CONGESTION, URBAN TRANSPORT, THE FORMAL SECTOR AND INFORMAL ACTORS: KINGSTON, JAMAICA, AND RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

The formal sector and informal actors have both been important contributors to public and private urban transport systems in Latin America and the Caribbean. This paper explores key issues around urban transportation, its planning, management and impacts which affect and are affected by both the formal and informal sector. It considers congestion, emission of pollutants and exposure suffered by commuters and communities within influence zones. The Urban Profiles of Kingston (specifically Molynes-Road), Jamaica, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (specifically the Lagoa-Barra Highway to the Zuzu Angel Tunnel complex), were compared to assess congestion and emissions. Social costing estimates, as time lost as a result of congestion (expressed as USD/hr), were calculated for both thoroughfares under four speed scenarios, utilizing the free-flow form of the thoroughfares for comparison. This paper covers data and analysis from 2015 to 2018. (This article is part of a longer thesis paper submitted in 2017: Congestion, a Tale of Kingston and Rio de Janeiro: Methods for Understanding and Estimating).