Sao Paulo - Image via Wikipedia
My commute to work is about 10 to 15 minutes, well below the national average of 28 minutes for a one-way trip. I’m always reminded of this nice little (relative) perk after every trip to Sao Paulo.
TRAFFIC
The traffic in Sao Paulo is not just bad, it is legendarily freaking bad. I’ve been in traffic in Bangkok and Shanghai, and Sao Paulo has got them beat by a country mile. A slow, agonizing, two-hour mile, because that’s the average speed.
As long as I’ve been going to Brazil, since 2002, traffic has been hideous. I remember one trip in particular where we were coming back from
Don’t hang your arms outside the window, or they’ll get whacked off by one of the inevitable motorcycles zipping between the lanes. My colleagues even tell me that the handlebars and side mirrors have been modded to be narrower and higher, all the better to fit in between stalled cars.
The 12-kilometer-drive or so from one of our company’s offices to the other took almost two hours. You could literally walk it faster at a brisk pace.
WHAT TO DO?
The thought of all these cars, buses and trucks stuck in perpetual gridlock prompts the usual questions to our Brazilian colleagues. What’s being done for public transport? (not much) What about new highways (they’re building a new ring road).
One scheme allowed drivers on alternate days, based on the last number of their license plate. Odd one day, even the next. People that just had to drive and couldn’t carpool just bought another car with a different license plate. The rich hop on helicopters, flitting from one high-rise to the other.
We also learned that city politicians are fond of proposing grand schemes, only to have the next administration propose plans of their own. Meantime, nothing much gets done, and the traffic gets worse.
WHAT’S THE COST?
This article was written in 2008.
Sao Paulo chokes as Brazil booms
The traffic woes are also a drag on the economy. In a recent study, Sao Paulo state’s transportation secretariat estimated the gridlock costs the city’s economy at least 4.1 billion reais (US $2.4 billion) a year in lost productivity.
I don’t what that $2.4 Billion is based on, where it starts and stops.
$9.38 Billion sounds better to me. Give me an hour fooling around with a spreadsheet, and I got numbers (not quite as fancy as DQYDJ, but close enough).
Without going into a whole lot of details, I assumed that about 6 million out the city’s total population commutes every day, in cars or buses. That’s probably on the low side. I also assumed an average Sao Paulo commute of 90 minutes, versus 52 minutes in the US. That’s probably overly generous too. I’ve personally had an “easy” one-hour trip turn into a four-hour ordeal.
Assuming that that Brazil could improve its road transport system and to at least U.S. levels, the incremental daily gain per worker is 38 minutes. Multiply by $0.16 output per minute, multiply again by 260 working days per year. Presto, 9 billion bucks.
Assume a 10% taxation rate, and a $3 Billion underground system gets paid back in three years (that’d be one heck of a muni bond!)
A bit simplistic, I know, but if I were emperor-for-a-month…. Maybe I could get a side gig as a transport consultant with the Transporation Secretariat.
OPTIONS?
Curitiba's buses - Image via Wikipedia
I suppose this post sprang from my continued bemusement at the inertia and ineffectiveness of government, whether in Sao Paulo, Rome, or Bangkok or Washington DC. Curitiba, a lovely city to the south of Sao Paulo, has an innovative and by all accounts, supremely efficient rapid transit system…. based on plain old buses.
Curitiba’s Bus System Is A Model for Rapid Transit
The bus system of Curitiba, Brazil, exemplifies a model Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, and plays a large part in making this a livable city. The buses run frequently—some as often as every 90 seconds—and reliably, and the stations are convenient, well-designed, comfortable, and attractive. Consequently, Curitiba has one of the most heavily used, yet low-cost, transit systems in the world. It offers many of the features of a subway system—vehicle movements unimpeded by traffic signals and congestion, fare collection prior to boarding, quick passenger loading and unloading—but it is above ground and visible. Around 70 percent of Curitiba’s commuters use the BRT to travel to work, resulting in congestion-free streets and pollution-free air for the 2.2 million inhabitants of greater Curitiba.
