Puerto Rico's Public Transportation: Fixing a Broken System by Tairis Alvarez

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Puerto!Rico’s!Public!Transportation:!

Fixing!a!Broken!System! !!!!!!

Tairis!M.!Alvarez!Mullert!

Professor'Martha'Kohen''''ARC'6911'–'Sustainable'Urbanism'''November'2012 '

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KEYWORDS:!!

Public!transport,!changing!stigmas,!coordination,!integration,!positive!change! !

Public!transport!is!a!shared!passenger!transportation!service,!which!is!available!for!use!by! the!public,!and!is!dissimilar!from!such!modes!as!taxicab,!carFpooling!or!hired!buses,!which! are! not,! shared! by! strangers! without! private! arrangement.! Public!transport! modes! may!include!buses,!trolleybuses,!trams!and!trains,!rapid!transit!such!as!metros!and!ferries.!! !

The!island!of!Puerto!Rico!faces!many!challenges!such!as!high!unemployment!rate,!rampant! violence,! and! general! frustration! with! the! way! the! country! is! headed! but! one! of! its! main! problems!since!the!industrial!revolution!has!been!its!almost!reverent!attitude!towards!the! automobile.!It!seems!human!dignity!has!been!lost!to!the!industrial!revolution.!In!order!to! find!solutions!to!this!problem!the!cities!of!Curitiba,!Bogotá!and!Zürich!have!been!chosen!as! “model! cities”! because! of! their! successful! efforts! to! change! their! car! oriented! cities! into! more! livable! places! with! their! public! transportation.! The! principles! learned! from! these! cities! will! be! utilized! to! design! a! functional! transportation! system! that! could! be! implemented!in!the!metropolitan!area!of!San!Juan,!Puerto!Rico.! !

Puerto'Rico' ' Puerto! Rico,!officially! the!Commonwealth! of! Puerto! Rico,! is! an!unincorporated! territory!of! the!United! States,! located! in! the! northeastern! Caribbean,! east! of! the!Dominican!

Republic!and! west! of! both! the!United! States! Virgin!

Islands!and!the!British!Virgin!Islands.!In!1917,!Puerto!Ricans! became! U.S.! citizens! and,! today,! the!United! States!

Congress!legislates! many! fundamental! aspects! of! Puerto!

Rican!life.!! !

In! the! early! 20th! century,! the! greatest! contributor! to! Puerto! Rico's! economy! was!agriculture!and! its! main! crop! was! sugar.! In! the! late! 1940’s,! a! series! of! projects! codenamed!Operation! Bootstrap!encouraged! a! significant! shift! to! manufacture! via! tax! exemptions.!Manufacturing!quickly!replaced!agriculture!as!the!main!industry!of!the!island.!! !

As! Puerto! Rico! went! from! an! agricultural! to! an! industrial! and! service! economy,! cars! not! only!became!more!attainable,!but!also!necessary.!Mimicking!U.S.Fstyle!development,!many! people!abandoned!urban!centers,!particularly!San!Juan,!as!Puerto!Rico!built!more!roads!per! square!mile!than!most!places!in!the!world.!For!a!small!Caribbean!island!with!more!vehicles! per! capita! than! stateside,! the! results! are! devastating! and! commuters! who! deal! with! San!

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Juan's!maddening!gridlock!are!paying!the!price.!!Traffic!jams!that!turn!threeF!and!fourFlane! expressways!into!virtual!parking!lots!for!miles!have!become!an!everyday!occurrence.! !

The!worst!traffic!in!the!United!States!is!not!in!Los!Angeles,!not!in!New!York!City,!not!even!in!

Atlanta,!it!is!in!San!Juan,!Puerto!Rico.!There!is!more!than!one!vehicle!for!every!two!people! in! Puerto! Rico,! it! is! the! most! densely! populated! U.S.! state! or! territory! aside! from!

Washington,! D.C.! More! than! a! third! of! the! island's! 4! million! people! live! in! the! San! Juan! metropolitan!area,!and!more!than!half!work!there.!However,!when!it!comes!to!mass!transit,!

