W3 North will also get an exclusive lane.
I predict that the new bus corridor will be operational by May 15th; the bus lanes on EPNB, EPTG, and W3 Sul are already in operation.
Brasília 247 – Brasília already has a date to get its fourth exclusive bus lane. By May 15th, the W3 Norte avenue will also have a lane for buses only. The one on W3 Sul has been in operation since March 15th, but is not yet issuing fines to drivers who do not respect the restricted lane.
In these almost two months, citizens, according to a technical study carried out by the Urban Transport of the Federal District (DFTrans), are saving about 15 minutes per day. The analysis was done with those who use the exclusive urban lane in both directions, during the morning and afternoon periods. “Users are spending at least one hour less per week on the bus. This is a significant gain for public transport users, who represent the vast majority of users of this route,” highlighted the Director-General of DFTrans, Marco Antonio Campanella.
Student Rodrigo de Lima, 23, highlighted the benefits of the exclusive bus lane, such as saving time. “The traffic flows much better. With the lane, we don't wait as long at stops because everything is more efficient. I'm from Planaltina, and I get home much faster. If I used to spend an hour, now I spend 45 minutes. I have 15 minutes to do something else,” concluded the student. Manager Marlucia Coelho, 32, also celebrated being able to get home earlier. “Before, cars prevented buses from stopping in the lanes. Now I can catch the bus on time, I get home faster, I live in the 505 South area,” she assessed.
Another survey by DFTrans indicates that each bus operating during peak hours represents 60 fewer cars on the streets. Currently, each car carries the driver and, at most, one passenger.
The next roads to receive the exclusive bus lane will be the South Police Sector road, Avenida Hélio Prates (in Taguatinga and Ceilândia), the Monumental Axis, the Structural Road, and the North Exit.
Exclusive lanes on highways
The promotion of public transportation use is also happening on the Estrada Parque Núcleo Bandeirante (EPNB), since December 27, 2011, and on the Estrada Parque Taguatinga (EPTG), implemented on January 31 of this year. “On the EPNB, many users are already leaving their cars at home and using that corridor, which was the first one we implemented,” Campanella recalled.
Technical studies show that on a single trip, the user is saving 30 minutes. Considering the round trip, the citizen spends one hour less per day. The exclusive corridor serves 70% of the road's users during peak hours. There are 14,000 public transport users per hour during peak hours, between 6:00 AM and 9:30 AM. “That's five hours a week that the user doesn't spend on the bus, allowing them to be with their family, arrive at work earlier, return home earlier, and do other activities. This means improved quality of life on the EPNB,” Campanella emphasized.
One of the main measures to improve urban mobility in the Federal District is also showing good results on the EPTG (Estrada Parque Taguatinga-Guará), where users spend 15 minutes less on their commute to and from work, on the eight-kilometer stretch. Self-employed Maria de Jesus Araújo, 30, approved the change. “Before, it took me almost two hours to get home. Now, I'm home in one hour. I live in QNQ, in P Norte, and work in W3 Sul. On the EPTG, it's super fast, it's a direct route. I leave home at 8 am and arrive here at 9 am. I don't encounter any traffic.”
Fines
The Department of Highways is the agency that fines drivers who violate the bus lane regulations. Since February 13th on the EPNB highway, and since March 5th on the EPTG highway, fines have been applied to drivers of cars that invade the exclusive bus lanes. The same applies to bus drivers who encroach on car lanes. The fine for violating the rule on the EPTG is R$ 126,69 (serious offense) and five points on the driver's license. On the EPNB highway, the fine is R$ 56,27 (minor offense) and three points on the driver's license.
Enforcement on W3 Sul remains educational, with awareness campaigns for drivers using brochures and information about how the lanes work. After the adaptation period, drivers who use the exclusive lane will have to pay a fine of R$ 53,20. The infraction will be considered minor, resulting in the loss of three points on their driver's license. Enforcement is carried out by teams from Detran (Department of Traffic) and the Military Police Traffic Battalion (BPTran).
With information from Agência Brasília.