY, what's in a forumer's post reflects the kind of breeding and education he/she has. Of course you can't expect people to immediately believe in your ideas if your posts at first hand do not look any credible at all. We can overlook minor grammar errors easily, yes, but please, blatant disregard for proper writing? Even an elementary student would know how to write properly. That's why we are taught how to write properly back in school so that we can effectively communicate our written ideas. You cannot blame people if they mistook you for a troll.

---

we are all free to share ideas here on BRT, right? But then again, at the end of the day, what do you trust more, anybody's opinion or a technical opinion? Laymen as we are, the best we can do is to present our ideas properly.

let's go back to a senseful brt thread...

^^good realization there, you're the one who deviated from it!

RFID is on land transportation office and not on mmda's hand, bwcause of quickie implementation of bayani's brt concept and his vice presidenrial bid the bayani concept of brt was left unattended by his successor which is old enough to be a visionary, it is now the young chairman tolentino whose proposing their own concept of brt, brt system in the world has so many concepts and designs,it's up to the government what they want to name a concept of their commuter's buses system.,there's a lot of different types of brt system in the world, and no one could say that this is a true brt or not which has no similarity to other nation's brt system.

Clarification...you were referring to the LTO's RFID campaign. I was referring to the RFID's installed by the MMDA on buses plying EDSA routes. These were installed along with RFID readers along designated bus stops along EDSA. It was abandoned even before BF resigned to run for VP. :ohno:

makatiprime: you jumped in the fray at the wrong time. The tone of Mr. Zid's post was stern but hindi po siya nambastos. Maybe if you stay here for a long time in SSC you will understand. And if you backread through all the previous threads.

In fact, you would probably admire Mr. Zid's patience.

And sorry but, you must really be a newbie because you don't know yet that bold or statements in caps are tantamount to SHOUTING!

You are the one who seems to be rude here. Wag lang maging balat sibuyas pre.

That said, happy posting!

is there anybody from cebu to share with us the development of brt feasibilty and those who have been involved in brt project in manila,davao and cebu.

It would do you well to sift through the previous 2 threads of this topic. You will find so much information and the answers to your question.:cheers:

it is your responsibility as a newbie to check and investigate first what is the topic about.. lest you will be barking like a rabid dog.

mr. zidlakan is a respectable person and an expert on this matter.. he has travelled around the world mostly by invitation to study this transport system for a couple of years and that his efforts will soon pay off when Cebu's BRT will come into fruition by 2013.. And here you are here as a newbie, barging in like you have the best experience in the world to rock the thread.

FYI, he is the former Cebu City Planning Officer and now the Airport Manager of MCIA...
We will not tell you his other credentials lest you will fall in your chair... And he is not BASTOS like what you portray him, because we have experienced ourselves his selfless, down to earth passion to share his knowledge to us simple SSC forumers.

"kaon sa ka daghang bugas kung gusto ka mokompara nya"..

i know you are equally intelligent but there are specializations on intelligence and it just matters Mr. Zid specializes on Transport Science and unless you could lay down your credentials and experience to challenge him in this aspect then you better put your mouth shut up ...

@Bakasaurus and @Henz :okay::okay:

:okay::okay::okay:

Sir Zid as bastos?!?! :sly::sly::sly:

the way i know him in SSC, I still have to check on that! :D

a credible person or not it was an off topics in brt thread, to moderators just erase those irrant thread by both sides and those other threaders to avert the unnecessary circumstances, mr. paul has no words to say, i regards him a lot, a man who has wisdom has only one word, a man who wants wisdom has many to ask.

it has no positive outcome if somebody will review back the past threads that which is not in the scope of the topic,just add your knowledge and ideas in order to help this thread a clear one, everybody accepts own mistakes and everybody forgives

alright.. lets move forward... Thanks.

ooopps ... so sorry for the severe reaction. and for not answering/resolving
sooner. was in manila/malacanang for a KOICA mtg yesterday and the
ceremonial turn-over of dividends this morning. at least, the president was
very happy with the P29 B turned over by the GOCCs to the national treasury ...

@makatiprime, so sorry if my post made you think bastos ako. i assure you
that was not the intention. but we have been discussing this issue for al-
most 2 years already and people more or less had a general common idea
on what transport engineers know as BRT. we even had lectures and an
advocacy campaign on the BRT which was participated by SSC-cebu, so
people are always expectant for updates. i hope you understand that, too.

@slerz, world bank will tender out the study for the cebu-BRT this first
quarter of 2011. DOTC has already given the go signal for both the FS of
the cebu and manila BRTs under the CTF-CIP. if i may cite from the
president's social contract deliverables for 2011: (DOTC) Adoption of
Environmentally-Sustainable and Low-Carbon Transport Strategies through
the establishment of roadmap and viability assessment of Bus Rapid
Transit System (BRT) for Cebu and Metro Manila (priority consideration of
BRT lines along Mindanao Avenue and C-5). the manila BRT-FS will
probably be financed under USTDA.


by the way, i am definitely submitting a proposal to KOICA for a possible
BRT or a BRT-ready bus service from the airport to SM to SRP. it's a long
shot but we need to submit anyway - there is nothing to lose. if it gets
funded, imagine what it can do to ease traffic from the airport. tabang
lang mo'g ampo, he he he.

Guangzhou wins 2011 Sustainable Transport Award for innovative transport solutions (http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news/detail/guangzhou_wins_2011_sustainable_transport_award_for_innovative_transpo/#)

http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news/detail/guangzhou_wins_2011_sustainable_transport_award_for_innovative_transpo/#

in 2010, it was Ahmedabad Janmarg BRT which bagged the award.

Ahmedabad Wins 2010 Sustainable Transport Award (http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news/detail/ahmedabad_wins_2010_sustainable_transport_award/)

http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news/detail/ahmedabad_wins_2010_sustainable_transport_award/

hope a closer look at the Guangzhou and Janmarg BRT will gain a better
understanding of what a BRT system is since both use non-articulated bus
vehicles and not articulated or bi-articulated ones predominant in latin
american BRT systems.

by the way, just for information, the Sustainable Transport Award is given
by the Transportation Research Board (TRB ---> http://www.trb.org) in
Washington, D.C. here's a part of the discussion at the ITDP website re:
this award:

The Sustainable Transport Award is given annually to the city that made most progress over the year to increase mobility for all residents while reducing transportation greenhouse and air pollution emissions and improving safety and access for cyclists and pedestrians.

The Nominees are (in alphabetical order):

• Guangzhou in China, where the BRT that opened in February 2010 is integrated with the city’s metro system, bike lanes and bike sharing stations. Sophie Punte, Executive Director, Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) Center, commented: “Guangzhou has demonstrated that future emissions can be avoided through BRT systems integrated with cycling and other public transport systems at relatively low costs.”

• León in Mexico, home of Mexico’s first BRT, now achieving a level of integration unsurpassed in the region. Dario Hidalgo, Director of Research and Practice at EMBARQ, explained: “León was Mexico’s pioneer in introducing integrated bus systems and BRT in 2003; now they have scaled their system from 35% to 65% of the transit trips, through route reorganization and continued inclusion of the local bus operators. León has also an extraordinary track record in active transport, keeping the biking and walking share above 39% of the total trips, one of the highest values in Latin American cities.”

• Lima, Peru, where the long-awaited BRT is the first step towards creating an integrated citywide sustainable transport system. Sergio Sánchez, Director, Clean Air Institute for Latin America, said: “Lima has finally made considerable progress with planning, designing and launching its new BRT system. We truly hope that this trend continues in coming years and that we will see the same progress in 2011 and the following years.”

• Nantes in France, where the integration of its bus light rapid transit with its tramway network presents a model of efficient coordination. Heather Allen, Senior Manager, Sustainable Development, International Association of Public Transport, argued: “Ambitious targets, vision combined with integrated planning and sustained investment have paid big dividends in Nantes. Last year it made significant progress in integrating its tramway and bus system, promoting bicycling and continuing to shift people away from cars. Its integrated transport system helps make it one of the most livable cities in Europe.”

• Tehran, Iran, where the introduction of congestion charging complements the city’s expansion of its metro and BRT systems. Lloyd Wright, Executive Director of Viva Cities, commented: “Over the past several years, Tehran has faced one of the world’s most severe air quality crises. The local climate, topography, and sharp growth in private cars have all conspired to create a lingering air quality emergency over the city. The national and local government have responded boldly. Investments in quality rail and BRT are re-defining public transport in Tehran, and a move towards new cycle and pedestrian infrastructure is helping to transform mobility patterns as well. Even more boldly, though, the government has begun the process of reducing fuel subsidies. In all, Tehran is developing a package of carrots and sticks that will hopefully steer the city towards a more sustainable mobility path.”

The Sustainable Transport Award is given each year during the annual Transportation Research Board meeting in Washington, D.C. Past winners include:

2010 – Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Ahmedabad, India, for opening the first full bus rapid transit system in India.

2009 – Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York, United States, for making bold moves to achieve the ambitious goals of PlaNYC 2030.

2008 – Mayor Bertrand Delanoë, Paris, France for implementing a range of innovative mobility solutions with vision, commitment and vigor. Mayor Ken Livingston, London, United Kingdom for expanding London’s congestion charge program and developing other low emissions programs that dramatically impacted air quality.

2007 – Mayor Jaime Nebot, Guayquil, Ecuador for revitalizing the downtown, creating dynamic public spaces, and instituting a new public transit system.

2006 – Mayor Myung-Bak Lee, Seoul, Korea for the revitalization of the Cheongyecheon River and the implementation of its bus rapid transit system.

2005 – former Mayor Enrique Peñalosa, Bogotá, Colombia for the TransMilenio bus rapid transit system, bicycle integration, and public space reclamation.

ooopps ... so sorry for the severe reaction. and for not answering/resolving
sooner. was in manila/malacanang for a KOICA mtg yesterday and the
ceremonial turn-over of dividends this morning. at least, the president was
very happy with the P29 B turned over by the GOCCs to the national treasury ...

@makatiprime, so sorry if my post made you think bastos ako. i assure you
that was not the intention. but we have been discussing this issue for al-
most 2 years already and people more or less had a general common idea
on what transport engineers know as BRT. we even had lectures and an
advocacy campaign on the BRT which was participated by SSC-cebu, so
people are always expectant for updates. i hope you understand that, too.

@slerz, world bank will tender out the study for the cebu-BRT this first
quarter of 2011. DOTC has already given the go signal for both the FS of
the cebu and manila BRTs under the CTF-CIP. if i may cite from the
president's social contract deliverables for 2011: (DOTC) Adoption of
Environmentally-Sustainable and Low-Carbon Transport Strategies through
the establishment of roadmap and viability assessment of Bus Rapid
Transit System (BRT) for Cebu and Metro Manila (priority consideration of
BRT lines along Mindanao Avenue and C-5). the manila BRT-FS will
probably be financed under USTDA.


by the way, i am definitely submitting a proposal to KOICA for a possible
BRT or a BRT-ready bus service from the airport to SM to SRP. it's a long
shot but we need to submit anyway - there is nothing to lose. if it gets
funded, imagine what it can do to ease traffic from the airport. tabang
lang mo'g ampo, he he he.



^^:cheers::cheers::okay::okay:... sir zid i trust and believe you can made these thing into reality... your experienced in profession proved your maximum capability and strengths that you may able to push through these visionary dream to all cebuanos.
@all cebuano forumers: lets all support these thing guyz...

So that means we are on track with Cebu BRT? If the full blown study starts around March and lasts for a year then the physical works would probably start by midyear of 2012?
This means we might have an operational system by early 2014?

@zidlakan,im so sorry for such reactions,one thing that gives me lessons to this ssc forum,thank you for that very humble and honest person

wow would that mean.. another BRT line is possible to be opened from the Airport to SRP via Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue cities...

This is great news, yes we understand this is a long shot deal but at least we have something to look forward in the years to come..

Cebu as a rapidly growing metropolis needs to be more aggressive in the long term transport planning inorder to effectively address demands of its growing populace five to ten years from now...