San!Juan!is!stuck!in!the!1960’s.!! !

Model!Cities!

Curitiba,'Brazil' !

Curitiba!is! the!capital!and! largest! city! of! the!Brazilian! state!of!Paraná.!As!of!2010,!the!city!had!approximately!

1,760,500! inhabitants,! making! it! the!eighth! most! populous! city! in! the! country,! and! the! largest! in!

Brazil's!South! Region.! Its! metropolitan! area,! called!Curitiba!Metropolitan!Area!has!a!total!population! of!over!3.2!million.! !

The!bus!system!of!Curitiba,!Brazil,!exemplifies!a!model!Bus!Rapid!Transit!system,!and!plays! a!large!part!in!making!this!a!livable!city.!The!buses!run!frequently!and!reliably;!the!stations! are!convenient,!well!designed,!comfortable,!and!attractive.!Consequently,!Curitiba!has!one! of! the! most! heavily! used,! yet! lowFcost,! transit! systems! in! the! world.! It! offers! many! of! the! features! of! a! subway! system,! vehicle! movements! unimpeded! by! traffic! signals! and! congestion,!fare!collection!prior!to!boarding,!quick!passenger!loading!and!unloading!but,!it! is!above!ground!and!visible.!Around!70!percent!of!Curitiba’s!commuters!use!the!system!to! travel!to!work,!resulting!in!congestionFfree!streets!and!almost!pollutionFfree!air!for!the!2.2! million!inhabitants!of!Curitiba.! !

Car!infrastructure!absorbs!most!of!a!city’s!budget.!There!is!a!conflict!for!funds!between!the! needs!of!the!automobile!and!the!needs!of!the!poor!for!such!imperatives!as!schools,!parks,! housing! or! public! transport.! Moreover,! there! is! a! conflict! for! space! between! cars,! pedestrians,! cyclists! and! buses.! The! city’s! transportation! system! dealt! with! this! problem! and! has! been! successful! at! prioritizing! their! needs! over! the! needs! of! the! automobile.!

Curitiba’s!success!has!inspired!many!cities!around!the!world!to!adopt!their!ideas,!however,! the!system!is!not!as!efficient!because,!the!system!must!be!fully!adopted,!which!has!not!been!

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occurring.!So!far,!only!the!City!of!Bogotá,!Colombia,!has!completely!adopted!the!system!and! it!has!became!an!example!for!other!cities.! !

' Bogotá,'Colombia' !

Bogotá! is! the! main! economic! and! industrial! center! of!

Colombia!and!is!one!of!the!largest!industrial!centers!in!Latin!

America.!Bogotá!is!the!most!populous!city!in!the!country!of!

Colombia,! with! 7,363,782! inhabitants.!! If! Bogotá! and! its! metropolitan! area! are! included,! the! population! grows! to!

7,881,156.!! !

Bogota!was!chosen!because!many!of!its!political!and!social! problems!closely!mirror!those!of!Puerto!Rico.!Politicians!are! easily!corrupted,!there!is!rampant!violence!and!probably!worst!of!all,!the!selfFesteem!of!the! nation!is!at!an!all!time!low!with!a!vast!majority!of!the!population!either!leaving!the!country! or! just! accepting! the! country’s! bleak! future.! Nevertheless,! from! the! darkness! came! a! shimmer!of!hope!for!the!country’s!transportation!problems.!! !

The!TransMilenio!'rapid! transit! system'! was! created! during!Enrique! Peñalosa's! mayoral! term,!and!is!a!form!of!bus!rapid!transit!that!has!been!deployed!as!a!measure!to!compensate! for! the! lack! of! a! subway! or! rail! system.! TransMilenio! combines! articulated! buses! that! operate! on! dedicated! bus! roads! and! smaller! buses! that! operate! in! residential! areas,! bringing! passengers! to! the! main! grid.! While! in! recent! times! it! has! encountered! some! opposition! because! of! its! rising! fares,! it! is! still! a! model! of! how! a! seemingly! dysfunctional! city! can! come! together! and! implement! one! of! the! best! transportation! systems! in! Latin!