Why doesn’t Sao Paulo take a page from Curitiba’s proven manual? Beats me.
Further reading:
From Bloomberg: Sao Paulo Traffic Jams Mean Lost Business, Stress, Helicopters
Embarq: Traffic Congestion
TIME/World: The World’s Worst Traffic Jams
Readers, Brazil is a great place to visit. But plan on LOTS of windshield time.
Yikes! I’ve heard Bangkok traffic is terrible. Can’t believe that Sao Paulo is that much worse, dang. That’s sweet you have a quick commute at home. Mine is about 20-30 minutes depending on traffic which isn’t too bad but I usually have to stand. I think I’d rather stand for 30 minutes than have a hour long commute one way sitting. -Sydney
Untemplater recently posted..2012 Goals For A Better Lifestyle And More Happiness
Maybe Sao Paulo *seemed* worse because we were in a hurry to get places. In Bangkok, I was on vacation.
I think the Bangkok traffic improved A LOT over the last 15 years. Now they have raised highways and that sky train. I think those helped tremendously. 15 years ago, every vehicles were constantly honking. The last time I visited, I rarely hear honking.
retirebyforty recently posted..Retire By 40 Net Worth VS S&P 500
@ RB40 – that’s a good measure of traffic progress, honking or lack thereof. In the Middle East, I could swear drivers use honking as an echo-locating device. Beep-Beep!
Wow I would go crazy in that amount of traffic. My travel time to work is only around 15 minutes, and I dread that.
Hi Michelle – thanks for stopping in – I’ve made it to work in less than 10 minutes, but some days, if I have a good podcast to listen to and a good cigar, I don’t mind taking longer with surface streets.
Sitting in traffic for hours on end like happens in Sao Paulo probably gives lots of opportunities for audio learning…
A friend of mine visited Brazil last year and she mentioned that the traffic was nuts. I can’t complain when I have less than 30 minutes on bad days to get to work; 15 on good ones. She also mentioned they lived on bread, cheese, and beef. I thought it was interesting.
Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter recently posted..How to Make Millions with Passive Income
Bread, Cheese and Beef… add green peppers and onions, and it’s a Philly cheesesteak! I can attest that the little corner hole-in-the-wall diners are excellent!
You should check out the traffic at places in India like Mumbai or Delhi. You will be terrified.
But that’s what we saw growing up, so crazy traffic does not bother me much.
Tushar@EverythingFinance recently posted..Discount on car insurance for being married?
Hi Tushar – traffic in India can be pretty gnarly, I agree.
For a solution to a problem like this, look to Japan or Singapore. Both are rich, relatively speaking, but they don’t have the luxury of space.
They make owning a vehicle very expensive, forcing people to use the public transport. And both countries have an excellent public transportation system. They don’t have to invest in building new highways, they use that money to improve their public transportation.
MoneyCone recently posted..And Let There Be Light!
@ MC – I’m told that owning a vehicle in SP *is* very expensive – maybe not quite as much as in Singapore, but still pretty high relative to per capita GDP. As a model for centralized city planning, Singapore is hard to beat, though.
Haha, thanks for the sneaky mention! You know we just use flashiness to cover up the vapidity of our articles… or something like that. If you eve want to mess with some interactive charts let me know and I’ll walk you through it.
As for Sao Paulo… how about subways? I ask because it works in San Francisco, New York, and Boston among other cities. As long as it’s a Chicago style concentric ring (I don’t know much about Brazil) as opposed to a multi-center Los Angeles style city, that would work. Only issue is the initial capital expenditure, but in a place where you’ve got potentially 40 million people daily? Worth it!
PK recently posted..Uncle Sam the CEO: Visualization of IRS Revenues Collected 1960-2010
DQYDJ articles are anything but vapid.
