Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China


Project Name: Guangzhou BRT Planning, Design, Implementation and Operation

Duration
January 2005 to August 2019
Client
Climateworks Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, RBF, Grantham Foundation. Work was done under an ITDP MOU with the Construction Commission of Guangzhou
Project Features
The Guangzhou BRT opened in 2010, with a 22.4km long corridor and 26 stations. The system carries 800,000 passengers per day and uses a ‘direct service’ BRT operational mode in which BRT buses enter and leave the BRT corridor, greatly reducing passenger transfers compared to a trunk-feeder configuration. One directional passenger throughput of 23,500 passengers per hour per direction is more than double the passenger throughput of any other BRT system in Asia, and is the second highest in the world after Bogota's Transmilenio (which in turn has nearly double the peak throughput of the Guangzhou BRT). The Guangzhou BRT and integrated bike sharing system won the 2011 Sustainable Transport Award and was acknowledged as a UNFCCC 'Lighthouse Award' recipient in 2013. The Guangzhou BRT was the first BRT system in Asia to receive a 'Gold Standard' rating in the BRT Standard scoring system, though with operational deductions this has since been downgraded to Silver.
Far East Mobility Role
Although the work mostly took place for the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), prior to Far East Mobility's incorporation in 2015, Far East Mobility experts and consultants were heavily involved in virtually all aspects of the Guangzhou BRT planning, design and implementation from the initial project concepts in 2005 and 2006 to the planning, design, implementation and commencement of operation in February 2010. See this link for more details of Far East Mobility experts in the Guangzhou BRT.
Updated: 30/12/2020

Project Name: BRT and TOD Projects and Policies in Chinese Cities

Duration
January 2016 to January 2019
Client
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Project Features
Far East Mobility built upon earlier work in Guangzhou and Guiyang in carrying out research, planning and design on BRT and TOD issues these and other cities, attempting to incorporate often-overlooked TOD considerations such as pedestrian networks, setback usage, off-street parking standards and other aspects into ongoing BRT planning and supporting sustainable transport measures and good practice documentation.
Far East Mobility Role

This TOD and low carbon development oriented work included:

  • BRT planning covering several additional corridors in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province, building on earlier BRT planning.
  • A TOD plan for the BRT corridor in Yangon, Myanmar. This work was carried out with BRT Planning International and an overview and the project report is available at www.fareast.mobi.
  • Proposed measures to improve and resolve operational issues in the Guangzhou BRT, as documented here.
  • An additional attitudinal survey of Guangzhou BRT passengers to assess how the system was perceived approaching a decade of operation. (The results were surprisingly positive.)
  • Documentation of best practices in NMT improvements in Shenzhen, assessing how Shenzhen has achieved much more in this area than has been achieved in Guangzhou. Agencies related to land use and transportation in Shenzhen were interviewed.
  • Proposed demonstration projects for NMT and TOD improvements in Guangzhou, with an improvement zone developed in the Jianshe Xincun and Taojin areas. Several measures were implemented and Far East Mobility also carried out baseline surveys so that the impacts of these measures can later be assessed.
  • Ongoing documentation of BRT systems through www.brtdata.net especially in China and Asia. The database was updated with additional BRT Standard scores, and information on new or expanded lines in Chengdu, Xiamen, and other cities.
  • A parking study in Ji’an, China, covering on-street and off-street parking and related policies and strategies.
  • Field observations to assess the performance of ‘best practice’ low carbon urban development case studies identified in 2010 including the Donghaochong Greenway and mixed-use developments in Liuyun Xiaoqu and Lizhiwan Canal.
  • Development of cooperation with the national Public Transport Association based in Shanghai, and with GMEDRI.
  • Presentation of BRT/TOD best practices at conferences including the Transit Metropolis and dissemination of lessons learned.
Updated: 30/12/2020

Project Name: Guangzhou Walkway & Bike Lane Improvement Planning

Duration
December 2015 to June 2016
Client
Design Institute for City Transport Department
Project Features
The Construction Bureau of the City Government carried out plans and design for pedestrian facility improvements in several areas of Guangzhou in 2015, including areas where Far East Mobility experts had previously carried out studies and were therefore familiar with.
Far East Mobility Role

Far East Mobility provided input to a larger project of a design institute, assisting with several important aspects of the study including

  • Surveys and data collection, including an innovative moving surveyor method of counting pedestrians which is far more efficient than stationary counts;
  • Selection of demonstration areas for NMT improvements, and then preparation of designs and plans and associated visuals and CAD drawings for the demonstration areas;
  • Bike lane planning in the demonstration areas;
  • Bike sharing system planning (though the dock-based system would become obsolete during 2016 when the dockless systems were introduced.)
Updated: 30/12/2020
The Guangzhou BRT has featured in many publications and seen hundreds of visiting delegations.

Guangzhou BRT: parts of the untold story (2017.9)
Eight Steps to Make Guangzhou BRT Great Again (2019.8)
Guangzhou BRT Passengers Still Satisfied (2019.8)
Guangzhou BRT Impact Analysis (2019.8)
Guangzhou BRT Site Visits & Training
Guangzhou BRT data & photos
Jianshe Xincun & Taojin Improvement Proposals




Jianshe Damalu crossing
Jianshe Ermalu crossing

Taojin Metro shade (1)

Rendering of a proposed high capacity BRT station at Taojin in front of the Garden Hotel