America.!Puerto!Rico!has!some!hope!after!all.! !

Zürich,'Switzerland' !

Zürich! is! the! largest! city! in!Switzerland! with! a! metropolitan! population! of! 1.83! million,! Zürich! is! a! leading!global!city!and!among!the!world's!largest!financial! centers.!The! city! is! home! to! a! large! number! of! financial! institutions! and! banking! giants.! In! addition,! most! of! the! research! and! development! centers! are! concentrated! in!

Zürich!and!the!low!rate!of!tax!attracts!overseas!companies! to!set!up!their!headquarters!there.!In!2012!it!was!ranked!first!on!a!list!of!the!top!25!cities!in!

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5! ! the!world!"to!make!a!base!within"!and!according!to!several!surveys!from!2006!to!2008,!it! was!named!the!city!with!the!best!quality!of!life!in!the!world!as!well!as!the!wealthiest!city!in!

Europe.! !

It! is! interesting! to! see! how! a! city! with! one! of! the! highest! levels! of! income! per! capita! has! overcome!the!negative!stigma!of!public!transportation!and!has!persuaded!about!80%!of!its! population! to! regularly! use! this! form! of! transportation.! People! in! Zürich! are! definitely! "choice"!riders;!they!can!effort!private!forms!of!transportation!yet!the!city's!public!transit! system!has!been!able!to!attract!them.! !

How'did'these'cities'achieve'their'impressive'results?' !

These! results! came! about,! in! part,! because! of! the! population’s! dissatisfaction! with! the! status!quo!of!cars!before!people.!Politicians!and!residents!were!able!to!work!together!and! modify! existing! traffic! laws! in! order! to! achieve! their! greater! goal! of! a! great! livable! city.!

While!each!city!handled!the!problem!in!their!own!way!all!of!them!had!very!similar!“rules”,! these!are!some!of!them:! !

• Transit! investments! complement,! and! are! coordinated! with! major! land! use! decisions.!They!must!be!built!in!unison.!Most!of!the!urban!transportation!problems! are!due!to!this!lack!of!coordination.! !

• Regional! and! national! routes! must! be! coordinated! and! integrated! for! greater! ease.!

These! systems! need! to! be! easy! to! use! and! navigate! for! the! citizens! and! potential! tourists!who!are!not!familiar!with!the!area.! !

• Enhance! the! speed,! reliability! and! comfort! of! riding! public! transportation.! If! the! system!is!reliable,!residents!will!use!it!because!of!its!allure!of!low!fares!compared!to! high!gas!prices!and!speed!to!and!from!the!final!destination.! !

• Lighting! priority! at! intersections.! Individual! signal! transmitters! allow! the! bus! or! tram!to!signal!its!approach!to!a!traffic!light.!This!will!cut!the!time!traveled!as!well!as! improve!its!punctuality.! !

• One! ticket! is! good! for! all! modes! of! transit.! The! payment! method! should! be! simple! and! having! to! pay! only! once! to! get! to! your! destination,! is! ideal! for! speeding! up! boarding!times!as!well!as!keeping!fares!affordable.! !

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Traffic! calming.! Slowly! make! it! more! difficult! and! uncomfortable! to! be! in! a! car! rather! than! be! in! the! public! system! (parking! fare! increases,! lower! speed! limits,! fewer!parking!spaces,!etc.).!

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Public!transit!must!be!comfortable,!reliable!and!faster!than!traveling!by!car.!If!it!is! not!reliable,!people!will!prefer!traffic!jams!where!they!are!in!control!of!the!vehicle! than!the!unpredictability!of!an!unreliable!public!transport.!

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Include! the! public! in! major! decisions.! Public! voting! on! all! major! infrastructure! projects! (any! project! with! a! budget! greater! than! $6.6million).! Involving! citizens! in! these!important!decisions!will!make!them!feel!identified!with!the!projects,!they!will! become!more!informed,!they!will!get!involved!because!their!voices!are!being!heard,! they!will!invest!in!the!greater!good!and!ultimately!be!proud!of!their!contributions!to! the!community!which!will!increase!moral!and!productivity.!

