ALM UNDP

Summary:

Although Santiago’s transport system at appraisal in 2003 was less chaotic than systems in other large Latin American cities, air pollution was acute and the transport sector suffered from a number of serious problems, which needed to be addressed. These included the following:

* High air pollution levels, with transport as the major contributor to local emissions;
* Exponential increase in car ownership and use putting pressure on the urban transport system through growing traffic and congestion (in the period between 1977 and 2001, car ownership in Santiago increased from 320 cars to 560 cars per 1000 households, the number of person trips went up by 69%, the share of motorized car trips increased
from 12.3% to 38.09%, and the average length of these trips went up as well);
* Relative deficiencies in the organization of the bus system (for instance, bus operators competed for passengers in the streets, which generated operating inefficiencies and dangerous driving; fragmented bus ownership and few sizable companies, poorly coordinated and chaotic transport supply that did not adapt to demand levels, oversupply during off-peak hours contributing to unnecessary congestion, pollution and increased operating costs; long bus routes crossing the city center and the most heavily used corridors; lack of fare integration between buses and the metro increasing travel costs and reducing accessibility, especially for the poor); and
* Limited inter-agency coordination at metropolitan level (incipient coordination among the agencies dealing with transport and air pollution mainly due to the diversity of sectors and actors and the absence of a transport coordinating body at the metropolitan level).

_Source:IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION AND RESULTS REPORT ON A GEF GRANT FOR A SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT AND AIR QUALITY FOR SANTIAGO PROJECT, March 2010._