EDUCATIONAL METHODS TO CHANGE THE ATTITUDES OF TRANSPORT PLANNERS TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

This paper describes a pilot project aimed at increasing the exposure of transport planners in Bangkok and Colombo to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The objective of the project was to examine the efficiencies of three educational methods used to increase the understanding of local transport officials about BRT as well as changing their attitudes toward the implementation of BRT in their cities. Two methods were found to increase the planners' inclination to implement BRT: 1) providing the planners with information on public attitudes and perceptions of BRT, and 2) asking them to make their intentions more concrete by specifying possible BRT routes on a city map. A method that provided detailed information on using and operating a model BRT system appeared to increase the feeling of “obligation” of the planners to develop a BRT system for their countries. The combination of these methods would possibly be effective in strategies to change transport planners' attitudes toward BRT.