@zid, mindanao ave. in? becauase quezon city has two mindanao ave., first, in commonwealth near accross commonwealth ave. and regalado highway(near sm fairview) ,and second,mindanao ave. connecting north ave. (near trinoma and sm city north edsa ) upto north luzon expressway via mindanao ave. link

both of them are heavily congested 8-10 lane highways

http://ca.travel.yahoo.com/guides/Other/982/the-worlds-most-visionary-cities

check number 9 on the list

^^we know it already:)

The urban Filipino people is already hankering for an efficient public transport system for so loooong. When exactly can we have our own BRT? *sigh*

in Metro Manila?? That will never happen for as long as these little kingdoms exist.

in Metro Manila?? That will never happen for as long as these little kingdoms exist.

Mahirap ma decipher yang post mo 'dre! Pag-aralan ko muna at nang ma gets ko! hehehe. Saaaaaaadddddddd ttttttrrrrrruuuuuttthhhhhh:cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:

Transportation master plan to overhaul Makati routes :banana::banana:

BusinessWorld Online Edition
February 2, 2011

THE MAKATI CITY government is drafting a transportation master plan that will overhaul commuter routes in the area to address traffic and pollution, an official yesterday said.

The plan will make way for the $10-million Bus Rapit Transit (BRT) system of the private sector and expanded operations of the electric jeepney, said Ernesto L. Camarillo, city transportation and traffic management consultant.

This dovetails with Ayala Land, Inc.’s earlier announced redevelopment of the Makati central business district to include more commercial areas and pedestrian pathways.

"The study has been ongoing for two years. There might be a re-routing but not a total displacement [of existing bus and jeepney operations]," Mr. Camarillo told reporters at the sidelines of a energy efficiency conference.

Ayala Land spokesman Alfonso D. Reyes confirmed in a text message that the firm, along with the Makati Commercial Estate Association (MACEA), was providing inputs to the city government.

A key component of the plan will be the BRT line that is scheduled to be operational by end-2012, Mr. Camarillo said, referring to the build-operate-transfer project of Ayala Land and other MACEA members.

The bus line will involve two linked routes with an initial fleet of 12 according to data presented at the event.

One route will run 3.25 kilometers through five stations -- from the Ayala Metro Rail Transit station to the Philippine National Railway (PNR) station on Buendia Ave. -- mostly passing through Ayala Ave. This will be connected to a 1.20-km route traversing PNR and the Gil Puyat station of the Light Rail Transit Line 1.

There are also plans to add a third electric jeepney route to the operations which currently run through Salcedo and Legaspi villages, this time serving the areas around Rockwell and city hall, Mr. Camarillo said.

New traffic signals and commuter terminals will also be detailed in the plan, he said.

^^This should be applauded! Very nice to hear. :cheers:

Transportation master plan to overhaul Makati routes :banana::banana:

BusinessWorld Online Edition
February 2, 2011

THE MAKATI CITY government is drafting a transportation master plan that will overhaul commuter routes in the area to address traffic and pollution, an official yesterday said.

The plan will make way for the $10-million Bus Rapit Transit (BRT) system of the private sector and expanded operations of the electric jeepney, said Ernesto L. Camarillo, city transportation and traffic management consultant.

This dovetails with Ayala Land, Inc.’s earlier announced redevelopment of the Makati central business district to include more commercial areas and pedestrian pathways.

"The study has been ongoing for two years. There might be a re-routing but not a total displacement [of existing bus and jeepney operations]," Mr. Camarillo told reporters at the sidelines of a energy efficiency conference.

Ayala Land spokesman Alfonso D. Reyes confirmed in a text message that the firm, along with the Makati Commercial Estate Association (MACEA), was providing inputs to the city government.

A key component of the plan will be the BRT line that is scheduled to be operational by end-2012, Mr. Camarillo said, referring to the build-operate-transfer project of Ayala Land and other MACEA members.

The bus line will involve two linked routes with an initial fleet of 12 according to data presented at the event.

One route will run 3.25 kilometers through five stations -- from the Ayala Metro Rail Transit station to the Philippine National Railway (PNR) station on Buendia Ave. -- mostly passing through Ayala Ave. This will be connected to a 1.20-km route traversing PNR and the Gil Puyat station of the Light Rail Transit Line 1.

There are also plans to add a third electric jeepney route to the operations which currently run through Salcedo and Legaspi villages, this time serving the areas around Rockwell and city hall, Mr. Camarillo said.

New traffic signals and commuter terminals will also be detailed in the plan, he said.

Go Ayala BRT! Im really looking forward for this project as we that work in Makati will be the main benefiaciary of this project :cheers:

Did You Know (DYK) Page, Wikipedia.org, Feb.7, 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Did you know...


... that the World Bank (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank) is supporting the scheme for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit System (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebu_Bus_Rapid_Transit_System) in the Philippines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines) financially and technically through its Clean Technology Fund (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_Investment_Funds)?

how about the mindanao ave c5 brt? can you explain where mindanao ave is in quezon city because qc had 2 mindanao ave,adding to that the c5 will have a flyover link going to luzon ave which is nearer to the mindanao ave in north triangle via congressional ave c5 road...or maybe from katipunan c5 will make a right turn to commonwealth ave going to mindanao ave in fairview

frankly, i have no idea, cause its DOTC central office who is on top of that
project. but i will try to find out if i can, and i can get back to you when i do.

Did You Know (DYK) Page, Wikipedia.org, Feb.7, 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Did you know...


... that the World Bank (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank) is supporting the scheme for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit System (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebu_Bus_Rapid_Transit_System) in the Philippines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines) financially and technically through its Clean Technology Fund (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_Investment_Funds)?


I suppose thier support of Cebu BRT, and clean air technology comes with availability of funds or at least access to funds. Hopefully, this will spur the gov't to undertake mass transit with BRT in Cebu and other cities.

I was wondering about the Makati BRT plan. Instead of e-jeepneys off the planned BRT lines, couldn't they use hybrid mini-buses? E-jeepneys are more of a novelty than mass transit. Hybrid mini buses for the smaller streets should be able to carry 30-50% passengers with bench type seating plus standing room.

I understand that DOTC will build a monorail in UP, made in the Philippines technology/equipment. Why can they incorporate them in mass transit planning in the cities? If I remember correctly, the original plan for the Manila LRT 1 was for a monorail on the same route. (This is decades ago, and yeah, I have a few more years than most folks here.)

The hybrid mini-buses would be nice but they are significantly more expensive for use as feeders. Note that the e-jeepneys currently serve feeder routes in Makati. They are performing according to what conventional jeepneys are supposed to be - feeders and not mass transport.

As for the monorail in UP, its DOST and not DOTC that's planning to build the thing. From what I've heard, its not at all practical given the cost to build and operate it. Perhaps the monorail would be better at the Fort or another CBD. But that's another story and for another thread.

The proposed BRT along C5 wasn't envisioned to extend to Mindanao Avenue via Congressional (like when the crossing over Commonwealth is completed). It's more SLEX to UP. It would be nice to have it extended though since that corridor will surely have the demand for a bus or BRT type service. But then again, there will be a need to phase out the Katipunan jeepneys and shorten the routes of the Tandang Sora ones.

Did You Know (DYK) Page, Wikipedia.org, Feb.7, 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Did you know...


... that the World Bank (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank) is supporting the scheme for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit System (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebu_Bus_Rapid_Transit_System) in the Philippines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines) financially and technically through its Clean Technology Fund (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_Investment_Funds)?


the page can now be seen here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Recent_additions/2011/February

12:00, 7 February 2011 (UTC)

The hybrid mini-buses would be nice but they are significantly more expensive for use as feeders. Note that the e-jeepneys currently serve feeder routes in Makati. They are performing according to what conventional jeepneys are supposed to be - feeders and not mass transport.

As for the monorail in UP, its DOST and not DOTC that's planning to build the thing. From what I've heard, its not at all practical given the cost to build and operate it. Perhaps the monorail would be better at the Fort or another CBD. But that's another story and for another thread.

The proposed BRT along C5 wasn't envisioned to extend to Mindanao Avenue via Congressional (like when the crossing over Commonwealth is completed). It's more SLEX to UP. It would be nice to have it extended though since that corridor will surely have the demand for a bus or BRT type service. But then again, there will be a need to phase out the Katipunan jeepneys and shorten the routes of the Tandang Sora ones.

You're sort of contradicting yourself here. Feeder routes are part of mass transit plans. In a city of 11 m, jeepneys cannot provide the efficient movement of people, feeding into the main lines. In terms of cost, a hybrid mini bus can take up to 30-40 pax, or equivalent of 3 passenger load of jeepneys. The net effect in costs will be 2 less vehicles to operate and on the road (less traffic). Mini buses can be regulated with proper bus stops and trip times. E jeepneys are great for the provincial baranggays going into the bayan or the highway, subdivisions etc, or similar to what UP had a long time ago (Ikot- still there?) but I think they've outlived their usefulness when the population has exploded.

Regarding the monorail, you need critical mass to justify the expense. UP may not be but maybe for experimental track. Instead of an MRT style on line #4, they can put a Philippine developed and produced monorail system and connect it with #7 somewhere. There's critical mass on Espana, Quezon Ave to Commonwealth. Whether DOST or DOTC doing it, this is one technology that the government should put in their books.

You're sort of contradicting yourself here. Feeder routes are part of mass transit plans. In a city of 11 m, jeepneys cannot provide the efficient movement of people, feeding into the main lines. In terms of cost, a hybrid mini bus can take up to 30-40 pax, or equivalent of 3 passenger load of jeepneys. The net effect in costs will be 2 less vehicles to operate and on the road (less traffic). Mini buses can be regulated with proper bus stops and trip times. E jeepneys are great for the provincial baranggays going into the bayan or the highway, subdivisions etc, or similar to what UP had a long time ago (Ikot- still there?) but I think they've outlived their usefulness when the population has exploded.

Regarding the monorail, you need critical mass to justify the expense. UP may not be but maybe for experimental track. Instead of an MRT style on line #4, they can put a Philippine developed and produced monorail system and connect it with #7 somewhere. There's critical mass on Espana, Quezon Ave to Commonwealth. Whether DOST or DOTC doing it, this is one technology that the government should put in their books.

Of course feeder routes are part of the overall transport plan. But feeders need not be mass transit since most feeders would be associated with minor roads (the reason they are called feeders in the first place). I'm not saying mini-buses are out but they would require much investment and their size may not be suitable for many of our roads. Why compute for reduction in the number of PUVs when the objective should be to reduce the number of private vehicles? Their numbers are the true cause of congestion in Metro Manila. It's easy to say that mini-buses can be regulated but based on experience, they may just go the way of the jeepneys and buses we have plying routes in the Metro. Meanwhile, the e-jeeps are just one option to consider. I remember there was a Beep developed by Mitsubishi and it is sort of midway between the capacity and size of a jeepney and a mini-bus. It would be nice to have a good mix of PUVs as long as they follow a hierarchy for public transport.

An experimental monorail track is to be constructed by the DOST in their grounds in Taguig for the MIRDC to test the vehicle they are developing. They are proposing to fund only a 500m track in UP but this length will not serve any purpose other than being a tourist attraction. The technology is already available, DOST just wants to localize it but at a cost that probably would be at the expense of other researches being proposed by other universities. Maybe it should be deployed along a longer line, say replace the Katipunan jeeps with a Monorail serving Ateneo, Miriam, UP and MWSS. The demand is certainly there and maybe that will solve congestion problems along that corridor. And it would complement a BRT being proposed along C5.

Of course feeder routes are part of the overall transport plan. But feeders need not be mass transit since most feeders would be associated with minor roads (the reason they are called feeders in the first place). I'm not saying mini-buses are out but they would require much investment and their size may not be suitable for many of our roads. Why compute for reduction in the number of PUVs when the objective should be to reduce the number of private vehicles? Their numbers are the true cause of congestion in Metro Manila. It's easy to say that mini-buses can be regulated but based on experience, they may just go the way of the jeepneys and buses we have plying routes in the Metro. Meanwhile, the e-jeeps are just one option to consider. I remember there was a Beep developed by Mitsubishi and it is sort of midway between the capacity and size of a jeepney and a mini-bus. It would be nice to have a good mix of PUVs as long as they follow a hierarchy for public transport.

