Agency’s Project ID: 2178

GEFSEC Project ID: n/a

Country:Guatemala, Panama, Chile

Project Title:Promoting Sustainable Transport in Latin America

GEF Agency: UNEP

Other Executing Agency(ies): UNEP Risø Centre, municipality of Guatemala City; Transit and Road Transport Authority of Panama (ATTT); Executive Transport Secretariat of the Chilean Government (SECTRA)

Duration: 5 years

GEF Focal Area: Climate Change

GEF Operational Program: OP 11

GEF Strategic Priority: CC 6

Estimated Starting Date: November 2005

Implementing Agency Fee: USD 88 718

Financing Plan (US$)
GEF Project/Component
Project / 960 750
PDF A* / 25 000

1Sub-Total GEF

/ 985 750

1.1Co-financing**

GEF Agency
Government
Bilateral
NGOs
Others:
Government of Guatemala,
Government of Panama, Government of Chile,
URC / 380 000
789 600
151 000
103 000
Sub-Total Co-financing: / 1 423 600
Total Project Financing: / 2,409,350
Financing for Associated Activity: Leveraged co-financing: $25,000,000, Guatemala City

* Approval date of PDFA: 8 Sept., 2003

** Details provided in the Financing Section

Contribution to Key Indicators of the Business Plan:

-Total direct CO2 emissions reduction of 100,000 tonnes per year (preliminary estimate)

-3 cities with integrated urban transport plans and much improved urban transport systems.

-24 km. of bikeways constructed and efficiently used.

-Expanded BRT system in place in one city.

Record of Endorsement on behalf of the Government:
Country, Name, Position and Ministry / Date (day/month/year)
Guatemala:30/04/2003, Ministry of the Environment
Panama:25/6/2003, General Administrator National Environmental Authority
Chile:12/05/2003, National Commission for the Environment
This proposal has been prepared in accordance with GEF policies and procedures and meets the standards of the GEF Project Review Criteria for approval. / This proposal has been prepared in accordance with GEF policies and procedures and meets the standards of the GEF Project Review Criteria for a Medium-sized Project.
Name & Signature
Olivier Deleuze
Officer-in-charge
UNEP/DGEF
Tel: +254-20-7624686
Fax: +254-20-7624041 / 7624042 / Project Contact Person:
Lew Fulton, DGEF

Jorge Rogat, URC
email: / Project Contact Person
Date: January 4, 2006 / Tel. and email:

Table of Contents

1Sub-Total GEF

1.1Co-financing**

A.PROJECT SUMMARY

A.1Project Rationale and Objectives

B. Country Ownership

C.2.Project Design

C.2.aDescription

Objectives

C.2.bCurrent Situation

C.2.cExpected Project Outcomes, with Underlying Assumptions and Context

C.2.dActivities and Financial Inputs Needed to Enable Changes

C.3Sustainability Analysis and Risk Management

C.4. Replicability

C.5. Stakeholder Involvement

C.5.a Project Preparation

C.5.b Public Involvement Plan

C.6. Monitoring And Evaluation Plan

D – Financing

D.1 Incremental Cost Assessment

D.2. Financing Plan

E. Institutional Coordination and Support

E.2. Consultation, Coordination and Collaboration between and among Implementing Agencies, Executing Agencies, and the GEF Secretariat, if appropriate