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Encourage!walking.!Walking!pulls!together!all!the!elements!of!the!transport!system,! it!is!the!glue!of!the!transport!system!and!without!pedestrians,!the!city!is!dead,!and! the! urban! quality! is! lost.! It! is! fair! to! say! that! many! smaller! improvements! to! the! everyday!walking!experience!are!more!valuable!than!a!single!major!prestige!project.!

Walking! must! be! a! feelFgood! experience;! this! is! the! key! to! successful! transport! planning.!

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Use!marketing!and!advertising.!These!strategies!will!increase!the!daily!users,!inform! them!of!any!new!developments!and!in!places!like!Puerto!Rico!and!Bogotá!it!can!be! used!to!change!peoples!perception!of!public!transport.!

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Use!design!elements!to!create!a!sense!of!pride.!In!Zürich,!for!example,!the!trams!and! buses!have!the!blue!and!white!colors!from!their!coat!of!arms!therefore;!they!are!a! beloved!part!of!the!city!and!the!citizens.!

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In! the! long! term,! develop! threeFlevel! transit! systems.! These! systems! may! include! buses! or! trams! for! short! trips,! metro,! train! or! subway! systems! for! intermediateF length! trips! within! cities,! and! suburban! rail! systems! for! longerFdistance! travel! within!the!region.!This!will!create!a!broader,!more!complete!system.!

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Curitiba! and! Zürich! are! famous! for! their! public! transportation.! You! can! get! almost! anywhere! in! the! country! using! a! combination! of! trains,! trams,! boats,! buses,! mountain! railways,!or!cable!cars.!Moreover,!not!only!is!it!possible!to!do!this,!it!is!easy.!All!these!forms! of!transportation!are!coordinated!so!that,!for!instance,!the!lake!steamer!you!want!to!take!in!

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Lake!Lucerne!is!coordinated!with!the!arrival!of!the!intercity!train!from!Zürich,!so!you!can! walk!across!the!plaza!in!front!of!the!Lucerne!train!station!to!the!boat!dock!and!within!five! minutes! the! boat! will! leave.! This! attention! to! detail! is! what! makes! these! systems! reliable! and! widely! accepted! by! the! public.! This! is! what! everyone! interested! in! implementing! an! efficient!transport!system!should!aspire.!

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Main'transportation'problems'in'Puerto'Rico' !

In! most! metropolitan! areas,! bus! systems! exist! but! are! underutilized! because! importance! of! cars! in! society.! As! mentioned! before,! infrastructure! for! cars! is! prioritized! over! public! transport,! public! common! areas! and! even! education.!

Puerto! Rico! is! not! the! exception.! ! The! island’s! Metropolitan!

Authority! of! Buses! or! AMA! for! its! Spanish! acronym! offers! service!to!eight!municipalities.!It!has!routes!that!cover!part!of! the!metropolitan!area!and!271!buses!overall,!yet!it!is!a!failed! system.!One!would!think!the!obvious!choice!would!be!to!use! the! public! transport! system;! it! is! cheaper,! less! stress,! no! traffic! jams,! but! why! is! it! most! people! avoid! it! like! the! plague?!! !

Unfortunately!riding!the!bus!still!has!a!negative!social!stigma,!and!most!people!prefer!the! convenience! of! riding! their! cars! to! work,! even! if! it! means! being! stuck! in! traffic! jams! for! hours.! In! Puerto! Rico,! the! busses! are! late! and! unreliable,! “undesirables”! can! be! usually! found,! and! because! they! do! not! have! an! exclusive! lane,! buses! inching! their! way! through! congested!streets!do!not!win!much!support!and!their!inherent!advantages!are!nullified.! !

