LIMA, Peru — Recognized as one of the worst cities in the world for traffic congestion, traveling just a few miles in Lima’s crowded streets can often take more than an hour. The city’s public transit infrastructure, which includes a network of buses, an above-ground metro and a recently-opened subway line, does little to alleviate the problem, according to transit reform advocates.
Part of the problem is that the city’s population growth has outpaced public transit development, according to Juan Pablo Leon Almenara, an editor at El Comercio newspaper who leads a team of reporters to highlight the shortcomings of Lima’s transit system and regulatory agencies.
Lima’s 10 million residents — about 30% of Peru’s entire population — must crowd onto buses run by 365 privately-owned companies that compete for passengers. Lima’s metro opened just 12 years ago after six decades of delays.
“There are too many vehicles for the little space we have,” Leon Almenara said. “The number of vehicles we have is a very complex vicious circle. We not only have a lot of traffic because of the number of vehicles that have been bought due to the chaos of public transportation, but also aggressive drivers.”