An experimental monorail track is to be constructed by the DOST in their grounds in Taguig for the MIRDC to test the vehicle they are developing. They are proposing to fund only a 500m track in UP but this length will not serve any purpose other than being a tourist attraction. The technology is already available, DOST just wants to localize it but at a cost that probably would be at the expense of other researches being proposed by other universities. Maybe it should be deployed along a longer line, say replace the Katipunan jeeps with a Monorail serving Ateneo, Miriam, UP and MWSS. The demand is certainly there and maybe that will solve congestion problems along that corridor. And it would complement a BRT being proposed along C5.

Feeder roads may not necessarily eskinitas. Shaw feeds into Edsa; Timog, West Av feed into Quezon boulevard etc. It's a matter of studying the route densities, type of roads etc. Maybe you're too young, but when I was young, Quezon city had mostly buses, with different colours, with bus stops etc. This was before Imelda's love bus. From the main roads they went to secondary roads etc. As a 12 year old I could actually the bus and go places. The roads were basically 2 lanes only. We could actually have an idea of when we will get to somewhere.

E jeepneys have limitations. I think the type of engines cannot take more passengers etc so they're maxed out already. The beep you're saying have more capacity - you can bench type them and have standing room as well. Or I've seen those smaller tourist bus shuttles, narrow bodied, can take 30+ passengers with seats. So there are options but e-jeepney is an improvement over the dilapidated jeepneys but not for major feeders. Better for malls, subdivisions, etc.

As for the traffic, well, not only private cars, add to that the taxis, and tricis (poor man's taxi). Prob is that people have no alternative to get to places not even if they have to walk because, there very few walkable sidewalks. If the public has alternative ways of going about, then for sure they will adapt, e.g. MRT. Transit planning by nature is for the future. They have to consider the growth rate, travel patterns, route densities, etc of the future.

I have a question. When the BRT is fully implemented, there would no longer be jeepneys right?

so unsaon naman lang to katong mga ruta sa Quiot, Tres de Abril etc? maka-agi ang mga buses didto?

I don't quite understand fully the concept of BRT, hehe. I hope somebody could shed some light on this matter for me. :)

^^ I think you should do your research. Naay WIKIPEDIA and Google if you really are that interested.

I have a question. When the BRT is fully implemented, there would no longer be jeepneys right?

so unsaon naman lang to katong mga ruta sa Quiot, Tres de Abril etc? maka-agi ang mga buses didto?

I don't quite understand fully the concept of BRT, hehe. I hope somebody could shed some light on this matter for me. :)

Cebu BRT is still in the FS stage sir so we really don't know which sector will be affected once the system is implemented but in the previous discussions the BRT won't totally replace jeepneys. jeepneys could serve as feeders for the BRT system. Cebu BRT is eyed to be implemented along the major thoroughfares of the city particularly the Talamban-Bulacao route. within this route, the BRT would replace jeepneys serving this route while those routes that may not be directly hit by the system could either have limited or shorter routes for the remaining jeepneys.

maybe this can help ...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Potential_BRT_Full_Network_for_Metropolitan_Cebu_-_covering_the_cities_of_Talisay,_Cebu,_Mandaue,_and_Lapu-lapu,_passing_through_the_South_Road_Properties_(SRP),_and_connecting_to_the_Mactan-Cebu_International_Airport_(MCIA).png
Potential BRT Full Network for Metropolitan Cebu - covering the cities of Talisay, Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-lapu, passing through the South Road Properties (SRP), and connecting to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA)

there might be other links or corridors later, like say, capitol-banawa-kati-
punan-f.llamas-n.bacalso, but that will depend on the ridership figures later.
jeepneys will still be needed on non-corridor routes but it is really hoped the
shift to walking or biking will be substantial.

What are the chances that BRT would extend as far as MCIA Mr Zidlakan? Was just curious. I know it is still in a planning stage but somehow, I wonder if it is going to be considered in the near future.

What are the chances that BRT would extend as far as MCIA Mr Zidlakan? Was just curious. I know it is still in a planning stage but somehow, I wonder if it is going to be considered in the near future.

within the month, i am officially submitting a proposal to KOICA for pre-in-
vestment studies for an MCIA-SRP line. also, CDIA is also considering amen-
ding the SRP - BRT line from SRP-Mambaling to SRP to City Center through
the coastal road/viaduct. i am lobbying for the extension of this proposal to
NRA and to MCIA.

call it self-serving bias, but i was working for the Cebu BRT before because
i was planning officer of Cebu City; wouldn't it be logical that i lobby for the
MCIA connection, now? :lol:

Wow, prompt response! Thanks for the info Sir!! You're an officer and a gentleman. he he

Ofcourse, that make sense. Too bad my better half doesn't have their ancestral home in Mambaling anymore, I think the chinese pinoy family who bought it turn it into a hardware store. I understand why they finally sold it out, having 666 street number/address doesn't favor them very well. I would love to see BRT to pass through that area as well. :okay:

Wow, prompt response! Thanks for the info Sir!! You're an officer and a gentleman. he he

Ofcourse, that make sense. Too bad my better half doesn't have their ancestral home in Mambaling anymore, I think the chinese pinoy family who bought it turn it into a hardware store. I understand why they finally sold it out, having 666 street number/address doesn't favor them very well. I would love to see BRT to pass through that area as well. :okay:

mambaling will continue to be the crossroads of the BRT in the south. that's
why i was not in favor of the flyover built there! mambaling's face will change
when the transit system will be in-place. it will still be the nice residential
area i've known it to be, having lived there in my early college days, but i
foresee it to be a better livable community - with bike and pedestrian lanes
all connected to the BRT station.


your welcome. usually on weekends, my internet accounts and SSC remain
open and i'm often online. weekdays is another story ...

mambaling will continue to be the crossroads of the BRT in the south. that's
why i was not in favor of the flyover built there! mambaling's face will change
when the transit system will be in-place. it will still be the nice residential
area i've known it to be, having lived there in my early college days, but i
foresee it to be a better livable community - with bike and pedestrian lanes
all connected to the BRT station.


your welcome. usually on weekends, my internet accounts and SSC remain
open and i'm often online. weekdays is another story ...

I wonder if you could be the national advocate for SIDEWALKS. It seems we're losing sidewalks due to widening of roads. I think there's a law for that isn't it? As it is there's nowhere to walk. Maybe 3 metres of sidewalk with trees trees. Bike lanes are more difficult to undertake if the streets are narrow. Maybe we can encourage people to walk more.

As for jeepneys, I would advocate for mini buses or like that new thing called beep, more passengers with standing room.

^i believe people will not be encouraged to walk along sidewalks as weather gets hotter and hotter. Even me will not be encouraged if there are no proper "covered" sidewalks in place.

^^that's why tree lined sidewalks should be a standard, if not arcaded ones.

I have a question. When the BRT is fully implemented, there would no longer be jeepneys right?

so unsaon naman lang to katong mga ruta sa Quiot, Tres de Abril etc? maka-agi ang mga buses didto?

I don't quite understand fully the concept of BRT, hehe. I hope somebody could shed some light on this matter for me. :)



Found this on the net.Maybe it can answer the questions.


Villarete warns Cebuanos anew against LRT
By Jessica Ann R. Pareja/WAB (The Freeman) Updated November 01, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (11)


CEBU, Philippines – Former Cebu City Planning and Development Coordinator and project head of the Cebu City Bus Rapid Transit project, Engr. Nigel Paul Villarete, warned the Cebuanos that if they choose the proposed Light Rail Transit, it will have the same fate as the pending Metro Rail Transit 7 in Manila that has been delayed for nearly a decade now due to lack of funding.

MRT-7 was submitted in 2002, but its implementation this year or even next year is still doubtful, Villarete said.

He said that compared to the BRT, which already has an assured US$350 million funding from the World Bank, LRT may not get the needed funding just like what happened to MRT-7.

"The latest estimate is last quarter of 2011, because no bank is interested in funding it (MRT-7). If you insist on pushing the LRT, we will have to wait until 2021 to see it. If traffic is not bad for you and you want to wait till 2021, then go push the LRT," he said.

MRT-7, once it pushes through, will be the fourth rapid transit line in Metro Manila. The proposal is to build a 23-kilometer line with 14 stations that will traverse Quezon City and part of Caloocan City and will end at San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan.

As of August this year, the Department of Transportation and Communications informed that the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is considering financing the project.

Villarete raised several other points to emphasize that LRT is not for Cebu which is supported by the result of several feasibility studies done in the past.

"Why do we insist on a system that will cost us US$32 million per kilometer, but can carry fewer passengers than one which will cost US$7 Million per kilometer? What I can't understand is why we insist on one which will cost the Cebuanos P15 to P25 fare per passenger, subsidized by the government at P2 billion a year instead of one which the fare is maybe less than P10 at the same speed and comfort, and without subsidy," Villarete added.

The result of the pre-feasibility study for the proposed BRT project in Cebu showed that the BRT will cost about US$7.2 million per kilometer or a total of US$115.2 for the 16-kilometer bus line.

Based on the current jeepney fare, World Bank consultants who conducted the pre-feasibility study projected a revenue of US$15 million a year from BRT operation, which they said, is already enough to sustain its operation including the maintenance.

There will even be a revenue surplus of US$1.5 million which may be used to pay back the infrastructure loan.

Earlier, Villarete said that an LRT station is inconvenient to the passengers than the BRT station because people will have to walk half a kilometer to go to an LRT station, then climb up the stairs up to third or fourth floors while to go to a BRT station, people just have to stroll about 200 meters and climb few steps.

According to him, the LRT is 'regressive infrastructure,' adding "this is building what we don't need and building more than what we need."

"It will happen to us when we build a US$603 million mass transport system and the government is forced to bleed P2 billion a year to support a fare which the poor in Cebu can not afford," he added.

Cebu first district Rep. Eduardo Gullas, in a phone interview, said that Villarete is entitled to his own opinion.

"Nobody can guarantee (if LRT Cebu will become like MRT-7). That's his opinion, he's entitled to it," Gullas said. (FREEMAN)

Found this on the net.Maybe it can answer the questions.


Villarete warns Cebuanos anew against LRT
By Jessica Ann R. Pareja/WAB (The Freeman) Updated November 01, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (11)


CEBU, Philippines – Former Cebu City Planning and Development Coordinator and project head of the Cebu City Bus Rapid Transit project, Engr. Nigel Paul Villarete, warned the Cebuanos that if they choose the proposed Light Rail Transit, it will have the same fate as the pending Metro Rail Transit 7 in Manila that has been delayed for nearly a decade now due to lack of funding.

MRT-7 was submitted in 2002, but its implementation this year or even next year is still doubtful, Villarete said.

He said that compared to the BRT, which already has an assured US$350 million funding from the World Bank, LRT may not get the needed funding just like what happened to MRT-7.

"The latest estimate is last quarter of 2011, because no bank is interested in funding it (MRT-7). If you insist on pushing the LRT, we will have to wait until 2021 to see it. If traffic is not bad for you and you want to wait till 2021, then go push the LRT," he said.

MRT-7, once it pushes through, will be the fourth rapid transit line in Metro Manila. The proposal is to build a 23-kilometer line with 14 stations that will traverse Quezon City and part of Caloocan City and will end at San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan.

As of August this year, the Department of Transportation and Communications informed that the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is considering financing the project.

Villarete raised several other points to emphasize that LRT is not for Cebu which is supported by the result of several feasibility studies done in the past.

"Why do we insist on a system that will cost us US$32 million per kilometer, but can carry fewer passengers than one which will cost US$7 Million per kilometer? What I can't understand is why we insist on one which will cost the Cebuanos P15 to P25 fare per passenger, subsidized by the government at P2 billion a year instead of one which the fare is maybe less than P10 at the same speed and comfort, and without subsidy," Villarete added.

[/B]
Based on the current jeepney fare, World Bank consultants who conducted the pre-feasibility study projected a revenue of US$15 million a year from BRT operation, which they said, is already enough to sustain its operation including the maintenance.

