TRAFFIC ENGINEERING REDUCES CONGESTION IN SAO PAULO, BRAZIL'S LARGEST CITY

Since its formation in 1976, the Traffic Engineering Agency, or Companhia de Engenharia de Trafego (CET), has adapted a number of measures to improve traffic safety and relieve traffic congestion. These include designating 120,000 square meters in the downtown area as pedestrian precincts, installing pedestrian traffic lights, creating exclusive bus lanes, installing and computer-coordinated traffic signals. One of the most innovative measures in the CET program was a bus platooning system, the COMONOR (Ordered Bus Convoys) program. By marshaling buses in a predetermined order at the beginning of the street, each bus automatically stops at the appropriate stop without having to overtake other standing buses or delaying other traffic. Under the POT-Route Indication Program, a lack of adequate traffic route signs has been alleviated by the installation of over 5,000 strategically situated signs. As a substitute for expensive systems like closed-circuit television and helicopters, CET has developed field observation posts on the tops of selected high buildings where observers can monitor traffic conditions and use radio and telephone links to call specific actions from the engineering and police forces. Mini-roundabouts, or small traffic circles, have been installed at 22 low-volume, high-accident-rate intersections. These traffic circles make drivers slow down and hence have reduced accidents by 90 percent. Other accident reduction activities including collecting and analyzing accident data, developing a specific methodology for hazardous location analysis, training traffic safety engineers, and disseminating traffic safety information to the public.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/25073860
• Corporate Authors:

  International Road Federation

  525 School Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20024
• Publication Date: 1984-7

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: p. 4
• Serial:
  • World Highways/Routes du Monde
  • Volume: 35
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Route One Publishing Limited
  • ISSN: 0964-4598
  • Serial URL: http://www.worldhighways.com

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bus lanes; Central business districts; Pedestrian malls; Prevention; Route signs; Routing; Safety; Traffic circles; Traffic control; Traffic engineering; Traffic safety; Traffic safety education; Traffic signal control systems; Urban areas
• Subject Areas: Education and Training; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00389939
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 30 1984 12:00AM