Project Support

National Project Management

Project Steering Committee and Advisory Group

F. LIST OF ANNEXES

List of Figures and Tables

Table 1: Budget for Project’s Common Activities

Table 2a: Guatemala City

Table 3a: Panama City

Table 4a: Concepción

Table 5: Schedule of Project Activities

Figure 1: Proposed Project Implementation Arrangements and Linkages

List of Acronyms

ANAM / National Protection Agency, Panama
ATTT / Transit and Road Transport Authority, Panama
BIOVIAS / Integrated transport system, Chile
BRP / Bus Regulation and Planning
BRT / Bus Rapid Transit
CCM / Metropolitan Consultative Committee – Panama
CO / Carbon Oxides
CEUR / Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, Guatemala
CGB / Bus management centre, Chile
CO2 / Carbon Dioxide
DFID / UK Department for International Development
DPMG / Development Plan of Metropolitan Guatemala
EFE / State-run railway system, Chile
EMT / Guatemalan Municipal Transportation Company
EMETRA / Metropolitan Transportation Agency, Guatemala
EOD / Origin and Destination Survey
GDP / Gross Domestic Product
GHG / Greenhouse Gas
GEF / Global Environment Facility
IDB / Inter-American Development Bank
INJUV / Youth National Institute – Chile
LA / LatinAmerica
LAC / Latin America and the Caribbean
MINVU / Ministry Regional Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development, Chile
MSP / Medium Sized Project
NESTLAC / Network for Sustainable Transport in Latin America and the Caribbean
NMT / Non-Motorised Transportation
NGO / Non-Governmental Organisation
NOx / Nitrogen Oxides
PM / Particulate Matter
PSCAG / Project Steering Committee and Advisory Group
SCAT / Control system for transit area, Chile
SECTRA / Executive Transport Secretariat of the Chilean Government
SEGEPLAN / Guatemalan General Secretary of Planning
SEREMITT / Ministry Regional Secretaries of Transport and Telecommunications, Chile
SIDA / Swedish International Development Agency
SO2 / Sulphur Oxides
ST / Sustainable Transportation
TRANSMETRO / Bus Rapid Transport system of Guatemala City
UEP / Specially Appointed Executing Unit
UMP / Urban Mobility Plan
UNDP / United Nations Development Programme
UNEP / United Nations Environment Programme
URC / UNEP Risø Centre
USAC / University of San Carlos
UNFCCC / UN framework Convention on Climate Change

1

  1. PROJECT SUMMARY

A.1Project Rationale and Objectives

Rationale

Increasing urbanisation, economic activity and income levels in Latin America are leading to increased demand for transportation. As a result of inefficient and unreliable public transport systems the increasing pressure on transportation is promoting the switch away from public transportation to private motorised transportation. The three cities selected for demonstration (Guatemala City, Panama City and Concepción) are examples of cities where inefficient and poorly managed public transport systems are giving rise to increased private motorised transportation. The consequences have been increases in congestion, the number of accidents, and both local and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which have severe impacts on the economy, public health and on both the local and global environment. According to a recent study conducted by Swisscontact, Guatemala City and Panama City, together with San Salvador, are the three most air polluted capitals in Central America, with the transport sector being the largest contributor of air pollution (Suplemento Ecológico, San Salvador, 8 October, 2004). Similarly, Concepción, the second largest city of Chile, is facing serious problems of air pollution as result of increased private motorised transportation.

To come to grip with these problems, more economic, social and environmentally sustainable transport systems need to be designed and implemented. Nevertheless, the limited awareness of the benefits of sustainable public transportation, the lack of resources and the lack of technical capacity in many developing countries, often do not allow the corresponding authorities to take all these sustainability dimensions into consideration. This medium-sized project (MSP) proposal aims to facilitate the implementation of three demonstration transport projects in the cities mentioned above, in a way that all the economic, social and environmental dimensions are adequately incorporated. It also aims to ensure widespread dissemination of the benefits of the new systems within the countries and region through outreach and dissemination activities. The fact that the three demonstration cities face similar transport problems, and that they will, during the course of project implementation, undertake similar activities to address their problems, makes the implementation of this project at a regional level extremely beneficial. In accordance with NESTLAC’s objectives, it gives the possibility to exchange information and experience, and to benefit from synergies. The project will also interact with other projects. For instance, it will make use of, and build on, the BRT planning guide being developed in another UNEP MSP (Dar-es-Salaam and Cartegena). The project will also be linked, learn from and exchange information with the project TRANSANTIAGO. TRANSATIAGO, which is a comprehensive project aimed at improving and modernising the public transport of Santiago, Chile by integrating buses and the subway, will be implemented in two phases; October 2005 and October 2006. A meeting was held in January 2005, where the direction of the project agreed to share with NESTLAC information on the progress of TRANSMETRO’s implementation.

The MSP proposal “Promoting Sustainable Transport In Latin America” is an output of the already established Network for Environmentally Sustainable Transport in Latin America and the Caribbean (NESTLAC). NESTLAC was created in the PDF-A phase and its main objective is to promote and facilitate the implementation of environmentally sustainable transport options in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) by: (1) disseminating information on the benefits of sustainable transportation and on successful experiences; (2) assisting in the development of sustainable transport project proposals and; (3) assisting in project implementation. Therefore, NESTLAC will be key not only in the process of dissemination and awareness creation, but also in assisting in the actual implementation of the demonstration projects being proposed here.

Objectives:

Project’s overall objective:

The overall objective of the MSP “Promoting Sustainable Transport In Latin America” is to create the needed awareness and understanding of the benefits of sustainable transport project implementation among politicians, decision makers and stakeholders of the Latin American (LA) region, which may lead to the actual implementation of sustainable transport projects in the various countries of the region.

This will be done by facilitating and widely disseminating the implementation of three demonstration projects in the selected cities (one project in each city), projects which in turn address three specific aspects of transport sustainability, namely, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Bus Regulation and Planning (BRP) and Non-motorised Transport (NMT). To further facilitate the overall objective of this MSP, a set of guidelines for the planning and implementation of transport projects addressing the three sustainability aspects mentioned above, will be prepared by the UNEP Risø Centre (URC) in parallel to this MSP implementation.