There will even be a revenue surplus of US$1.5 million which may be used to pay back the infrastructure loan.

Earlier, Villarete said that an LRT station is inconvenient to the passengers than the BRT station because people will have to walk half a kilometer to go to an LRT station, then climb up the stairs up to third or fourth floors while to go to a BRT station, people just have to stroll about 200 meters and climb few steps.

According to him, the LRT is 'regressive infrastructure,' adding "this is building what we don't need and building more than what we need."

"It will happen to us when we build a US$603 million mass transport system and the government is forced to bleed P2 billion a year to support a fare which the poor in Cebu can not afford," he added.

Cebu first district Rep. Eduardo Gullas, in a phone interview, said that Villarete is entitled to his own opinion.

"Nobody can guarantee (if LRT Cebu will become like MRT-7). That's his opinion, he's entitled to it," Gullas said. (FREEMAN)

Keep at it Paul. Some pols don't know how to use calculators. Subways are the most expensive, LRT's next, trams/trolleys, next, BRT cheapest. And where will these pols get the money? I find that people and pols' pockets aren't as deep as their dreams. Put their money where their mouth is, and they'll just have gaping mouths full of flies.

^^
Wouldn't it be nice to have wide pedestrian facilities along tree-lined boulevards at SRP once that area is developed? I guess it will be windy in the area and that would also alleviate whatever discomfort may be felt from the hot weather. Pedestrian facilities will complement the proposed BRT there and should be designed to encourage people to walk (or cycle if there is sufficient space) from the station to their destinations.

^^
Wouldn't it be nice to have wide pedestrian facilities along tree-lined boulevards at SRP once that area is developed? I guess it will be windy in the area and that would also alleviate whatever discomfort may be felt from the hot weather. Pedestrian facilities will complement the proposed BRT there and should be designed to encourage people to walk (or cycle if there is sufficient space) from the station to their destinations.

I'm with you on this it would be nice if we can have wide pedestrian facilities just like singapore.

Guangzhou wins 2011 Sustainable Transport Award—video

3ZU-LcN68iE

Any word re the Ayala BRT scheme. It seems the Cebu BRT is progressing nicely and without any political snafu's will be on it's way. On the other hand I'm curious as to the status of the Ayala one.

Any word re the Ayala BRT scheme. It seems the Cebu BRT is progressing nicely and without any political snafu's will be on it's way. On the other hand I'm curious as to the status of the Ayala one.

constructions are on-going along the sidewalks of ayala ave. it looks like they're demolishing the old passenger stations and replacing it with a BETTER one in time for the AYALA-FORT BRT operation next year

Just came across this today. I don't know if it was posted here before.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/html/about/about.shtml

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/8897/brthighcap.jpg

http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/images/photos/brt_busway.jpg

http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/images/photos/curbside_lane.jpg

LZh6bUgjn44

Here's another NYC BRT :)

cEs_HBTZwg8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEs_HBTZwg8&feature=related

Another fron San Francisco propose BRT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l42Tdwjtsww&feature=fvwrel

l42Tdwjtsww

mambaling will continue to be the crossroads of the BRT in the south. that's
why i was not in favor of the flyover built there! mambaling's face will change
when the transit system will be in-place. it will still be the nice residential
area i've known it to be, having lived there in my early college days, but i
foresee it to be a better livable community - with bike and pedestrian lanes
all connected to the BRT station.


your welcome. usually on weekends, my internet accounts and SSC remain
open and i'm often online. weekdays is another story ...

Yeah, I don't think a fly over will be a real good idea at Mambaling area. I like you vision about having pedestrian and bike lanes connected to BRT station. You probably knew my better half's family, they are the owners of that old Sampaguita School. They sold their residential property to a Chinese businessman who owns hardware and lumber stores I believe. They decided to give it up following a string of badluck that involves health and lives, they were in a street number 666, But that's, you know, more of a superstious belief , I don't blame them somehow, it still not really a bad idea to let go and start a new life, to just keep good memories in their hearts and live with what they have right now.

Ayala Land plans to develop bus rapid system along Ayala Avenue
Business Mirror
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/properties/4511-ayala-land-plans-to-develop-bus-rapid-system-along-ayala-avenue

RATIONALIZING vehicular traffic along the Ayala business district is a top agenda of property heavyweight Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) and in a recent briefing with the media, ALI vice president for strategic landbank management group Anna Bautista-Dy said the firm will develop a bus rapid transit (BRT) system starting this year as part of enhancing the mobility of people going into the country’s premier business district. It is expected to be finished in 2012.

She said ALI chose the BRT system over other systems because it provides the lowest cost of operations. “Based on international standards, it will cost $2.5 million per kilometer to build a BRT system,” she said.

For their BRT project, ALI will build the system from the intersection of Ayala Avenue and Epifanio del los Santos Avenue up to Ayala Avenue-Gil Puyat Avenue totaling 4 kilometers.

It has the least cost of the transport system if compared to a rail-based system which is 10 times higher, according to Bautista-Dy.

The BRT system of Curitiba, Brazil is regarded as one of the most successful models in the world. According to www.urbanhabitat.org, “the buses run frequently—some as often as every 90 seconds—and reliably, and the stations are convenient, well-designed, comfortable and attractive.”

The web site added the BRT system in Curitiba “has one of the most heavily used, yet low-cost, transit systems in the world.” It has been described as a system with a lot of the features of a subway system. The difference is that the BRT is above ground.

Bautista-Dy said ALI is also upgrading its traffic system to make pedestrians more comfortable in walking around the area by introducing a newer system where people can operate them. Traffic sensors are synchronized and in certain areas, people can push the traffic buttons, she said.

“What we’re trying to do in the Ayala Center is to connect the people through a special eye for the pedestrians to ensure that if you live there it’s actually easy to move around,” she said.

ALI, along with the Makati Commercial Estate Association (Macea), will invest $8 million to $10 million for the new system which is believed to have the speed and efficiency of a railway system with a minimal cost for operation

“We always view them [Makati CBD and Bonifacio Global City] to be complementary with each other,” said ALI president Antonino Aquino in a briefing.

“As a consequence, we expect to grow together significantly to become an overall business capital of the country,” he added.

The development of the BRT is part of the P20-billion redevelopment plan set to be completed in 2012. Later, the BRT system is envisioned to connect the Makati central business district (CBD) and the Bonifacio Global City, according to Aquino.

He said ALI will also expand pedestrian areas in the Makati CBD to encourage residents and visitors to explore the areas, thus decreasing traffic congestion.

According Aquino, ALI will allocate the P20-billion investment on an equal footing for the residential and leasing component based from Ayala Center’s redevelopment.

Park Terraces, a high-end residential project of Ayala Land Premier, will have a prominent role in the redevelopment with the construction of its second tower.

“Park Terraces represents ALI and that will really be considered as the largest element of residential high-risers in the Ayala area,” Aquino said.

Moreover, the ongoing redevelopment will include the Palm Promenade, which will have outdoor cafes and walkways linking Glorietta complex to Pasay Road, and Terraces Square, which will be situated between Park Terraces and Park Square.

The opening of Holiday Inn and Raffles Hotel, which will rise at the top of Glorietta 1 and 2, will add 700 new hotel rooms, bringing the total number of hotel rooms in Makati to 3,000.

ALI recently reported buoyed bottomline reached P3.94 billion in the first 9 months of 2010, a 35-percent growth from the same period last year.

“It was another good quarter and we experienced strong growth across all our major business lines,” said Ayala Land senior vice president and chief finance officer Jaime E. Ysmael in a media statement.

^^ Yey! Next year na 'to! Pag naging successful 'to I'm sure this will be implemented in other CBDs like Ortigas, FBGC, Filinvest, etc. By 2015 MM will be filled with BRT! :okay::banana:

This is what I've been waiting for. :)

Megaworld's McKinley Hill development has a BRT service in place right? Ayala is now developing a BRT service along Makati's Ayala Ave. which will eventually be expanded to reach and connect to Fort Bonifacio / BGC. This is a really good start in addressing the accessibility problem in and out of Fort Bonifacio especially for the majority of the labor force in this up and coming CBD who commute to work. Here's that article which show's a glimpse of what Ayala's vision for Makati and Fort Bonifacio. Great news indeed!

Ayala Land plans to develop bus rapid system along Ayala Avenue
Business Mirror
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/properties/4511-ayala-land-plans-to-develop-bus-rapid-system-along-ayala-avenue

RATIONALIZING vehicular traffic along the Ayala business district is a top agenda of property heavyweight Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) and in a recent briefing with the media, ALI vice president for strategic landbank management group Anna Bautista-Dy said the firm will develop a bus rapid transit (BRT) system starting this year as part of enhancing the mobility of people going into the country’s premier business district. It is expected to be finished in 2012.

She said ALI chose the BRT system over other systems because it provides the lowest cost of operations. “Based on international standards, it will cost $2.5 million per kilometer to build a BRT system,” she said.

For their BRT project, ALI will build the system from the intersection of Ayala Avenue and Epifanio del los Santos Avenue up to Ayala Avenue-Gil Puyat Avenue totaling 4 kilometers.

It has the least cost of the transport system if compared to a rail-based system which is 10 times higher, according to Bautista-Dy.

The BRT system of Curitiba, Brazil is regarded as one of the most successful models in the world. According to www.urbanhabitat.org, “the buses run frequently—some as often as every 90 seconds—and reliably, and the stations are convenient, well-designed, comfortable and attractive.”

The web site added the BRT system in Curitiba “has one of the most heavily used, yet low-cost, transit systems in the world.” It has been described as a system with a lot of the features of a subway system. The difference is that the BRT is above ground.

Bautista-Dy said ALI is also upgrading its traffic system to make pedestrians more comfortable in walking around the area by introducing a newer system where people can operate them. Traffic sensors are synchronized and in certain areas, people can push the traffic buttons, she said.

“What we’re trying to do in the Ayala Center is to connect the people through a special eye for the pedestrians to ensure that if you live there it’s actually easy to move around,” she said.

ALI, along with the Makati Commercial Estate Association (Macea), will invest $8 million to $10 million for the new system which is believed to have the speed and efficiency of a railway system with a minimal cost for operation

“We always view them [Makati CBD and Bonifacio Global City] to be complementary with each other,” said ALI president Antonino Aquino in a briefing. “As a consequence, we expect to grow together significantly to become an overall business capital of the country,” he added.

The development of the BRT is part of the P20-billion redevelopment plan set to be completed in 2012. Later, the BRT system is envisioned to connect the Makati central business district (CBD) and the Bonifacio Global City, according to Aquino.

He said ALI will also expand pedestrian areas in the Makati CBD to encourage residents and visitors to explore the areas, thus decreasing traffic congestion.

According Aquino, ALI will allocate the P20-billion investment on an equal footing for the residential and leasing component based from Ayala Center’s redevelopment.

Park Terraces, a high-end residential project of Ayala Land Premier, will have a prominent role in the redevelopment with the construction of its second tower.

“Park Terraces represents ALI and that will really be considered as the largest element of residential high-risers in the Ayala area,” Aquino said.

Moreover, the ongoing redevelopment will include the Palm Promenade, which will have outdoor cafes and walkways linking Glorietta complex to Pasay Road, and Terraces Square, which will be situated between Park Terraces and Park Square.

The opening of Holiday Inn and Raffles Hotel, which will rise at the top of Glorietta 1 and 2, will add 700 new hotel rooms, bringing the total number of hotel rooms in Makati to 3,000.

ALI recently reported buoyed bottomline reached P3.94 billion in the first 9 months of 2010, a 35-percent growth from the same period last year.

“It was another good quarter and we experienced strong growth across all our major business lines,” said Ayala Land senior vice president and chief finance officer Jaime E. Ysmael in a media statement.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff18/ericolivarez/Misc/MakatiBRT.jpg

Finally, it's been long overdue as it's time to get rid of our smoke-belching buses and jeepneys in the Metro. I just hope they plan to do this in the whole Metro soon. This will really ease the traffic as well as smoke pollution that we are experiencing right now.

Way to go Ayala. How I wish all the taxes that I'm paying goes to them. !@#$%^&*( incompetent politicians.

