Asia Development Bank and Institute for Transportation and Development Policy Partner to Promote Sustainable Urban Transport

Washington, D.C. – Cities in Asia receiving support from the Asian Development Bank will benefit from world-class technical expertise on creating transport that is accessible, safe, environmentally-friendly, and affordable, as a result of a partnership announced Wednesday evening by the ADB and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.

ITDP will help the ADB identify demonstration urban sustainable transport projects, and provide technical assistance in the field to cities to implement these projects. Based on these and past experience ITDP will work with the ADB to create policy, legal and institutional frameworks and financing options for safe and sustainable urban transport; as well as guidance to help potential fundees better understand how to request loans and other types of nonlending support for sustainable transport projects from bilateral and multilateral agencies. The partnership runs through 2015.

Tyrrell Duncan, ADB Transport Director for East Asia and concurrently Practice Leader for Transport said: “ADB’s Sustainable Transport Initiative has set new directions for assisting developing countries in Asia and Pacific to build transport systems that are accessible, affordable, and environment friendly. A key element is to improve urban transport, including public transport and non motorized transport. The Memorandum of Understanding we have signed today opens the way for ADB and ITDP to work together in partnership on these challenges. This will help us deliver more effective projects, programs and advice, drawing on relevant international best practices.”

“With Asian cities facing huge growths in their populations, this partnership will enable us to support projects like Bus Rapid Transit, bike lanes and better urban planning so they avoid the nightmare of congestion and air pollution caused by cars. We commend the ADB’s commitment to promoting cleaner, more affordable transportation and look forward to seeing real progress as a result of this partnership,” said Walter Hook, ITDP’s Executive Director.

ITDP has recently provided technical assistance and capacity building in Asian cities including Guangzhou, China, which opened one of Asia’s best bus rapid transit systems in February 2010. The Guangzhou BRT system is integrated with the city’s metro system, bike lanes and bike sharing stations; providing an attractive, flexible range of low-carbon transportation options. Guangzhou was the winner of this year’s Sustainable Transport Award (STA), which recognizes cities in the region that have done the most in the past year to advance sustainable transportation initiatives that reduce dependence on the automobile and support improved public and NMT. ADB also announced today that it was joining the STA advisory committee and may consider providing lending and nonlending support to cities selected for the award.

ITDP also has programs in Harbin, and Lanzhou as well as in Indian cities including Ahmedabad, Pune, Surat and Chennai where it has helped promote and provide technical assistance to urban professionals on a range of sustainable transport options including bus rapid transit, nonmotorized transport, travel demand management and urban development.

The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy has over twenty-five years of experience working with cities worldwide to bring about transport solutions that cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce poverty, and improve the quality of urban life. ITDP has offices in Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States.

Press Contact: Dani Simons / Jessica Morris, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
(+1 203-980-8820) dsimons@itdp.org / jmorris@itdp.org