Peru's ‘chaotic’ traffic problems

Peru's ‘chaotic’ urban transport system generates losses of US$20 billion a year due to health, transport and economic costs, according to state news agency Andina. Luis Gutiérrez, head of Latin American BRT association (SIBRT), said accidents, pollution-caused breathing problems and sedentary-related illnesses cost US$8 billion a year in Peru, while transport-related problems such as time wasted in traffic and higher gasoline consumption cost another US$8 billion. The remaining US$4 billion is the impact o
August 7, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

Peru's ‘chaotic’ urban transport system generates losses of US$20 billion a year due to health, transport and economic costs, according to state news agency Andina.

Luis Gutiérrez, head of Latin American BRT association (SIBRT), said accidents, pollution-caused breathing problems and sedentary-related illnesses cost US$8 billion a year in Peru, while transport-related problems such as time wasted in traffic and higher gasoline consumption cost another US$8 billion. The remaining US$4 billion is the impact on families' budgets.

Gutiérrez said traffic improvements could reduce those costs to US$10 billion a year, adding that Peru would have to invest US$5.75 billion in 12 cities that are home to 50 per cent of the country's population to improve traffic, with 70 per cent of the cost coming from private investors.

Peru is investing heavily to try to alleviate traffic in Lima. Metro line 1 metro line is currently operating, construction for metro line 2 is about to begin, which it is anticipated will cut travel times by 50 per cent, and two others are in the pipeline.

Related Content

  • Improve and increase mass transit systems to minimise congestion
    January 24, 2012
    Rather looking to solve congestion by spreading the load, perhaps we need to look at concentrating it. Michael L. Sena writes. We humans were made to walk and run at embarrassingly slow speeds by comparison with other, more fleet-footed organisms. The sea is not our natural habitat and we were definitely not designed to fly unaided. Nevertheless, humankind has evolved a method of living during the past century that is dependent on transporting its members over very long distances during relatively short per
    Read More
  • Prime Minister’s ‘roads revolution’ good news for industry
    November 11, 2014
    Responding to the UK Prime Minister’s announcement which outlined a ‘roads revolution,’ the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has said that plans to deliver roads improvements across the country are good news for the freight and logistics industry. David Cameron stated that plans for the biggest road building programme for almost half a century will be unveiled in next month's Autumn Statement and would contain a US$24 billion overhaul of 100 of Britain's busiest roads and motorways by the end of the
    Read More
  • Inrix identifies the worst traffic hotspots in the 25 most congested US cities
    September 28, 2017
    Inrix has published its latest research on the worst traffic hotspots in America. Using Inrix Roadway Analytics, a cloud-based traffic analysis tool, Inrix analysed and ranked more than 100,000 traffic hotspots in the 25 most congested US cities. The economic cost of hotspots was also calculated in terms of wasted time, lost fuel and carbon emissions over the next decade. The research identified and ranked 108,000 traffic hotspots in the 25 most congested cities in the US identified by the INRIX Global T
    Read More
  • The problem of mass transit ridership post-Covid 19
    June 9, 2020
    Several pillars of Mobility as a Service – notably public transit, ride-share and micromobility – are under pressure as ridership plummets.
    Read More

Highlighted Content