^^
:D

korek! how i wish they are the government right now. :okay:

that's a good point... i wonder if the Ayalas would have the cancellation of franchises of jeepneys plying Ayala.... hmmm i don't think they can... if they would be out of Ayala Ave, they'd probably be diverted to Arnaiz Ave or Dela Rosa or somewhere else.. and how about the public buses that cross through Ayala, would they reroute them to Buendia...

that's a good point... i wonder if the Ayalas would have the cancellation of franchises of jeepneys plying Ayala.... hmmm i don't think they can... if they would be out of Ayala Ave, they'd probably be diverted to Arnaiz Ave or Dela Rosa or somewhere else.. and how about the public buses that cross through Ayala, would they reroute them to Buendia...

You're right, no cancellation of franchise. They will implement re-routing. In fact, before this plan was made public. Ayala officials had discussions and agreement with city officials including LTO.

Let this be a test case for what to do with transport systems that should have been phased out a long time ago (jeepneys) in favor of more efficient modes. All the elements are there for a potentially successful PPP in transport. You have a major player from the private sector (Ayala) offering to put up a system that it has studied and designed over the past few years. You have two CBDs in Makati and Taguig that currently serve as the present and future financial centers. And you have the challenge of doing away with an inefficient transport system. Though there sure will be compromises that are not necessarily palatable (e.g., re-routing PUJ and PUB lines) the government should start realizing that it should be more deliberate and even unforgiving when it deals with the issue on PUJ and PUB franchises here. A BRT finally being realized for Makati and Global City will be a showcase. We just hope it will be a showcase of efficient transformation of a public transport system rather than one of futility and ineptness on the side of those in government.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff18/ericolivarez/Misc/MakatiBRT.jpg
Does the proposed Cebu BRT have any renders like this one?

wala pa ata, may plano na pero wala pa sa drawing board...but dont worry pagmatapos ang ayala brt magsusunuran na yan, cebu,davao,ilo-ilo,bacolod,clark,subic,cagayan de oro,butuan-cabadbaran.... lets just hope for the very best!!!!!!!!!

there were initial renders regarding Cebu BRT, on how it might look like, and it was posted by sir Zid in the Cebu BRT thread before... but as I understand it the final renders will be based on the outcome of the feasibility studies, which is not yet completed.

Does the proposed Cebu BRT have any renders like this one?

:okay: there is one already.

actually there is even a potential BRT network for Cebu courtesy from sir paul aka Zidlakan himself but this is not yet final as the project is still on its FS stage at this point. :okay:

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i116/zidlakan/CEBU-BRT/potentialfutureBRTnetwork.jpg

wala pa ata, may plano na pero wala pa sa drawing board...but dont worry pagmatapos ang ayala brt magsusunuran na yan, cebu,davao,ilo-ilo,bacolod,clark,subic,cagayan de oro,butuan-cabadbaran.... lets just hope for the very best!!!!!!!!!

well in terms of private initiatives, then Ayala Makati would be the first one to adopt the BRT system in the country but in terms of public initiatives, the Cebu City Government is all geared up for Cebu City to be the first city in the Philippines to adopt the BRT system and is expected to be operational, hopefully by 2014. :okay:

good luck Cebu!!!! i hope this really becomes a great pilot!

Does the proposed Cebu BRT have any renders like this one?

artist's render of cebu brt:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Artist_Render_-_Cebu_BRT_-_Proposed_Median_Running_Ways_with_Median_Stations.png/800px-Artist_Render_-_Cebu_BRT_-_Proposed_Median_Running_Ways_with_Median_Stations.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Artist_Render_-_Cebu_BRT_-_Efficient_Transport_with_Wide_Sidewalks.png
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Artist_Render_-_Cebu_BRT_-_Efficient_Transport_with_Wide_Sidewalks.png/800px-Artist_Render_-_Cebu_BRT_-_Efficient_Transport_with_Wide_Sidewalks.png

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz162/cebu-BRT/BRT-ayala.jpg

^^thanks for the find bai :okay:

also this one:

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz162/cebu-BRT/BRT-ayala.jpg

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz162/cebu-BRT/BRT-bulacao.jpg

well in terms of private initiatives, then Ayala Makati would be the first one to adopt the BRT system in the country but in terms of public initiatives, the Cebu City Government is all geared up for Cebu City to be the first city in the Philippines to adopt the BRT system and is expected to be operational, hopefully by 2014. :okay:

i know most, if not all of you, would really prefer quick-fix solutions to our trans-
port woes, and i can't blame you for comparing the government's usual slow
process to the quick actions of the private sector. but it's not as if government
would prefer to be slow, at least not all parts of it - some government agencies
do try to address the issues as quickly as possible, only that procedures can
sometimes be really tedious in the interest of transparency and accountability.
after all, while private sector can go ahead and spend its own money, govern-
ment (maybe not all ...) must be careful in spending people's money.

as far as the cebu BRT is concerned, we're on sched, albeit slow as i said,
following both government and financing institutions' schedule. here's the
latest on the FS preparation, from the World Bank website at (worldbank.org):

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/PROJECTS/PROCUREMENT/0,,contentMDK:50004503~pagePK:84269~piPK:84286~theSitePK:84266~isCURL:Y,00.html

(scroll down to the Philippines ...)

PROCUREMENT

MOS - East Asia Region

World Bank Monthly Operational Summary
East Asia and Pacific Region
February 2011
data as of January 15, 2011

© 2011 The World Bank Group, All Rights Reserved.
Terms and Conditions

......

Philippines
Transportation
(N) Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): The objectives are to: (a) improve passenger mobility and access in project corridors by providing an alternative that is safer, more secure, more efficient, and generate fewer emissions; and (b) to demonstrate effective public private partnership arrangements in the Philippines first BRT. Project Concept Review Meeting scheduled for 20 January 2011. Environmental Assessment Category A. US$ 80.0/15.0/15.0 (IBRD/AFD/CIF). Consulting services to be determined. Department of Transportation and Communication, 17/F The Columbia Tower, Ortigas Ave., Brgy. Wack-Wack, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines, Tel: (63-2) 723-1507 , 727-7960, Fax: (63-2) 726-7128, E-mail: gdesguerra@gmail.com, Contact: George Esguerra, Assistant Secretary, Planning

© 2011 The World Bank Group, All Rights Reserved.
Terms and Conditions

twinks! 3 na lang akong post count ...

twinks! 3 na lang akong post count ...

Kabantay sad ko ana! Basta ma-archive imong page sa thread, di na maapil ug ihap imong posts didto. Ug wa kay bisita-bisita, ma zero gyud! Hehehe. Ang uban nga fora using v-bulletin tarong man ang post counters. Lahi lang siguro ug style ang administrator didto!

artist's render of cebu brt:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Artist_Render_-_Cebu_BRT_-_Proposed_Median_Running_Ways_with_Median_Stations.png/800px-Artist_Render_-_Cebu_BRT_-_Proposed_Median_Running_Ways_with_Median_Stations.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Artist_Render_-_Cebu_BRT_-_Efficient_Transport_with_Wide_Sidewalks.png
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Artist_Render_-_Cebu_BRT_-_Efficient_Transport_with_Wide_Sidewalks.png/800px-Artist_Render_-_Cebu_BRT_-_Efficient_Transport_with_Wide_Sidewalks.png

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz162/cebu-BRT/BRT-ayala.jpg
Nice! Nice! :applause:

^^ Good...What a big change. Congratulations to Cebu....

^^
thanks sir. at least Cebu City's streets would be a lot more organize and clean once BRT is in place. i do hope the system will also reach Mandaue, Mactan and Talisay (:D)

i hope pag may brt ayala na ang mga bus ay dadaan na sa gil puyat(buendia) at fully brt nalang ang ayala ave at sa iikotan na rota, nakakasira sa imahe ang mga 1980's bus model mula sa japan, dapat nga 2008 model pataas nalang ang bumabyahe; tayo ang gumagawa para maging malinis ang pangunahing lansangan

sir zid your the best.......!!!!
when will the BRT project will start...?

I think They should have something like this for routes where jeepneys can no longer handle the demand. (eg Taytay - Cubao)

c1MjxB6suiM

^^Wala na bang mas pepeke pa sa video na yan? :lol:

^^thanks for the find bai :okay:

also this one:

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz162/cebu-BRT/BRT-ayala.jpg

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz162/cebu-BRT/BRT-bulacao.jpg

there wont be "road separator" for the bus lanes like this one?

http://dcopywriter.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/brt2.gif
credits to the owner

^^That's a very nice rendering. :cheers:

there wont be "road separator" for the bus lanes like this one?

http://dcopywriter.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/brt2.gif
credits to the owner

i think there should be. and i also think there should BE HEAVY fines to private and PUJ vehicles who go and trespass on the BRT lane. Ambulances siguro pwede pag emergency.

^^^ there should be so buses can be assured of exclusively using the lane traffic-free..

maganda pang philippine setting,makitid ang mga daan, pagmasiraan yung isa labo labo na ang mga susunod na mga bus,kelangan ng magagandang concepts pa....

Angproblem lang dito is kung 4 lanes yung kalye (2 on each side) ang magyayare kasi is magtatanggal tayo ng lane on each side, tama? edi... let's say na may pasaway na jeep (sure akong may rarampa parin kahit may BRT na), biglang nagsakay ng pasahero... wala na agad ang mga nasa likod. Hindi na sila maka-overtake kasi yung "overtaking lane" pang BRT na which will translate to traffic. IMO, ang BRT dapat implement sa mga kalye na at least 3 lanes wide per side. ang LRT naman ay para sa mga roads na 2 lanes per side lang.

pwede naman eh... eh di put another lanes dba? ;p so that 6 lanes na ang mga kalye... then again the main problem is implementation lalo na pag may mga IS na matatamaan...

You can't just add lanes to roads. Pano kung may 30-storey building? ano yun, tatabi nalang nila.

hindi naman siguro maglalagay ng BRT sa makikitid na kalsada. :D kung sakasakali man, baka lagyan nlng ng lane markings instead of concrete separator sa mga makikitid na part.

^^^ I also though about that.. pero ang mangyayari is na gagamitin na ng lahat yun.

hindi maiiwasan yun. papostehan nalang ng traffic enforcer palagi.. :lol:

Actually, p'wede naman ang elevated road or underground tunnels para sa BRT para hindi siya at-grade. Mas mahal nga lang.

Issue with elevated roads, pangit sa view.
Issue with tunnels, mas malawak ang kailangang tunnels for BRT kesa sa metrorail kasi mas malawak na space ang kailangan ng bus para lumaki at kailangan safe ung fuel niya for tunnels.

Angproblem lang dito is kung 4 lanes yung kalye (2 on each side) ang magyayare kasi is magtatanggal tayo ng lane on each side, tama? edi... let's say na may pasaway na jeep (sure akong may rarampa parin kahit may BRT na), biglang nagsakay ng pasahero... wala na agad ang mga nasa likod. Hindi na sila maka-overtake kasi yung "overtaking lane" pang BRT na which will translate to traffic. IMO, ang BRT dapat implement sa mga kalye na at least 3 lanes wide per side. ang LRT naman ay para sa mga roads na 2 lanes per side lang.

jeepneys are not allowed to enter BRT routes sir. BRT will already be the SOLE public transport in the road. Jeepneys will only be allowed to run on secondary roads not served by the BRT. you will never find jeepneys on BRT routes. :)

^^^ if that's the case... I have no problems anymore. It WILL need to have a minimum/maximum speed, though for non-BRT - to ensure smooth traffic flow.

^^
of course, that will be taken into account as well. BRT will have an exclusive lane amongst private vehicles so that it will have a smooth flow of traffic.

