Mexico City has another lesson for Los Angeles – dedicating existing lanes of street traffic to develop a Bus Rapid Transit network.   I took one of these busses the other day from the Zona Rosa neighborhood I’m staying in to Condessa to meet with representatives from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.

With traffic in Mexico City as backed up as Los Angeles, these Rapid Buses speed through the city and come every few minutes.  They are clean, modern and very affordable ($5 pesos per ride…about 40  cents). 

The platforms are in the middle of the street and are shielded from the noise of the traffic with glass and stone walls.  The bus I rode had standing room only. 

In a city struggling to move it’s people, this investment has increased mobility and reduced pollution.  It took political will from the City’s elected officials and sustained advocacy from ITDP to make this happen.  For more information about this project and ITDP, check out their posting on the subject.