SP does have a subway, but it’s very limited to downtown. Why is it not expanded? Mystery.
curtibia has been a transportation planning gold mine since the 60s, and they invented BRT (bus rapid transit) which is dedicated bus lanes and no stairs for faster boarding/getting off the bus. Great system, really.
As for your commute – mines about the same by foot, and boy am I glad.
Jeff @ Sustainable Life Blog recently posted..Weekly Links: Resolutions Edition
Right. so why is it Curitiba’s system is not emulated more widely? Odd….
Yikes! That does sound awful. Too bad the roads are too crowded right now for bicycles. Some cities could reduce their traffic if they implemented a decent bike infrastructure so that those who only lived a few miles from work could ride instead of drive. People forget that riding a bike is a really efficient way to get to work.
Little House recently posted..How to Beat Airline Luggage Fees
Hi LH – not too many bicycles on the road. The more prosperous people get in a developing country, the more they want to drive a car…. or so it seems.
Traffic is another reason I can’t understand that alternate forms of transportation aren’t adopted more widely. As far as I can tell, building wider roads just encourages more people to drive. Why not try the same effect on buses, trains, and subways and see if it encourages more people to use those options? I bet it would.
Jeffrey Trull recently posted..Goals for Quitting My Job in 2012
Hi Jeffrey – mass transit works great when there is high population density. Can’t get any more dense than SP. Full of skyscrapers.
I’ve been in traffic in Shanghai but after Beijing (where I almost had a heart attack in a cab)it was bearable. But still crazy. I think I’d rather take slow and agonizing then speeding, waving, turning and pushing in China’s traffic. But I’ve never been to Brazil. I cannot really judge.
Aloysa @ My Broken Coin recently posted..Challenging the Shopaholic in Me
Hi Aloysa / you’re right, Chinese traffic is a little hairy. I remember a time outside of Shanghai when the driver started driving up the wrong way on a freeway, just to take a shortcut (his reasons). We were on the right shoulder, and opposite traffic was just whizzing by inches away. My colleague was going nuts, screaming at the driver to get off the road. I was just too petrified, I shut my eyes tight, leaned back in the seat and thought if this is my time, then it’s my time.
Wow, I never thought about the national average of a commute. Twenty-eight minutes for a round trip seems very reasonable. However, 10-15 minutes is definitely well-below, just as you said. I have never been to Brazil, but being stuck in that certainly seems less than desirable. I spent most of my life in big cities, so I’m used to real traffic, but it sounds like this is on a whole new level!
Roshawn @ Watson Inc recently posted..3 Reasons to Focus on Household Cash Flow
I know, this is the kind of traffic where people not only meet and fall in love, but get married and divorced. It lasts that long!
[ US figures were 28 minutes for a one way trip . My mistake. I've corrected it.]
That is crazy traffic. How long until the ring road is complete? It will be interesting if you go back there is you notice a measurable difference in traffic. (I assume and hope you would…)
It’s funny, I remember years ago, the traffic around metro Detroit was awful during rush hour. I still avoid certain areas when a sports team is playing, but other than that, traffic doesn’t really cause a problem for me.
So many places need public transportation, both here and abroad, that is for sure!
Kris @ Everyday Tips recently posted..My Plan To Help the Housing Market
Kris, they’ve been building that ring road for a looong time. By interesting contrast, there are two major toll highways leading out of Sao Paulo that are privately managed by two different companies. They even compete with one another through billboard advertising, with one saying that their road quality is better, better rest stops, etc.