^^ you just repeared what I said

^^
:okay:

no probs!

have news. will post tomorrow. i'm still at NAIA in transit to cebu ...;) :) :banana:

seems interesting. ^^

Given that Sir Zid was the former head of BRT for Cebu City and currently the GM of Mactan-Cebu Airport, my best guesstimates is that the there is a go signal for BRT line connecting MCIA and the mainland Cebu on Phase 1. :)

^^basin ang MCIAA ug BRT na tngali nah... :okay:

^^
nice! :cheers:

have news. will post tomorrow. i'm still at NAIA in transit to cebu ...;) :) :banana:

sorry for the delay. i did say i'd post something last wednesday. but after
waiting for months for this thing to happen, writing about it when it did seem
so anticlimactic. besides, it was samuel's birthday last wednesday ...

last monday, i was given a copy of the official letter of DOTC to the World
Bank requesting for the Technical Assistance grant of US$1 Million for the
full-blown Feasibility Study and initial conceptual design of the cebu BRT to
be funded from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF). the letter was actually
dated april 11 but was signed by USEC aristotle batuhan (as acting secretary)
only lasy monday (april 18). this was the long-awaited letter which would
have triggered the start of the study, originally scheduled late 2010 and then
rescheduled 1st quarter of 2011. its april already, but i am just as happy
just th same - at least the letter was signed. now we can rest safe assured
the project is a GO, both sides are already seriously committed to this ...
i mean you don't go around giving grants of US$1 Million just for kicks!
and the government do not ask for such especially because that's already
part of the US$50 Million CTF counterpart which will require the same
amount from the Philippine Government.

took 3 years to get this project finally committed. it first started off with
an april 2008 request from former mayor tomas osmena to the public-private
infrastructure assistance facility (PPIAF) for a grant to do the pre-FS for
the project. the request was evaluated and after 5 months, we got an
initial info that the PPIAF would be favorable to it. january of 2009 we got
the confirmation of the grant with the World Bank going to do the task and
to procure the consultants. after tendering, the WB consultants - integrated
transport planners (ITP) did the pre-FS october to march of 2010, with the
final report submitted to the WB and the city council april. by may, DOTC
has already written World Bank for the FS grant. then elections came.

by the time the new administration set in, world bank was already ready to
proceed with the project. it just needed a written indication from the phil.
government that indeed this is what we want and that we are going to
proceed with this. thus, the late 2010, and early 1st Q 2011 schedules.
DOTC was just too busy with the problems in manila - MRT/LRT fare hikes,
expressway toll rate hikes, fuel price increases, etc. etc, that this letter
took the backburner. but at long last, we got it. now we can roll up our
sleeves and start the hard work. it will take years, the 2013 roll-out date
will have to be moved to 2014, but i think this is okay. BRT's takes some
time to be studied but needs just 18 months for construction, unlike the
LRT which requires 4 years, and even longer time to gestate (MRT-7 in
manila was submitted in 2002 yet and until now, 2011, has not even bro-
ken ground). the World Bank and DOTC will be tendering out the consultants
the rest of the year, let's hope they can engage them before year-end
and really start the work.

have a happy easter, everyone ...

^^
WOW! really excited about this! thanks sir! :cheers:

We here outside Cebu are just watching and waiting with bated breaths as to what will be the results of BRT in a Philippine setting. May this endeavor to solve one of the country's perennial problems become successful.

Thanks for the Good News Sir Zid and kudos to you as well for your efforts in this endeavour....

YES to BRT! and another YES to e-jeepneys for feeder routes! :cheers:

Meanwhile, the proponents of Philtrak along C5 has revived their project and has written to the DOTC, DPWH and MMDA reminding the agencies of their commitments to having that system implemented along C5. They have also written to Ayala regarding the proposed Fort BRT and are claiming copyright over the system.

Meanwhile, the proponents of Philtrak along C5 has revived their project and has written to the DOTC, DPWH and MMDA reminding the agencies of their commitments to having that system implemented along C5. They have also written to Ayala regarding the proposed Fort BRT and are claiming copyright over the system.

copyright for a BRT? y'know, there are always self-serving sectors out there
out to make a killing. i suspect they'll place obstacles after obstacles across the Ayala plan and squeeze money out of investment.

But there is an existing copyright for a design and its registered with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines. 1988 or 89 yata naka-register and it sure looks like drawings for a BRT. This is the same group led by a Mr. Yuseco who proposed the system for C5 back in the 1990s. He has written to DOTC, DPWH and MMDA about this and says that there was a study with the UP Transport Center in 1989 about this. He is being backed by the Philippine Inventors Society.

^^Why? Will the proposed Ayala BRT traverse C5?

But there is an existing copyright for a design and its registered with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines. 1988 or 89 yata naka-register and it sure looks like drawings for a BRT. This is the same group led by a Mr. Yuseco who proposed the system for C5 back in the 1990s. He has written to DOTC, DPWH and MMDA about this and says that there was a study with the UP Transport Center in 1989 about this. He is being backed by the Philippine Inventors Society.

but the design concept of the BRT has existed ever since. i learned it in college
back in 1981. and the BRT in curitiba has been there in 1974? sure there's
none in the philippines yet, but is that a reason to register it as a "new" invention?

but is that a reason to register it as a "new" invention?

It really depends if they're introducing something new. Something that the others don't have. Other than that, I don't thing they can call it a "new" invention. It'd be more of an application or imitation of the invention.

^^I think that was a rhetorical question. The recent conversation explains.

marami ang may plano pero ang marami ay gusto sila lamang ang humawak sa maraming plano....pagmagtuloy tuloy to sigurado kahit isang brt walang maiimplement...

Paul, I think those people claiming as copy right designing of the BRT in the north are the genius. Na nhi tih gyud. :nuts: :bash: :ohno:

The system is registered as a utility model with the name Philippine Track Mass Transport System. There is a separate registration for the stations, which are described like an "elevated city." The latter is registered as Elevated City, also with a Copyright/Patent. Both were registered for Copyright in July 1989. The proponent, Mr. Francis R. Yuseco, Jr. is claiming to have invented the BRT. Problematic here is that this was allowed by the predecessor of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippine back in 1989. Perhaps the examiner was ignorant or didn't bother to check the existence of similar systems particularly in Curitiba, Brazil.

Apparently, there were also MOAs signed among DOTC, DPWH and MMDA supporting the implementation of the system in the 1990's. It was presented, reviewed and endorsed under 4 DOTC Secretaries (Orbos, Lagdameo, Enrile and Lichauco), 1 DPWH Sec (Vigilar), and 1 MMDA chair (Oreta).

Putting aside the claims of Mr. Yuseco of BRT being his invention, it is interesting to me that we could have had our first BRT in the 1990's if the Philtrak was implemented along C5. Metro Manila instead went for rail, with DOTC dismissing BRT for what it perceived as capacity not comparable to EDSA MRT and LRT 2.

^^ baka naman the patent (if ever there is) is for a system in manila lang

^^Anyhow is there any legal means to declare that registration null and void considering the fact that the original BRT concept was invented in Curitiba way earlier (1974)?

Shame of those crabs. That Mr. Yuseco and the government agencies he fooled should have no credibility to their claim to fame.

Let's have a feasibility study on that. :))

When would the BRT FS start sir Paul? I am really excited. I can't wait to see how the stations would look like(hopefully like the one i saw in youtube, not sure where though). I don't really care if its a regular bus, an articulated or bi-articulated as long as the bus looks good, its air-conditioned(dapat mag work talaga) and hopefully people would maintain the cleanliness.argh..excited excited excited.

1st batch of electric buses to ply Buendia
April 30, 2011, 12:54am

MANILA, Philippines – A local company which is working on the importation of initial 10 electric buses from China has been lining up the fleets for deployment along Buendia route.

Green Frog Zero Emissions Co. director Philip Apostol disclosed that the targeted importation would be 38 buses; with an opportunity to scale up to 200 buses until the end of the year. The routes would also be expanded to South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and other areas, such as the Ayala loop.

The last process they have been awaiting prior to importation would be the signing of an agreement with the city government of Makati on their propounded public-private sector partnership (PPP) deal for the project.

Apostol said the company will fully shoulder the costs of importation for the buses as well as the supporting infrastructure, such as charging stations and the alignment of their fare payment mechanism with the system of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) system from EDSA. (great move indeed! so everybody can just use ONE CARD to tap for MRT, buses, etc)

“The initial route will be Buendia but we will expand it as we move forward with the importation of additional buses,” he said.

Apostol is not disclosing yet the cost of the buses’ procurement, but an earlier figure hinted by Energy Secretary Rene D. Almendras was at P10 million for the 10 buses.

“We are still negotiating with the supplier and that includes the cost for the buses,” he stressed, adding that the orders may come around 90 days from the signing of the PPP pact with their partner local government unit.

Green Frog director Servillano Batac similarly emphasized that the fare for the e-buses would be at P8.00, which is comparable to that of the jeepneys and the conventional buses.

He vouched that the overall cost of operating the electric buses could be cheaper, especially on the fuel side as he noted that they can do charging during night-time when electricity charges would be lower as compared to peak rates at daytime.

But like all the other pioneering entities in the envisioned electric vehicle sector, the company is also batting for government-designed incentives, which when feasible should be the pioneer perks being extended by the Board of Investments.

For other cost-alleviating measures, the company noted that it is also negotiating with the Philippine Export Import Credit Agency (PhiExim) for some form of guarantee on the importation of the bus units

sa nagyon p8 lang. dapat nga 5 pesos lang....sa current 10 peso per kilowatt hour....numerical matters

They still have to account for their staff, vehicle maintenance, etc. P8 is very reasonable given you're saving the earth on your way to work.

Are the electric buses to be deployed in Buendia route air-conditioned? If so, the Php8 fare is more than bang for the buck.

1st batch of electric buses to ply Buendia
April 30, 2011, 12:54am

MANILA, Philippines – A local company which is working on the importation of initial 10 electric buses from China has been lining up the fleets for deployment along Buendia route.

Green Frog Zero Emissions Co. director Philip Apostol disclosed that the targeted importation would be 38 buses; with an opportunity to scale up to 200 buses until the end of the year. The routes would also be expanded to South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and other areas, such as the Ayala loop.

The last process they have been awaiting prior to importation would be the signing of an agreement with the city government of Makati on their propounded public-private sector partnership (PPP) deal for the project.

Apostol said the company will fully shoulder the costs of importation for the buses as well as the supporting infrastructure, such as charging stations and the alignment of their fare payment mechanism with the system of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) system from EDSA. (great move indeed! so everybody can just use ONE CARD to tap for MRT, buses, etc)

“The initial route will be Buendia but we will expand it as we move forward with the importation of additional buses,” he said.

Apostol is not disclosing yet the cost of the buses’ procurement, but an earlier figure hinted by Energy Secretary Rene D. Almendras was at P10 million for the 10 buses.

“We are still negotiating with the supplier and that includes the cost for the buses,” he stressed, adding that the orders may come around 90 days from the signing of the PPP pact with their partner local government unit.

Green Frog director Servillano Batac similarly emphasized that the fare for the e-buses would be at P8.00, which is comparable to that of the jeepneys and the conventional buses.

He vouched that the overall cost of operating the electric buses could be cheaper, especially on the fuel side as he noted that they can do charging during night-time when electricity charges would be lower as compared to peak rates at daytime.

But like all the other pioneering entities in the envisioned electric vehicle sector, the company is also batting for government-designed incentives, which when feasible should be the pioneer perks being extended by the Board of Investments.

For other cost-alleviating measures, the company noted that it is also negotiating with the Philippine Export Import Credit Agency (PhiExim) for some form of guarantee on the importation of the bus units

Wheres the link pls? Also wala bang photos ng e-buses? Thank you!