The!problems!in!Puerto!Rico,!and!many!places!suffering!from!the!same!problems,!cannot!be! solved!by!simply!adding!more!busses.!The!main!problem!with!these!metropolitan!cities!is! that!they!are!not!dense!enough.!Housing!developments!cover!thousands!of!acres!and!loose! their!connection!to!city!centers!and!all!their!amenities.!To!solve!this!problem,!the!general! populous! needs! to! change! their! ideas! of! the! perfect! house.! People’s! ideas! of! their! perfect! living!arrangements,!both!in!Puerto!Rico!and!throughout!the!United!States,!usually!include! a! nice! house! with! a! big! backyard.! While! this! is! a! beautiful! idea,! in! today’s! overpopulated! world!it!cannot!always!be!possible!or!practical.!New!developments!need!to!become!denser! and!give!priority!to!open!public!gathering!areas!such!as!parks!instead!of!making!the!car,!its! main!priority.!! !

On! December! 2004,! construction! began! on! the! Tren' Urbano,! a! 10.7Fmile!fully! automated!rapid!transit!that!serves!the!metropolitan!area!of!San!Juan,!and!has!stops!in!the! !

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municipalities! of! Bayamón!and!Guaynabo.! All! 16! stations! are! elevated! or! close! to! ground! level! except! for! two! underground! stations! in! Rio! Piedras,! where! the! main! university! campus!is!located.!“The!train,!which!during!peak!times!could!carry!up!to!40,000!passengers! an!hour,!will!start!southwest!of!San!Juan!and!continue!to!the!center!of!the!city!of!Bayamon.!

It!will!travel!through!parking!lots,!by!a!mall,!a!stadium!and!coliseum,!then!snake!through! residential!suburbs!to!the!south!during!the!morning!commute.!Plans!call!for!it!to!head!into! the!island's!premier!medical!complex,!Centro!Medico,!before!stopping!at!the!University!of!

Puerto!Rico's!main!campus!in!Rio!Piedras,!in!the!southern!part!of!San!Juan.!The!train!will! then! zip! through! the! heart! of! the! Hato! Rey! financial! district! and! end! at! Sacred! Heart!

University! at! the! edge! of! San! Juan's! deteriorated! commercial! and! residential! hub! of!

Santurce.”!Or!so!the!Department!of!Transportation!and!Motor!Vehicles!claimed.! !

The! project! was! finished! four! years! behind! schedule,! the! final! cost! of! $2.25! billion! was! nearly!double!the!estimated!cost!of!$1.65!billion,!and!the!island’s!residents!are!paying!for! most!of!it,!$962!million!during!the!next!35!years!through!tolls,!gas!taxes!and!other!fees,!and! a!$300!million!lowFcost!federal!loan.!The!rest!came!from!Washington:!a!$307!million!grant! and! another! $400! million! in! federal! highway! and! transit! funds! that! local! authorities! earmarked!for!the!train.! !

Unfortunately! after! this! massive! investment,! its! effect! has! been! mediocre! at! best.! The! system!is!state!of!the!art!yet!it!fails!to!provide!service!to!essential!parts!of!the!metropolitan! area!such!as,!Old!San!Juan,!Santurce!and!the!Luis!Muñoz!Marín!International!Airport.!Parts! of! Guaynabo,! Bayamón,! and! San! Juan! are! also! ignored! as! well! as! important! suburbs! like!Cataño,! Toa! Baja,!Toa! Alta,!Caguas,! Carolina,!Trujillo! Alto! and!Canóvanas,! which! help! explain! low! ridership.! Integration! of! the! existing! public! mass! transit! systems,! such! as! the!Metropolitan! Bus! Authority! and! the! Acuaexpreso! (an! urban! ferry),! also! remains! a! challenge!for!the!Department!of!Transportation!and!Motor!Vehicles.! !

