Curitiba

Curitiba is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná. In 2001 it had a population of approximately 1,600,000 people. Its metropolitan area comprises 26 municipalities with a total population of 2.7 million (2000 census) http://www.curitiba-parana.com/geografia-mapas/mapa-regiao-curitiba.htm.

Transportation

Curitiba has a very simple and practical transportation system. Public transportation consists entirely of buses. There are several different types of buses, each with a different function. Not all of them are part of RIT:

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• Express buses: These are big high-capacity buses that have exclusive traffic lanes, spreading radially from downtown in 5 directions. They wear red livery and operate with tube-stations (above-ground bus stops, allowing quick boarding/exitting the bus) and are part of RIT. They are treated as an "above-ground subway," because of their speed, capacity and frequent service.
• Conventional buses: These buses also operate radially from downtown, are yellow-colored, and are not part of RIT.
• Interneighbourhood buses: These are green buses that travel outside downtown. Lines 1 and 2 circle outside downtown, the latter with a bigger radius. Lines 3 to 6 are important connections between some neighbourhoods. They connect to RIT.
• Rapid buses: These are silver buses designed to be the quickest links between two points. They operate in big distances, but with few stops (also using the tube-stations). They connect to the RIT system.
• Feeding lines: These are local bus lines and are painted orange. All of them link one passenger terminal to a neighbourhood and feed the express buses and other RIT lines with passengers.
• Interhospitals: These white buses are not part of RIT. They circle the town and link all city hospitals.
• Tourism line: These colourful buses are not part of RIT and their main focus are the city attractions. Paying around R$5,00 allows you to get on and out of the bus four times, on the attraction of your interest. Large windows allow a better sightseeing.
• Around downtown: These small white buses were designed to circle the downtown area, allowing pedestrians a quick way around. They don't connect to RIT.

The city has 12 passenger terminals, where it is possible to change buses without having to pay for a new ticket. They are located on express buses lanes and offer many possibilities to the user.

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Moving around in a car can be difficult around downtown because of the many one-way streets and the high volume of traffic. This makes the public transportation system very attractive if one wants to go downtown. Apart from that, the trinary system allows a quick way downtown or vice-versa for the car driver. Most avenues are spacious and laid out in a grid, and apart from some points around downtown, traffic jams are not so severe as to unnerve the average driver.

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Recently, the city installed about 200 traffic radars in the streets, to help decrease the number of accidents. This technology uses sensors under the pavement which trigger a digital camera if the car is above speed limit. The picture, including date and time, is sent to the driver´s home, as a speeding ticket. The system can send these tickets to drivers anywhere in Brazil.

Related Topics:
Digital camera - Speeding ticket - Brazil

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The speed limit is usually 60 km/h on avenues, but can be 40km/h in dangerous places or where many pedestrians cross the street.

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Afonso Pena International Airport is Curitiba's main airport. It is located in the nearby city of São José dos Pinhais and all commercial flights operate from this airport. It is integrated in Curitiba's transportation system, with rapid buses and executive buses connecting the airport to the city.

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Small aircraft may use as well the Bacacheri airport, which today hosts a flight school and an airbase.

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