Ito ba yung electric bus?
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/229589260/Electric_Bus_12_Meters/showimage.html

ilang kilometer ba ang ayala loop? 3 km lang....how manyemployees do they have to employ 50? 0r a 100? multiply it by 500 pesos per day....then the daily commuter will ride in ayala loop,around 200,000 passengers.... the ayala-edsa commuters accounts as of day to day basis are around 3 million a day...ayala brt will have the 200,000 passengers per day capacity....20 buses then 50 buses then 120, and 200 buses together with ayala-fort bonifacio phase 2 brt development plan

Wheres the link pls? Also wala bang photos ng e-buses? Thank you!

parang ganyan pero hindi. masyadong malaki.

ang ide-deploy ay small capacity lang - 36 passengers. 16 seated (nakaupo) the rest standing (nakatayo).

it might be something similar to this

http://www.chinabuses.org/uploadfile/product/pdt_upload/201008/20100806034016426.jpg

yung loob might be similar to this. parang the Fort bus din

http://images.travelpod.com/users/jameslawler/1.1302534481.on-a-china-bus-in-guangzhou.jpg

if you've been to hongkong/china/macau, may pinto para sa pasukan kung saan ka mag tap ng card, then may pinto for exit. similar to the Fort Bus. kulang na lang yung card reader na compatible for MRT system in which na lalagyan nga nila. Pag napirmahan na ng "Repbulic of Makati", in 3-months time. magagamit na natin. :banana:

similar electric bus from south korea

56sWFTae4-w&feature=related

Are these electric buses going to REPLACE jeepneys or are they going to add to the volume to traffic along already congested Makati roads? How about their franchises? Are these going to be granted on top of existing ones for jeepneys? Perhaps the proponent should do some homework first before proclaiming the e-bus deployment as if its a done deal. LOL

^^ don't you think they've already done their "homework"?

They still have to account for their staff, vehicle maintenance, etc. P8 is very reasonable given you're saving the earth on your way to work.

Any explanation/s re this statement of yours, sir? Please enlighten me!

^^ don't you think they've already done their "homework"?
Mentioning fares and where they would like to operate is not enough. You stil have to go through the DOTC and LTFRB processes for these. Perhaps the e-buses will complement the proposed BRT? We don't know yet. The article seems to be a press release for their product rather than a real pitch for a service that will require a franchise.

They still have to account for their staff, vehicle maintenance, etc. P8 is very reasonable given you're saving the earth on your way to work.

plus jeep is also P9

another exciting project....sana e....habang maaga, ayala limited the mckinley route to double decker buses....

one by one, we can eliminate those annoying jeepneys....starting with business districts

sana they will extend this all the way to makati gateway (intersection of buendia and SLEX) all the way up to bonifacio gateway (hanggang C5)

Are these electric buses going to REPLACE jeepneys or are they going to add to the volume to traffic along already congested Makati roads? How about their franchises? Are these going to be granted on top of existing ones for jeepneys? Perhaps the proponent should do some homework first before proclaiming the e-bus deployment as if its a done deal. LOL

have you done some RESEARCH!??? YOU should be the one to do your homework FIRST!!!

do you EVEN know what a FRANCHISE MEANS???

Your statement against the GOOD NEWS sounds cocky and IGNORANT. What a PESSIMIST! :cheers:

^^ Agree.

The guy's just being realistic given the frustrating way the government has handled public transport in this country. By your reaction, you seem the one who is ignorant. Every one's entitled to his/her opinion here. Or maybe the rules changed? :lol:

Note, not all good news is as it appears!

have you done some RESEARCH!??? YOU should be the one to do your homework FIRST!!!

do you EVEN know what a FRANCHISE MEANS???

Your statement against the GOOD NEWS sounds cocky and IGNORANT. What a PESSIMIST! :cheers:

The guy's just being realistic given the frustrating way the government has handled public transport in this country. By your reaction, you seem the one who is ignorant. Every one's entitled to his/her opinion here. Or maybe the rules changed? :lol:

Note, not all good news is as it appears!

:lol:

Dude, NO one says you're NOT entitled to your opinion. That itself implies how IGNORANT YOU ARE. :cheers:

OT na kayo sa pag-discuss sino mas ignorante sa inyo. Why don't you just agree to disagree. LOL!

Back to BRT talk...the ADB project team in Davao is currently conducting an assessment of whether a BRT system is feasible for that city. They will make their recommendations upon the conclusion of the sustainable transport study this year.

OT na kayo sa pag-discuss sino mas ignorante sa inyo. Why don't you just agree to disagree. LOL!

:lol::lol::lol:

Mentioning fares and where they would like to operate is not enough. You stil have to go through the DOTC and LTFRB processes for these. Perhaps the e-buses will complement the proposed BRT? We don't know yet. The article seems to be a press release for their product rather than a real pitch for a service that will require a franchise.

not really a good point of comparison ... or speculation - the two are not of
similar genre. an e-bus is a kind of vehicle, or more specifically, it is a vehi-
cle with a specific kind of propulsion. the BRT is a mass transport system
composed of a lot of component systems, one of which is the vehicle and its
propulsion. thus, a BRT system MAY have e-buses for vehicles, as well as a
lot of other kinds of vehicles and propulsion, depending on the specific reali-
ties of the site/city.

and yes, there needs to be further studies on the overall traffic and mobility
situation once a new system or vehicle is introduced. transport systems
do not perform in a vacuum, with each modality adding to the overall
performance (or non-performance thereof). else, we add to traffic congestion
without addressing mobility.

Bus rapid transport eyed

Thursday, May 5, 2011

A STUDY on bus-based mass transit system for Davao City, with exclusive right-of-way lanes, was presented Thursday during the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded seminar-workshop for Sustainable Urban Transport for Davao City at Waterfront Insular Hotel.

Prof. Cresencio M. Montalbo Jr. of the School of Urban and Regional Planning of the University of the Philippines and affiliate faculty of the National Center for Transportation Studies said the construction cost of building rails for rail-based transportation is very expensive.


"Conventional wisdom looks at rail-based transport system as a solution to our transport problem because it is very fast and very reliable. But it is very expensive. So we look at other alternatives and we look at the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) as a viable alternative to railway transport system," Montalbo said.

Montalbo said the city, as a rapidly urbanized area and as one of the prime cities in the Philippines, is faced with a typical urban transport problem.

"In the case of Metro Manila, the traffic congestion is very expensive. It is estimated that the annual fund reserved for traffic decongestion is P140 billion. It is attributable to the loss of man-hours and additional fuel consumption. It also contributes to pollution and the considerable losses of investment opportunities," he said.

Montalbo said vehicular accidents could have also been avoided if roads and transportation system are safe. He said the government is spending billions of pesos due to traffic accidents.

"It is estimated that the national annual cost of traffic accidents is about P105 billion or 2.2 percent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It means that if we could only make our roads safer or our transport system safer, we could probably save the amount and channel these savings to our other needs," Montalbo said.

"In terms of infrastructure costs per kilometer, the BRT transport system would cost $0.5 million to $15 million per kilometer. A similar rail way system costs between $15 million to $40 million per kilometer. It means that the most expensive and sophisticated BRT system's cost is equivalent to the cheapest railway system. And in terms of construction time, because of its light infrastructure requirement, a corridor can be done within one and a half years (18 months) while the rail-based system requires about five years to finish," he said.

"In the case of Davao City, we have come up with a ranked lists based from the different routes of public utility vehicles. It brought us to the identification of a possible BRT corridor which goes through major industrial zones, major commercial zones, and residential zones which gave us about five-kilometer long corridor between the junction of J.P. Laurel going to C.M. Recto to Roxas Avenue then crossing along Quimpo Boulevard Junction and then hitting Mc Arthur Highway. Then it doesn't end there because the BRT buses can go beyond the infrastructure," he said.

With BRT, Montalbo said, bus ways are segregated from the regular lanes and with fixed stations.

He said there will be pre-boarding fare collection, free transfers between corridors, high frequency service and low station dwell times.

He added that the study includes the possibility of involving existing public transport operators. He said competitively-bid concessions are paid on bus-kilometers traveled.

"There is an inherent flaw of our conventional transport system because bus drivers or operators earn based on the number of passengers they carried. But in BRT, they are paid based on the distance they travelled regardless of the number of passengers they carried," he said. (CIO)

Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on May 06, 2011.

BRT is a great invention - unfortunate for Filipinos, things get done so slow in this country........ bagal naman ng BRT Pilot

^^^

Feasibility studies phase..it doesn't happen in a month..you have to look at all angles not just with money..BRT needs an exclusive lane so that it wouldn't impede the lane thus making the BRT useless...and cebu doesn't have wide avenues like manila..we have to widen the roads first so as not to fully close the road for just BRT..and its not just the lane..the BRT stations also take space..and with road widening, the government might have to demolish existing structures to do that..so it's not really a walk in the park..and there are also people who doesn't want it to be implemented because they want their own concept to be done...but sir paul(zidlakan, kudos to him)he is doing his best to have BRT for cebu, because we need it but it needs to be studied and planned to be successful

^^^

Feasibility studies phase..it doesn't happen in a month..you have to look at all angles not just with money..BRT needs an exclusive lane so that it wouldn't impede the lane thus making the BRT useless...and cebu doesn't have wide avenues like manila..we have to widen the roads first so as not to fully close the road for just BRT..and its not just the lane..the BRT stations also take space..and with road widening, the government might have to demolish existing structures to do that..so it's not really a walk in the park..and there are also people who doesn't want it to be implemented because they want their own concept to be done...but sir paul(zidlakan, kudos to him)he is doing his best to have BRT for cebu, because we need it but it needs to be studied and planned to be successful

fully agree, but i've lived in other countries it does not take as long as Philippines... Philippines infrastructure is a completely different animal... In Belgium, there was a proposed construction of a new viaduct road (this is a democarcy and a very bureacratic country) but from proposal stage to completion it took 3 years... had the same issues of ROW etc. etc....

Iba lang talaga lahi natin.... kupad kumilos at walang accountability... everyone is a genius, everyone has a smart thing to say... which then takes 10 years for anything to get done

fully agree, but i've lived in other countries it does not take as long as Philippines... Philippines infrastructure is a completely different animal... In Belgium, there was a proposed construction of a new viaduct road (this is a democarcy and a very bureacratic country) but from proposal stage to completion it took 3 years... had the same issues of ROW etc. etc....

Iba lang talaga lahi natin.... kupad kumilos at walang accountability... everyone is a genius, everyone has a smart thing to say... which then takes 10 years for anything to get done

I agree with you saying that everybody has a smart thing to say. One of the reasons why the BRT in cebu took a long time to start. Some politicians here want the LRT for cebu, but the BRT people i think should be lauded, because they fought the good fight and won, it just so happens other people had other things in mind. sir paul already gave a timeline and right now i have to say they are right on track. hopefully if "other people" will not sidetrack BRT again we might see it break ground on 2014. And, para kc guinea pig ang cebu, we don't have examples here in our country, of course there are lots of BRT samples outside of our country but iba parin kung 1st and we don't want BRT to fail because it's like saying yeah nag LRT nalng sana kami..so im just hopeful the FS would be successful and pray that the groundbreaking of the 1st BRT in the philippines...back read..ZIDLAKAN(sir paul villarete) explained why it took long..and he knows that yes we are getting impatient

fully agree, but i've lived in other countries it does not take as long as Philippines... Philippines infrastructure is a completely different animal... In Belgium, there was a proposed construction of a new viaduct road (this is a democarcy and a very bureacratic country) but from proposal stage to completion it took 3 years... had the same issues of ROW etc. etc....

Iba lang talaga lahi natin.... kupad kumilos at walang accountability... everyone is a genius, everyone has a smart thing to say... which then takes 10 years for anything to get done

^^inu.una kasi ang ating mga labi bago ang action... kaya nga actions speaks louder than words, sa pinas words are spoken than action... in these case take a look in japan, example yung isang highway nasira sa killer quake noong marso, sobrang nasira ang daan yung isang lane na.papaibabaw at yung isa ng submerge talaga, but in just a week natapos agad na.ibalik sa dati yung buong highway... dito sa pinas ang isang highway at isang tulay ay aabutin pah ng taun2x... :ohno:

To all gov't managers....... sana lang we take something from this

"The greatest enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan." -- Prussian General Karl von Clausewitz, Vom Krieg

Laban ng laban, kilos ng kilos onward to a greater and better Philippines.... tama na masyado plano ng plano... a good plan done immediately is better than the perfect plan done 10 years after

^^A perfect plan can never be achieved, but the best plan can be; we have to learn from
past mistakes and make sure that the project is a success. Taxpayers' money is always at
stake in any government project; are you going to risk and irk the public if the project fails?
Do you want another non self-sustaining, subsidized transport system draining the govt. coffers?

There's an older saying that says, "hastes makes waste."