The! use! of! bicycles! as! an! urban! mode! of! transport! is! growing! in! Puerto! Rico,! despite! the! lack! of! proper,! widespread! bicycling! infrastructure! that! Puerto! Rican! law! requires.! The! Tren!Urbano!allows!bicyclists!to!bring!their!bicycles!into!the!train!with!them!as!part!of!its! “biciFtren”!program,!but!critics!point!out!that!the!program!is!not!widely!advertised!to!the! public.! This! new! bicycle! trend! shows! the! desire! of! Puerto! Ricans! for! change.! Everyone! is! looking!for!ways!to!save!money!on!gas!and!free!themselves!from!the!stressful!commutes,! which!have!unfortunately!become!the!norm.!It!is!time!for!change!! !

How'can'the'ideas'acquired'from'the'model'cities'be'implemented'in'Puerto'Rico?' !

A! successful! transportation! system! listens! to! the! users! needs;! therefore,! it! is! essential! to! identify!the!city’s!main!hubs!in!order!to!design!routes!that!will!pass!by!these!“hot!spots”.!If! !

9! ! routes!are!designed!around!places!large!numbers!of!people!want!to!go,!they!will!be!more! inclined!to!use!it.!In!order!to!draw!a!preliminary!map!of!possible!routes,!eight!categories! were! designated! in! order! to! know! which! “hot! spots�! could! not! be! overlooked.! These! are! those!categories!along!with!the!current!available!AMA!bus!and!Tren!Urbano!routes:!! !

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Hospitals:!This!is!essential,!especially!for!seniors!who!can!no!longer!drive.!

Malls:!They!provide!entertainment!and!jobs!for!many.!

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Parks:! Provide! easy! access! to! these! parks.! This! would! encourage! lifestyles! that! are! more! active!and!help!with!the!growing!obesity!problem.!

Tourist! attractions:! If! given! the! option! tourist! would! much! rather! take! public! transportation!than!rent!a!car!or!take!a!taxi!which!are!more!expensive.! !

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High! volume! job! areas:! If! more! people! choose! the! public! transport! option! to! get! to! their! workplace!there!would!be!less!stress!and!fewer!kilometric!traffic!jams.!

Airports:!This!is!crucial;!one!has!to!give!tourist!and!residents!alike!the!option!of!getting!to! and!from!the!airport!by!public!transportation!rather!than!private!car!or!taxi.! !

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Nightlife:! If! these! routes! pass! by! or! near! popular! nightclubs,! it! could! greatly! decrease! accidents!caused!by!drunk!drivers.!

Universities:!Students!transportation!needs!are!often!overlooked.!The!vast!majority!of!the!

Tren!Urbano!users!are!students.! ! !

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As!one!can!see!from!the!diagrams!above,!many!if!not!all!of!these!main!hot!spots!are!ignored! or! are! simply! not! integrated! enough! for! them! to! be! useful.! Cities! and! transportation! investments!have!to!be!coordinated!with!major!land!use!decisions.!Unfortunately,!up!until! now,! major! housing! developments! have! taken! place! without! any! formal! transportation! planning,!in!many!cases!the!planning!has!been!so!deficient!even!cars!can’t!transit!properly.!

This! is! why! it! is! imperative! that! developers! be! in! constant! communication! with! the! department! of! transportation! and! motor! vehicles! and! the! needs! of! the! people! not! be! ignored.! !

Creating!an!efficient!transport!system!is!crucial!because!it!halts!the!vicious!transport!circle! of!building!roads,!creating!more!traffic,!and!again!building!more!roads!in!response!to!the! increase.!At!4,300!vehicles!per!paved!mile,!San!Juan!has!by!far!one!of!the!highest!densities! of!vehicles!on!the!road!of!any!country!in!the!world.!The!city!is!served!by!five!limitedFaccess! expressways!and!highways!and!numerous!arterial!avenues!and!boulevards,!but!continues! to!suffer!from!severe!traffic!congestion.!This!downhill,!destructive!train!of!thought!has!to! end! for! the! good! of! the! beautiful! island! of! Puerto! Rico.! Therefore,! public! spaces! must! be! designed! for! pedestrians.! The! motto! should! be:! to! build! cities! where! all! transport! modes! are!welcome,!but!pedestrians!are!kings.! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Manatí Park & Ride

Vega Baja Park & Ride

D orado Pueblo

Kennedy

San Jerónimo

San Patricio

Los Filtros

C aparra

San Francisco

Le ón

Ashford

C ondado

Ashford

San Mateo

Minillas

Rename: C oliseo Hato Rey

Piñero Rename: Justicia Universidad

Rio Piedras

T ourist Line

O cean Park

PR-26

C onnecting the Airport, Hotels, C onvention C enter, D ocks & Marinas and the O ld San Juan T ourist Spots.