People look for ways to not expend much personal energy, to our detriment. The more “lazy” we get, the fatter we get, and then it’s harder to move efficiently, and on and on. I live in Chicago which is one of the cities with high commute times. We have wonderful regional public transit infrastructure, but it’s not used as much as it could be. During the traditional rush hours, there are numerous buses and trains. But between rush hours and on weekends wait times for a bus/train can be up to an hour. (Or several hours, if you’re talking a holiday/Sunday; I took a “commuter” train from South Bend, IN to Chicago on Christmas Day and the time between trains was 5 hours. After that train dropped me in the Loop I took a subway/el and then a bus to get to my house, with a total transit time of 4 hours to get home. I read, I knitted, and I snoozed, so I didn’t mind it much. Many people do, though.) So people feel justified in buying a car and clogging up the roadways. If we tried to make public transit convenient for more than just getting in and out of the business district during peak times then we’d stand a chance of really changing habits. But that would involve spending more “government” money and people are against that, too. *sigh* It seems like a vicious cycle to me.
Linda recently posted..Rough week
Hi Linda – I rode BART regularly when I lived in the SF Bay Area, so nothing against public transport, as long as it’s well managed. I couldn’t imagine sitting in a car if there’s a nice comfy train to sit in.
I could not imagine. I can’t stand my 25 minute commute (which typically includes a stop at daycare) and I definitely would lose my mind over 2 hours.
I’ve never been in traffic that bad. Except on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn/Queens. Every summer. But I have a feeling even that would be a picnic compared to what you’ve described.
Jana @ Daily Money Shot recently posted..Using your skills to find part-time income
Imagine dealing with that *every* day. One guy we rode with even had a TV monitor in the dash (!) of his car. We watched the news one evening while on the way to a restaurant.
Great post here and site. I like your writing style. Thanks for putting this all together. Will definitely keep this in mind if I travel to Brazil. Makes my 10 minute drive to work seem that much better.
John @ Married (with Debt) recently posted..Sell My Car to Fund an Emergency?
Hi John – thanks for stopping by.
10 minutes commute ain’t nothing. People in Chicago would say that’s barely enough time to warm up the car.
Cool post.
I recall traffic in Buenos Aires was pretty wild when we vacationed there, but Brazil looks worse!
My Own Advisor recently posted..Weekend Reading – 2012 goals, resolutions and much more
I work with a lot of people from Brasil and they all say that traffic in Sao Paulo is HORRIBLE (just as you described). Personally, I couldn’t deal with that…
World of Finance recently posted..Create a Gift Giving Budget
Sounds like a real nightmare. I wonder why they don’t build more underground highways and subways. RB40 made a good point about Bankgok’s elevated highways which are pretty smooth, though the city streets can become jammed solid. When they are not, taxis drive up to 80mph or more on the streets which can be hair-raising.
Invest It Wisely recently posted..Do You Really Want To Know How Much Others Make?
@ IIW – that was exactly one of my first thoughts, as I was looking down at one of the rivers that cross Sao Paulo. They are all sheathed in concrete, and I wondered aloud why there aren’t elevated highways along their length. As it turns out, that’s been done only at limited places. As with the subway, too little, then stop.
It seems like the necessary curse of modern society. Cities that started off with a few hundred thousand humans developed into the capability to serve a few million – and now they’re tasked with triple that just a few decades later. There’s simply no easy solution – it’s the same in China, India, and the US. I’ve been waiting for that whole “virual” job explosion to happen where people increasingly work from home thus freeing up the congestion but companies still seem remiss to allow remote work, even when no face to face interaction is required day to day (like my job).
Darwin’s Money recently posted..No Cost Refinance – A No-Lose Financial Move?
[...] Travel Journal: Brazilian Traffic (101 Centavos) [...]
“Legendarily freaking bad,” that’s pretty epic.
I live in a town with no public transport. Luckily, traffic isn’t as bad.
OMG! We just got back from LA and I forget that compared to other countries they don’t have it that bad. I’m still giggling at that spread sheet though!
Molly (Mike and Molly’s House) recently posted..Lemon Cupcakes
[...] as a side note- we don’t have any traffic in Santa Fe and neither one of us minds discussing how much our cars cost. Are we really that [...]