Post 19: Buses and a Government Office in the Jungle
Today we started the day off with breakfast at the hotel and then a lecture in the hotel auditorium about wind power. After this, I went with a group of people to the grocery store down the street to pick up some stuff we will need for the week (including a jar of Nutella, of course).
For the majority of the day, we were at Curitiba city hall learning about the bus system in the city. I've always been interested in transportation engineering, so the presentation they gave was really interesting to me. I wish that the U.S. would pick up some of these great ideas. The city of Curitiba has 85.6 km of exclusive bus lanes. These bus lanes are actually separated from the road with cars, so they basically have their own roads. You never have to walk more than 500 meters to get to a bus stop from anywhere in the city, which makes public transportation very convenient and easier than driving. There are bus routes that spread outward, from the center of the city, and bus routes that go in circles around the city center, connecting different neighborhoods. The bus stops are especially cool. They have a cool design (a round tubular looking thing), and they have entrances where you swipe a card or ticket to get in or out. You stand inside the bus stop until your bus arrives, doors open, and then you step on the bus at the same level. This means you avoid the hassle of paying as you get on the bus, and you don't even have to walk up stairs to get on. It makes boarding faster and the buses can stay on time.
After this trip, we visited the department of the environment in Curitiba. These government buildings were incredibly cool because they were integrated into the middle of a rainforest-like park. They were made out of recycled logs and telephone poles, were lit with all natural lighting, and were completely open to air so they required no air conditioning or heating. There was a creek running through the whole complex. You could hear birds and monkeys everywhere and it felt like we were in the middle of the jungle. All I could think was that I wanted to either work there, or just plain live there. It was just so cool that it was all sustainable, but also cool that it was in a beautiful location. I've never seen anything like it.
Plus, the monkeys are just adorable.
For the majority of the day, we were at Curitiba city hall learning about the bus system in the city. I've always been interested in transportation engineering, so the presentation they gave was really interesting to me. I wish that the U.S. would pick up some of these great ideas. The city of Curitiba has 85.6 km of exclusive bus lanes. These bus lanes are actually separated from the road with cars, so they basically have their own roads. You never have to walk more than 500 meters to get to a bus stop from anywhere in the city, which makes public transportation very convenient and easier than driving. There are bus routes that spread outward, from the center of the city, and bus routes that go in circles around the city center, connecting different neighborhoods. The bus stops are especially cool. They have a cool design (a round tubular looking thing), and they have entrances where you swipe a card or ticket to get in or out. You stand inside the bus stop until your bus arrives, doors open, and then you step on the bus at the same level. This means you avoid the hassle of paying as you get on the bus, and you don't even have to walk up stairs to get on. It makes boarding faster and the buses can stay on time.
(this picture is not mine but it accurately shows what the bus stops look like)
After this trip, we visited the department of the environment in Curitiba. These government buildings were incredibly cool because they were integrated into the middle of a rainforest-like park. They were made out of recycled logs and telephone poles, were lit with all natural lighting, and were completely open to air so they required no air conditioning or heating. There was a creek running through the whole complex. You could hear birds and monkeys everywhere and it felt like we were in the middle of the jungle. All I could think was that I wanted to either work there, or just plain live there. It was just so cool that it was all sustainable, but also cool that it was in a beautiful location. I've never seen anything like it.
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