BRT impact analysis surveys in Guangzhou show a huge improvement in the walking environment since the BRT was implemented. Before the BRT, 38% of pedestrians interviewed along the BRT corridor rated the walking environment as 'bad' or 'very bad'. Only 23% of pedestrians rated the walking environment as 'good' or 'very good'. The BRT opened in February 2010. In the first set of Winter surveys after the BRT opened, in December 2010 (the August 2010 figures are from Summer, when the heat means walking conditions are generally poorer), the numbers had dramatically reversed, with 74% rating walking conditions as 'good' or 'very good' and only 6% rating it as 'bad' or 'very bad'. In subsequent surveys the rate of satisfaction has maintained high levels, with 71% satisfied with the walking environment in December 2013 (67% in December 2014) and only 3% rating it as 'bad' or 'very bad' (10% in December 2014).
Meanwhile in a non-BRT corridor used as a control survey, satisfaction and disatisfaction rates with the walking environment did not change significantly. Before the BRT, pedestrians in the non-BRT corridor were much more satisfied than pedestrians in the (future) BRT corridor, with a satisfaction rate of more than double: 47% in the non-BRT corridor compared to only 23% in the BRT corridor. In the period since the BRT opened satisfaction in the control corridor has increased to 56%, but it is far below the BRT corridor satisfaction rate of 71%.
There a number of likely contributing factors to this result:
For the results outlined above, between 308 and 417 pedestrians were surveyed by ITDP along the BRT corridor in each of the periods listed. In the non-BRT control corridor, between 221 and 290 pedestrians were surveyed.
Survey shows passengers feel much safer with BRT (January 2014)
Car traffic increased in both speed and volume after BRT (February 2014)
Guangzhou BRT transforms perceptions of bus service (March 2014)
Pedestrian perceptions reversed in Guangzhou BRT corridor (April 2014)
Reliability doubles in BRT corridor; halves in non-BRT (May 2014)
Huge improvements in cycling perceptions in BRT corridor (June 2014)
Urban villagers rely on BRT for access to jobs & opportunities (September 2014)
Guangzhou BRT photos