A bus rapid transit (BRT) system in the capital area would be far cheaper and more cost-effective than the so-called Borgarlína project planned under the Capital Area Transport Agreement.
This is among the conclusions of a report examining the cost-effectiveness of different transport infrastructure options in the capital region. The report was prepared on behalf of the association Samgöngur fyrir alla (Transport for All) and the Centre for Social and Economic Research.
According to the report, the transport agreement includes many different infrastructure projects that are technically separable and could be implemented independently, even though they are presented as a single package in the updated 2024 agreement.
Some of these projects are considered highly beneficial from a national economic perspective, while others show low or even negative returns. The portion of the agreement related to the Borgarlína appears particularly uneconomical. Building the system would involve a substantial transfer of funds from the vast majority of capital area residents who do not use public transport (nearly 96%) to the relatively small share (around 4%) who do.
The report states that alternatives exist in public transport that are both far less expensive and meet user needs almost as effectively as Borgarlína. One such option — a bus rapid transit system — is outlined in the report. Its core features would include high service frequency, matching that planned for Borgarlína, and the use of priority lanes rather than fully dedicated lanes, avoiding reductions in road capacity for other traffic.
The report’s authors are engineer Elías B. Elíasson, Professor Emeritus Ragnar Árnason, and transport engineer Þórarinn Hjaltason.
Source: Mbl.is
