Skip to main content

Mobility for Mexico

Urban mobility is high on the infrastructure agenda in Mexico. While highways continue to be a priority, capital Mexico City and other large cities across the country are looking to implement mass transport systems such as bus rapid transit (BRT) lines.
May 3, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Urban mobility is high on the infrastructure agenda in Mexico. While highways continue to be a priority, capital Mexico City and other large cities across the country are looking to implement mass transport systems such as bus rapid transit (BRT) lines. At the heart of Mexico City's transport policy is a contradiction that is typical of the country as a whole. The government is spending big on line 12 of the metro system and has introduced the first Metrobús BRT line in the country, but continues to concession the construction and operation of large tollroads, including the controversial Supervía Sur-Poniente highway.

Business News Americas spoke with Salvador Herrera, executive director of the 4182 Centre for Sustainable Transport (CTS), a non-profit organisation supporting sustainable transport, about the elements of a sustainable transport system, the structural limitations affecting policy implementation and Mexico City's addiction to the car. Herrera said, "The most important topic for 2012 will be the creation of an integrated public policy that benefits both mobility and urban development."

Mexico’s big cities face mobility challenges, including the construction of more highways and improved public transport. Herrera said, “The centre's focus is on an integrated transport system. For the last few decades the country has focused on infrastructure dedicated to the car. We want to challenge this paradigm so that infrastructure is directed at different forms of mobility. This includes prioritising modes of transport that contaminate less, and move more people in a safe and efficient manner.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Russia to become the world’s largest infrastructure market?
    February 20, 2012
    Russia should be one of the largest and most dynamic infrastructure markets in the world over the next 15 years, and now "the time is right to begin a major push." Patrick Smith reports
  • Europe's mobility future
    February 28, 2012
    Mobility for Prosperity in Europe (MPE) recently ran a Dinner Debate in the European Parliament to discuss the White Paper on Transport policy with a view to 2050.
  • Ukraine’s shattered highways
    July 26, 2024
    With no end to its war with Russia in sight, Ukraine is also fighting hard to cope with a growing backlog of major infrastructure projects, especially in terms of rebuilding the country’s roads and bridges. David Arminas reports.
  • International Transport Forum: public vs private policy debate
    December 4, 2014
    Simply banning cars in parts of major cities will not necessarily greatly improve the air quality over time, a new report has found. The answer for cutting carbon emissions is to get the right balance of private and public transportation along with infrastructure developed to sustain the mix, according to the International Transport Forum (ITF), a think tank within the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The ITF evaluated the potential impact of transport policies on urban carbon