Motion in Pictures

Transportation photos from my research and travels. All images are published under a creative commons attribution non-commercial license. Please contact me if you'd like a higher resolution version of an image.

[gwenkash]

38% de usuarias de TransMilenio han sido acosadas sexualmente.  ¡Ayúdanos a combatir este grave problema!

Se busca bogotanas para participar en un diálogo sobre acoso en TransMilenio este jueves, 31 de marzo de 6:15-8:30.

DETALLES: Para participar, tiene que ser una mujer que ha sido tocada de forma inapropiada o acosada en TransMilenio, los alimentadores, o los buses zonales del SITP. No es necesario que lo haya denunciado.

Hará comida, participantes recibiran una compensación de recarga para su tarjeta tullave.

El diálogo forma parte de mi tesis de doctorado.

SI QUIERE PARTICIPAR, por favor contactarme: email: gwenkash [arroba] email.unc.edu celular/whatsapp: [phone]

¡Favor compartir este mensaje!

[gwenkash]

I’m back in Bolivia! Nine months after the fireworks at Bus Sariri’s public presentation, the system is up and running... sort of.  Due to technical and financial problems, only ten out of sixty buses are currently operational.  The municipality is doing some intensive planning for a re-launch later this year. 

In the meantime, El Alto’s traditional transit operators are all too happy to make use of the space that’s been set aside for Sariri. 

[gwenkash]

Tonight, the Bus Sariri was presented to the public on Av 6 de marzo in El Alto.  There were at least a thousand spectators, hosts dressed like they were at the academy awards, one stage for speeches and another for musical acts.  Also, fireworks.

[gwenkash]

La Paz’s colorful PumaKatari buses began to circulate early this year.  The line is named after a Tiwanaku carving with the head of a puma and the body of a serpent (katari in Aymara), and the vehicles and bus shelters are decorated with Tiwanaku motifs.  The PumaKatari is the first of many planned lines in the LaPazBus system.

[gwenkash]

The Municipality of El Alto, led by mayor Édgar Patana, unveiled the prototype for the new Bus Sariri (traveler, in Aymara) today.  As confetti was released, reporters (and a few staff members) took photos and conducted interviews.  

Bus Sariri is expected to launch late this year, when the remaining buses are delivered.  It will be at least the 9th type of public transit in the La Paz/El Alto metropolitan area.  Over the next few days, I'll be posting a "field guide" to help you identify the various species of transit.

[gwenkash]

Bolivia held elections on Sunday, and transport was a part of the political landscape.  The Teleférico, advertised in an El Alto mural above, is one of MAS and Evo Morales' most discussed public works projects.  The mural was painted over a few days after the election.

At bottom, young paceños assemble models of the PumaKatari, one of the signature achievements of the municipality of La Paz.  Representatives of the Movimiento Sin Miedo (MSM) passed out these models along with campaign literature.

[gwenkash]

Pedal-powered cars and buses at the Sunday Market 16 de julio in El Alto, Bolivia.  Those buses look just like the real thing, right down to the motto: "Elegance, security, comfort."  Sept 7, 2014.

[gwenkash]

Bicycle parking in Medellín, Colombia.  July 2, 2011.

[gwenkash]

Bike parking at the Teleférico Central Station is not complete either.  The station is on the site of the city's now-defunct rail terminal.  On the Day of the Pedestrian and Cyclist, an old train shed, complete with tracks, was repurposed as a bicycle parking station, watched over by an attendant. La Paz, Bolivia, Sept 7, 2014.

[gwenkash]

When I checked a few weeks ago, the bike parking at the Jach'a Qhatu station of Mi Teleférico's red line was not complete.  The signs, however, have been ready for at least three months.  El Alto, Bolivia, June 13, 2014.

[gwenkash]

Bike parking in Washington DC's Chinatown.  May 2, 2014.

[gwenkash]

The Parqueadero (Supervised bike parking) at TransMilenio's Portal Américas station.  Bogotá, Colombia, June 18, 2011.

[gwenkash]

El Alto recently introduced its own costumed crossing guards, the ekusitos.  Here, two ekusitos encourage pedestrians to use the sidewalk rather than walk in the road.  August 25, 2014.

[gwenkash]

More zebras.  Many of the zebras are students working part time. La Paz, Bolivia, Sept 7, 2014.

[gwenkash]

Over the years, the zebra program has expanded in scope.  Zebras now serve as ambassadors for a variety of municipal initiatives.  Sept 7, 2014.

From left to right, the signs read:  "We enjoy a quiet city!" "Horns are permitted only to prevent accidents" "Live the pride of your city" "Look at the cultural wealth of your city" "Help care for our city."

[gwenkash]

In La Paz, pedestrians are protected by zebras, who serve as crossing guards.  They encourage pedestrians to make use of crosswalks (which, locally, are also known as 'zebras'), but also confront drivers who fail to respect signals.  Bolivia, June 27 2014.

[gwenkash]

If you were thinking of crossing this street, the Touring and Automobile Club of Peru would like to remind you that in Lima, "4 of every 5 deaths in traffic accidents are pedestrians."  The club's stated goal is reducing traffic accidents.  Most of their campaigns focus on improving safety for motorists through the use of seat belts.  Those that address the safety of pedestrians seem to center on telling them to get out of the way. Photo taken July 19, 2012.