I agree with you saying that everybody has a smart thing to say. One of the reasons why the BRT in cebu took a long time to start. Some politicians here want the LRT for cebu, but the BRT people i think should be lauded, because they fought the good fight and won, it just so happens other people had other things in mind. sir paul already gave a timeline and right now i have to say they are right on track. hopefully if "other people" will not sidetrack BRT again we might see it break ground on 2014. And, para kc guinea pig ang cebu, we don't have examples here in our country, of course there are lots of BRT samples outside of our country but iba parin kung 1st and we don't want BRT to fail because it's like saying yeah nag LRT nalng sana kami..so im just hopeful the FS would be successful and pray that the groundbreaking of the 1st BRT in the philippines...back read..ZIDLAKAN(sir paul villarete) explained why it took long..and he knows that yes we are getting impatient

Both LRT & BRT proposals came from politicians. Just so happen na malakas ang kapit ng mga BRT politician supporters. Anyway, goodluck to BRT. At least man lang kahit isa, merun infra project sa Cebu under Pnoy. Pero Im not so positive if BRT will see light under the current admin. Usad pagong kasi mga infra project ngayon . :ohno:

^^A perfect plan can never be achieved, but the best plan can be; we have to learn from
past mistakes and make sure that the project is a success. Taxpayers' money is always at
stake in any government project; are you going to risk and irk the public if the project fails?
Do you want another non self-sustaining, subsidized transport system draining the govt. coffers?

There's an older saying that says, "hastes makes waste."

I think you miss my point... I did not say mediocre plan or "pwede na ok plan".. Just how do you define good? How is good? A good plan addresses most of what you said maybe not everything but that's the point don't waste time... A good logical plan is enough.... Spending 3 years for feasibility and millions of dollars is in pursuit of perfection...

am really not sure where the 3 years came from. the fs most probably will take
12 months to finish. the pre-fs was 8 months. maybe you included all the other
time needed to source out the funding, getting approvals, procurement proce-
dure and contract management. but if we don't how can we get the fs started
in the first place.

one million dollars is a lot of money. but spending US$1 Million for a US$140
Million project, with a pre-investment study which is not a run-of-the-mill and
mediocre undertaking, with trusted, dependable professionals with proven track
record, is, definitely a very excellent value for money proposition. you may
want to cite a single infrastructure project worth one hundred million dollars wc
was funded and completed without an fs costing a million dollar at least. or ask
anybody involved in multi-billion projects who thinks this kind of fs (and cost) is
not necessary.

and i agree. we're not looking for a perfect plan. far from it. if we did, this
would surely take longer and the preparation studies would cost many time over.
but we need, as you said a good, dependable plan, so that we could start this
project the soonest possible, without sacrificing project viability and integrity
and minimizing the risks. we owe this to ourselves, and to the people who
entrusted their taxes to us for better use. i certainly don't believe you'd like
us to throw away taxpayer's money on half-baked, poorly prepared, risky
projects by foregoing the necessary studies needed, do you? at any rate, i
think if you have a better idea than this usual, regular procedure adopted by
the OECD and out national government, we would gladly like to hear the
alternative. if it's convincing, we can go back to NEDA and the World Bank
and ask them to change their procedures.

It's just a baseless post that wants to lambast the government for EVERY BAD thing in our country.

People who have stayed with this thread longer and who monitored the development, and who got nervous during the change in admin, who have learned to look at this project as if they own it, should know better. And personally, I'm even impressed that this project has come through (or is coming through) relatively unscathed (yet) and although a little delayed, is not very late at all compared to other projects.

Besides, THERE ARE SO MANY government projects that got built with billions of our money (hello lampposts, subpar gov infra..etc) without so much thought and that worries me more.

no, i think it was a valid and legitimate post. i think some people are genuinely
concerned why projects of this sort takes time to prepare and implement and
may cost millions of pesos (or dollars) just for studies alone. but we have to
explain that building a BRT, (or an LRT for that matter), is very much different
from building a schoolbuilding. the level of preparation is different as well as
the costs.

here ... let me repost a similar explanation i had ... this is for procurement, not
for pre-investment studies. but this surely holds true why the cebu BRT takes
a long time to mature and costs a million dollars just to prepare the study ...

allow me to explain a bit why this is so ...

if you buy a box of chocolates, you just go to the store and buy it.

if you build a website, you scout around for hosting and domain-name, then
build it or have it built. might takes you 2 weeks. in my case, i did one in
one day (he he, no kidding ..., just a simple one ...), usually within 5 days,
using CMS software.

if you are buying say a house and lot (where you will spend the rest of your
life with your family), a condo unit, or a car, how long will it take to do it?
i believe you cant do that even in 2 weeks.

the reason why any private person (or private firm for that matter) can do
the decision as soon as they can is because its their own money, and if you
make a mistake, it's your money. the reason why it may take longer for a
house and lot compared to a box of chocolates is because the level of cost
and risks are different ... you can afford to lose a couple of bucks in making
a wrong choice in buying chocolates, you may not want to be wrong in
buying a house.

now a question to all of us, if government will build an P8 Billion airport termi-
nal, bid out the North Rail Train, or buy a fighter plane, would it be okay for
you that government people will simply take two weeks to do it? or would
you rather have government people take steps in ensuring that people's
money would get its worth? i wouldn't think so.

the difficulty here is that government can not make different guidelines for
buying a helicopter and buying a box of chocolates. in fact, this afternoon,
i had a meeting to the BAC and i have to explain to them why we need to
follow RA 9184 to the letter - the cost of the procedure in buying a box of
paper clips which may cost less than P100 is more than P2,000! in other
words, whether we are building the new terminal, creating a website, or
buying ball bearings for the baggage conveyor belt, the guidelines is only
one - R.A. 9184. we don't have the luxury of the discretion to risk or lose
government funds - making a mistake and losing billions or pesos or just a
few pesos is the same violation (and imprisonment, he he). i am not wri-
ting here about the MCIAA website, but about government procurement in
general, and why it seems slow (an understatement!). all the safeguards
are incorporated in the law to prevent or pre-empt graft and corruption. and
there is still rampant graft and corruption, how much more if the safeguards
are not there. try to read the procurement law at this address:

http://www.coa.gov.ph/tsolmp/TSOIntra/Appendices/Appendix%203/Revised%20IRR.RA9184_2009.pdf

and i hope you appreciate that government really took great lengths to try
to ensure we would have a cleaner government. in the end, it's the people's
choice. and sometimes, that's why many people wouldn't want to join gov't.
- its a thankless job. you can only guess why other people seem to relish
staying in government - its either a genuine and sincere desire to help (in
spite of ...) or ... kabaw na mo ... for other non-noble reasons.

again, let this not be seen as a justification but as an attempt for us in
gov't to explain to the public how government works and the reason for the
seeming incompetence ...

Haha. Yeah I realize that, I was too harsh there. I just woke up when I posted and my mood was still somewhat sore. But I admire your patience with us here @Zid considering that many complaints actually point directly to you as person in charge and I was the one who took offense. Lol. The best way to address his comment was to explain and that's exactly what you did.

Anyway, I was saying that even if his observation were true for the most part of government projects, the BRT isn't really as bad as the others in terms of schedule (at least for now). And as I've said, there are other government projects that worry me more.

can i ask if the one in Singapore is a BRT? it is very nice and well organized even if the roads are narrow. i really admire it.

Singapore doesn't have a BRT. Maganda lang talaga ang network and service ng buses, hehe.

Zid - my post has served its purpose knowing that you being a major stakeholder/leader in the cebu brt agree that speed and just right planning is indeed the right way forward. I have personal experience in building multi billion dollar projects but in the private sector. I also lived in other countries thru yeas of service in my company working with govt but philippines is by far the slowest of all govt I have worked with. Timetables we assume and who are accountable are usually the main problems with philippines. People assigned specific work in govt agencies have millions of reasons for delays which is frustrating specially to private sector employees.

I think the worst going against philippines and your project is that it also needs donor funding. My brother in law worked in the us congress budget office and during the financial crisis in the usa they could fs, approve and start spending within 180 days what they called shovel ready projects..... My last point, it is possible to speed up work if philippines wanted to we need to benchmark.... Believe me in my experience govt work in philippines with or without donor funding is super slow. I blame accountability and just pure lack of stress.... Not sure why never worked in govt so I might be wrong here. I have the bad feeling govt employees don't like tight timelines to keep stress away.

year 2000, philippines was in a tax break war with singapore for my company billion dollar investment. Guess what singapore responded within days / week to our proposals. Philippines took 2 to 3x the time singapore used and guess what our ceo said screw philippines let uis go to singapore....

^^^^

Totally agree w/ you. Every Filipino knows that our govt is slow, & inefficient. There may be some exceptions, but that is the general rule. While I understand that there are procedures to safeguard the project against corruption, the snail paced devt of this projects is just not justifiable. That's why we lost out a lot of investment oppurtunities to our Asian neighbors.

Zid - my post has served its purpose knowing that you being a major stakeholder/leader in the cebu brt agree that speed and just right planning is indeed the right way forward. I have personal experience in building multi billion dollar projects but in the private sector. I also lived in other countries thru yeas of service in my company working with govt but philippines is by far the slowest of all govt I have worked with. Timetables we assume and who are accountable are usually the main problems with philippines. People assigned specific work in govt agencies have millions of reasons for delays which is frustrating specially to private sector employees.

I think the worst going against philippines and your project is that it also needs donor funding. My brother in law worked in the us congress budget office and during the financial crisis in the usa they could fs, approve and start spending within 180 days what they called shovel ready projects..... My last point, it is possible to speed up work if philippines wanted to we need to benchmark.... Believe me in my experience govt work in philippines with or without donor funding is super slow. I blame accountability and just pure lack of stress.... Not sure why never worked in govt so I might be wrong here. I have the bad feeling govt employees don't like tight timelines to keep stress away.

year 2000, philippines was in a tax break war with singapore for my company billion dollar investment. Guess what singapore responded within days / week to our proposals. Philippines took 2 to 3x the time singapore used and guess what our ceo said screw philippines let uis go to singapore....

only that we may have a different interpretation of delays or of slow. the
way i look at it, the project is not delayed, not is it slow since we are moving
more on less on schedule. for me a delay is when a project is proceeding
much slower than it is originally scheduled.

this morning, i attended the kick-off meeting of the project preparation study
of the cebu BRT at the DOTC central office. tomorrow, the world bank mis-
sion for the study will be in cebu for the preliminary discussions with the
city government which will culminate in a meeting back in manila on friday.

as far as funding is concerned, the studies already have a funding facility
from the CTF, and its implementation is already earmarked under the same
window facility as approved last december 2009. it doesn't need donor
funding; it already has donor funding ...

@isla, am really not sure what you meant that "the snail paced devt of this
projects is just not justifiable." what do you mean by snail paced? can you
make it any faster? or could you cite a single "first BRT" project from any
country which was realized in a time much shorter than this, from the time
of project inception? honestly, i understand you impatience. but let me
assure you, the project pace is just right, or even quite fast, to the surprise
of many in the development field! try to scan development projects of this
genre, scope, and magnitude, in the philippines, or other similarly-placed
countries. name one which has a much faster gestation period. there might
be a few but this project is fairly and surprisingly fast-paced ...

just to drive home a point, consider the following:

the cebu BRT started is pre-feasibility study in 2009. now we are starting
the full-blown FS. when did the manila BRT start its FS? - 2005 yet (see
here --> http://www.cleanairinitiative.org/portal/node/2926). now, the
cebu BRT is starting the FS ahead of the manila BRT.

the MRT Line 7 submitted its proposal to NEDA in 2002 yet. until today, it
has not materialized and construction is yet to start.

sure everything could be made faster ... if we have the money. the congress
of the US can, since they can appropriate the funds right away - even funds
to be loaned to other countries or even given away for free. but we don't
and funds are limited, to be distributed hopefully to more priority sectors. we
are at that stage that we still need ODA, and ODA does not come like manna
from heaven - they are availed of in accordance with set guidelines, which
mean we can't dictate project appraisal, pacing, and approval.

take a look and benchmark it - the cebu BRT project IS one of the fastest
moving project in the philippines, and i'm happy when you complain its moving
too slow - he he he, it only means you can't wait till it's finished! :)