Júpiter

Santurce Extension T he current proposal is a new light rail line. A full extension of the current Heavy Rail line should be built underground.

Local drivers pose a great risk to any possible rail vehicle on a shared right of way.

Q uisqueya

C aney

Villamar

Baldorioty Line

Vistamar

C ampo Rico

C arolina T ram Line 2

La Victoria

C arolina C entro

Alcaldia C arolina

T wo lines of trams proposed by the Mayor of C arolina to connect C entral C arolina to the Isla Verde area

C arolina T rams

Universidad del Este

Plaza C arolina

Express Buses

Provide a one seat ride from areas outside the metro area to the main network.

Alleviates congestion on roads and saves time.

G urabo

Juncos

San Lorenzo

Escorial

PR-26

C onnects major residential areas of C arolina with the Airport and the employment center of Santurce

C arolina T ram Line 2

Iturregi

C ountry C lub Shopping C enter

C arolina T ram Line 1

C arolina T ram Line 2

Los Angeles

Laguna G ardens

Aeropuerto

Shared T rack Isla Verde Ave.

Isla Verde

Plaza Internacional

C ountry C lub

C arolina T ram Line 1

C ampo Rico O este

T ram Line 1Extension C onnect the new Plaza Internacional project and provide more service to busy C ampo Rico avenue.

C arolina Line

PR-3

Berwind

T rujillo Alto C orridor Feeding the C arolina T U Line with residents from this major residential area.

Metrópolis

Feeder line for Urban C aguas.

Provides much needed mass transit connections to destinations in C aguas.

Interurban C aguas Ring

Encantada

T rujillo Alto Pueblo

Saint Just

Villa Universidad

T rujillo Expwy

Venus G ardens C oncordia

Sabana Llana

Provides relief to the busy PR-3 corridor. C onnect major centers of C arolina with all of San Juan business centers.

Barbosa N orte C onnecting two major job centers along one of the most important avenues.

Extending to Barrio O brero to service blue-collar workers.

Roosevelt Line

Roosevelt

PR-30

PR-1

PR-32 / 189

C aguas Pueblo

PR-1/ PR-32

PR-1

Luis Muñoz Marín

D egetau

Universidad del T urabo Avenida G urabo

PR-189

T rujillo Alto Barbosa Sur

Las C umbres Line

Fairview

Feeder line that goes through major residential areas in the South Metro Area. Provides additional east-west connection.

C atalinas

Plaza C entro

Provide relief to PR-52 and connect C aguas to the Main T U line. Service needed areas of South San Juan.

C aguas Line

C upey Bajo

Señorial

C upey

D omenench

Plaza Las Américas

Sagrado C orazón

de

Parada D e D iego Las Flores Providencia 18 PR-26

Miramar

Po nc e

Puerto N uevo

Roosevelt Ave.

C entro Médico

C aimito

Montehiedra PR-52

PR-172 / C T urabo

C aguas Sur

PR-784

Bonneville

PR-196 / 156

Jardín Botánico

PR-52

Apolo

Bairoa

Las Lomas

C onnects G uaynabo with working centers in Santurce.

Also provides alternative north-south connection.