Project’s immediate objective:

The project’s immediate objective is to improve mobility and reduce transport GHG emissions in three cities of the LA region. Success will be measured through a set of indicators shown in the attached logical framework, including meeting quantified GHG reduction targets in each city.

The project will also include activities to ensure dissemination of the three cities’ activities across the broad Latin American region. These will include posting, on NESTLAC’s website, the mid-project and end-of-project regional workshops, and preparation of guidelines for the implementation of sustainable projects of this type that can be used by other regional cities.

Project Outcomes:

Overall outcome:

Extensive use of URC produced guidelines for the implementation of sustainable transport projects addressing aspects such as BRT, BRP and NMT by transport authorities of the countries of the region.

Immediate outcomes:

  1. BRT project implementation in Guatemala City in a manner that incorporates all the project activities into the planning and construction of the second corridor of Guatemala City’s BRT system .A target GHG reduction of 95,000 tonnes per year , upon full project implementation, is set for this corridor.
  2. Implementation of Panama City’s transport programme aimed at improving the regulation and planning of the bus system in a way that all the economic, social and environmentally sustainable dimensions are adequately incorporated. A target GHG reduction will be set for this project early on during the MSP phase of the project.
  3. A strong behavioural change in Concepción’s inhabitants leading to a significant shift from private motorised to non-motorised transportation and to corresponding benefits. A target GHG reduction of 5,000 tonnes per year is set for this project.

A more detailed description of the immediate outcomes for each of the cities is provided below:

  1. To facilitate and strengthen the implementation of the second corridor (West Line) of Guatemala City’s BRT system “TRANSMETRO”, by supporting the Municipality of Guatemala City to conduct a number of activities needed to achieve a more economic, social and environmentally sustainable project implementation. The proposed activities include basic data collection (such as an origin-destination survey), an assessment of expected travel demand along the planned BRT corridor, a land-use study, and public consultation. These and other activities will ensure that the design of the BRT line is optimal and will result in a maximum mode shift to the BRT system, and that there is strong public awareness, input and support for the plan. The execution of the proposed activities will be the responsibility of the Municipality of Guatemala City, with guidance and technical assistance from UNEP Risø and a team of independent consultants. The results of these activities will be used to guide the design and implementation of the corridor. The planned corridor will transit from the East to the West of the city, and will meet the demand of two of Guatemala City’s major arteries; Calzada San Juan and Calzada Roosevelt. Currently, around 40% of all transit trips (just under one million trips per day[1]) use these arteries as their main route. The implementation of this corridor is part of the city’s “Urban Mobility Plan for 2020”, and it will be financed by the Municipality of Guatemala City (see annex 1).
  1. To facilitate the implementation of a transport programme aimed at improving the planning and regulation of the urban bus system of Panama City. This will be done by supporting the Transit and Road Transport Authority (ATTT) of Panama to undertake a number of activities required for taking all the economic, social and environmental dimensions into consideration for the design of the new bus regulatory system. The activities will include an evaluation of the current bus system, surveys of bus ridership, and origin-destination survey, public consultation and an evaluation study. The execution of these GEF-funded activities will be the responsibility of the ATTT, with technical assistance of UNEP Risø and a team of independent consultants. The results of these activities will be used to guide the implementation of bus system reforms. Panama City’s programme includes strengthening the role of the ATTT to act as the regulatory agency of the public transport system, improving the functioning of the bus system operators, reallocation of current busways, and the replacement of old buses with cleaner and more efficient ones. The financing for the implementation of the main programme has been secured, and will be provided partly by the Government of Panama, and partly by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). See annex 2.
  1. To support the Executive Transport Secretariat of the Chilean government (SECTRA) in designing and implementing a major information and dissemination campaign aimed at promoting the wide-spread use of a planned 24 kilometres bicycle lane. In a similar way to the other two cities, SECTRA, acting as the national executing agency, will be in charge of the project implementation, with assistance from UNEP Risø and a team of consultants. The planned 24 kilometres bicycle lane is one component of the project known as “Biovias”, for which financing has been secured by the Chilean government (see annex 3). The GEF-funded project components include a current “situation diagnosis” and strategy elaboration, execution of a pilot dissemination plan, development and dissemination of safety materials, and an evaluation study. The GEF funded components will feed directly into the construction phase of the bicycle lanes and ensure the dissemination of information about the bike lanes, as well as provide for evaluation of the entire effort.