G uaynabo-Santurce

Altamira

Parque C entral

Ventana Puerta de C onvenciones al Mar T ierra

Aeropuerto Isla G rande

SJ W aterfront

Ave. Ponce de Leon

C ovadonga

Ballajá Plaza C olón Escambrón

T orrimar

Martínez N adal

Mtnez N adal

Buchanan / Metro O ffice Park

Bechara

C reating a vital link between both of San Juan Airports and C onvention C enter D evelopment

T ourist Extension

La Puntilla Muelles

PR-165

Plaza de Armas

C ataño Pueblo

Palmas PR-22

Shared T rack or along river

Jardines

Mtnez N adal

Esmeralda

PR-199

G uaynabo Pueblo

Beverly Hills

La Muda

G uaynabo Este

Future PR-199

Santa Rosa

PR-5

D eportivo

Bayamón C entro

San Juan Metro Area Mass T ransit D ream Map

/

Parque de las C iencias

PR-167

Rio Hondo

Levittown

by: Joel Villarini contact: joelvillarini@ gmail.com date: January 22nd 2007 version: 3.0

Hato T ejas PR-2

Santa Juanita

Forest Hills

Pájaros

C aná

Santa Juanita Park & Ride Interamericana Bayamon

PR-1

Villa Blanca

C aguas - G uaynabo C onnects the PR-1corridor with G uaynabo, C entral C aguas and the main T U line.

Provides an auxiliary route to the C aguas - C upey light rail.

C ayey Park & Ride

One of the most complete San Juan metro area Mass Transit maps. This map was designed by Joel Villarini

Feeding the main T U Line with one of the biggest residential corridors of the Metro Area.

167 C orridor

Rexville

PR-167

C aribbean University

Bayamón O este

C onnecting the residential areas of D orado and Bayamón with industrial job centers of C ataño and the Hato Rey core in a one-seat ride.

D orado Extension

PR-22

C opyright 2008 Joel Villarini

Unnamed D orado PR-693

T ext

Faded C olor

C andelaria

Legend Heavy Rail Light Rail Bus Rapid T ransit T ram O ther Possibilities Express Bus to Park & Ride Station Underground Station 2 Line T ransfer 3 Line T ransfer Express Bus T erminal W ater

Road to follow

Possible San Juan Bay T unnel

C anovanas Extension

C onnect emerging residential areas with the rest of the C arolina Line.

C anóvanas Belz Park & Ride

C olobos C omandante

C arolina T ram Line 2 C arolina T ram Line 1

Estadio Roberto C lemente

T ribunal C arolina

PR-66

Future possible routes added to the Tren Urbano

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Bibliography' ' ! ! ! ! ! !

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Nancy!Morris!(1995).!Puerto'Rico:'Culture,'Politics,'and'Identity.!Praeger/Greenwood

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico#Economy!

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bootstrap!

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tren_Urbano!

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http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoridad_Metropolitana_de_Autobuses!

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http://www.dtop.gov.pr/transporte_urbano/index.asp!

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http://www.sbb.ch/en/corporation/sbbFkeepsFswitzerlandF moving/punctuality.html!

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http://www.andynash.com/zrhFpages/ZRHpublictransport.html!

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http://www.planetizen.com/node/53044!

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurich#Transport!

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Environment'and'Urbanization,!October!1992!vol.!4!no.!2!p.!62F73!

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El'transporte'público'colectivo'en'Curitiba'y'Bogotá.!Revista!de!Ingeniería,!núm.!21,! mayo,!2005,!p.!106F115!

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http://www.wharton.universia.net/index.cfm?fa=viewArticle&id=2245&language= english!

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Strategies'for'successful'urban'transport'delivery:'Zurich's'Transport'Policy. Ruedi!Ott

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Norman!Y.!Mineta.!Implementation'of'Zürich’s'Transit'Priority'Program.!

International!Institute!for Surface!Transportation!Policy!Studies.!Created!by!

Congress!in!1991

•

Timothy Beatley, 1957. Green Urbanism: Learning from European Cities. Island Press

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Image 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico

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Image 2: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12313808

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Image 3: http://www.africanwildlifesafaris.com.au/south_america/colombia.html

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Image 4: http://www.luventicus.org/maps/europe/switzerland/zurich.html

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Image 5: San Juan Mass Transit Dream Map by Joel Villarini

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Image 6: Future Routes by Department of Transportation and Motor Vehicles of Puerto Rico

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Maps by Google maps and edited by Tairis Alvarez

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