Planned activities to achieve outcomes (including cost in US$ or local currency of each activity):

The leading executing agency will be UNEP Risø Centre (URC). URC will thus be responsible for the overall management, implementation and monitoring of the GEF project and its implementation. It will coordinate the project in each country through direct communication with each of the national executing agencies. At the national level, the leading executing agencies will be: The Municipality of Guatemala City; The Transit and Road Transport Authority of Panama (ATTT) and The Executive Transport Secretariat of the Chilean Government (SECTRA). Each of the national agencies will be fully responsible for the management, local coordination and the whole project implementation, including the financial management and administration of the funds through UNDP offices as explained in E2, page 44. A Logical Framework Analysis summarising the objectives of this MSP, and the corresponding activities to achieve the objectives is attached as annex 4. The way the URC and the national executive agencies will interact, is summarised in Figure 1, page 44.

Activities to achieve overall outcome

Awareness creation is considered to be very important to influence decision makers, politicians and stakeholders, and thereby in achieving overall outcomes. In this context, information sharing and dissemination activities are an important component in the implementation of this project. For that reason, various specific activities, which will be undertaken throughout project implementation, have been planned. The activities are outlined below.

  1. Information sharing and dissemination. Information about the projects to be implemented in the three demonstration cities will be delivered to key decision makers, politicians and other stakeholders of the LAC region. This will also be shared with other executing agencies implementing or planning to implement similar projects in the region, including the World Bank project for Latin America. In addition to this, detailed information containing the planning, schedule and launching of the implementation of the three demonstrations will be posted on NESTLAC's website and attention will be drawn to these posting (e.g. through email alerts). The initial information package will include an estimation of the expected economic, social and environmental benefits resulting from their implementation. ((cost: US$5 000) (URC in-kind contribution)).
  2. Mid-project regional workshop. A regional dissemination workshop halfway through project implementation will be held in one of the demonstration cities. The objective of the workshop will be to assess the progress of the implementations, and share information focussing on problems encountered so far; possible solutions will be discussed. Key decision makers from around the LAC region will be invited to participate. This will include members of NESTLAC, national government representatives, Mayors of a number of cities, and other relevant stakeholders. A list of NESTLAC’s members is attached as annex 5. The workshop will be organised by URC in collaboration with the corresponding national executing agencies, and will be announced well in advance on NESTLAC’s website ((cost: US$30 000) (GEF financing)).
  3. Mid-project workshop report. A report with the outcome of the workshop will be produced and posted on NESTLAC’s website and be widely disseminated across the LA region. A hard copy of the report will be mailed to all the stakeholders mentioned above ((cost: US$5 000 (URC in-kind contribution)).
  4. Final regional dissemination workshop. A regional dissemination workshop will be held in one of the participating cities once the three demonstration projects have been completed. In a similar way to the previous workshop, Mayors of a number of cities, NGOs like SUSTRAN Latin-American, Ciudad Viva, ECOGREEN and others, as well as all the interested stakeholders of the LA region will be invited. As with the previous workshop, this workshop will be organised by URC in collaboration with the corresponding local executing agencies, and will be announced in advance on NESTLAC’s website. In conjunction with the final dissemination workshop, initial discussions to identify and select three to four new cities for new project development will be held ((cost US$30 000) (GEF financing)).
  5. Meeting to plan replications. In conjunction with the final regional workshop, an extra meeting aimed to start developing proposals for potential replications, with the participation of invited Mayors and other interested stakeholders will be held. The meeting will be organised in a similar way to the regional meeting held during PDF-A phase, and in which these three demonstrations were identified by the participants (no extra costs are expected).
  6. Preparation, presentation and dissemination of guidelines. Guidelines for the implementation of sustainable projects addressing aspects such as BRT, BRP and NMT will be produced and presented in the regional dissemination workshop. A copy of the guidelines will be distributed to participants, and mailed to Mayors, transport authorities, decision makers and other interested stakeholders of the LA region that could no attend. To increase dissemination, the guidelines will be also posted on NESTLAC’s website. The analytical work for the preparation of the guidelines will be conducted by URC’s staff in parallel with each of the city’s project implementation ((cost US$50 000) (GEF financing)). To the extent possible, these guidelines will be linked to and further developed based on the UNEP “BRT planning guide” (being developed under a separate UNEP GEF project) as well as the document “Transport and the Global Environment: Accounting for GHG Reductions in Policy Analysis”, previously prepared by URC for the World Bank.

The guidelines will be produced in an on-going fashion during project implementation, allowing thus gaining from the experiences emanating from the throughout implementation the three projects. For this reason, ensuring their relevance and usefulness will only be possible in future BRT, BRP and NMT projects. Although Latin American cities are different in size, infrastructure etc., they have a number of similarities which are reflected in the public transport problems they phase. This will make the produced guidelines, relevant and useful in future project implementation in other cities of the region.