At the end of the mission of a Brazilian delegation on Cameroonian soil which aimed to assess the operational and physical constraints that will define the choice of the most appropriate and feasible integrated mass urban transport system in Cameroon, Jean DE D. BRIAND MINSONGUI MVEH , who led the Brazilian delegation, confided in your newspaper in a casual interview. [pagebreak]La Nouvelle Vision: Hello, can you introduce yourself and the company you represent?
Jean DE D. BRIAND MINSONGUI MVEH: I am an executive of the Technical Department in a group of road and air transport companies for passengers and parcels. I work in the BRT Project with Marcoplo, Logit, Queiroz Galvão and the Cameroonian Government. Marcoplo is the largest manufacturer of buses and microbuses in the world, with headquarters in Caxias do Sul in southern Brazil. Logit is a company specializing in city planning, and transport systems for large masses, with experience in all continents. Queiroz Galvão is a civil builder (roads and buildings), with large construction sites all over the world.
Can you present here to our readers the project that you intend to implement in Cameroon?
The government, aware of the mobility problems in the major cities of Cameroon, requested a solution from the Consortium, motivated by the exchanges between the Brazilian and Cameroonian governments. The project briefly consists of adapting the roads of the cities of Douala and Yaoundé to the different needs of use, such as vehicles, pedestrians and mainly buses which guarantee collective transport. After this adaptation, the buses specially designed to run in the cities of Douala and Yaoundé will be built. After this construction, the operation will be implemented. The objective is to guarantee the movement of city dwellers in safety, quickly, with less pollution of the environment, at a reasonable cost for the user.
What is a BRT network?
BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), or Transport Rapide par Bus, is a collective passenger transport system that offers fast, comfortable, safe and efficient urban mobility, thanks to an infrastructure designed to facilitate the movement of buses carrying passengers. passengers, obeying a well-defined frequency. The BRT system allows not only a change of bus fleet or public transport infrastructure, but also a range of changes that make up a new concept of urban mobility. The implementation of a high performance, efficient and ecologically approved transit system.
Which Cameroonian cities are concerned by this project?
This first phase of the project concerns the cities of Douala and Yaoundé.
You have just carried out a 10-day mission (from August 18 to 28, 2014) in Cameroon, what was the objective of this mission and do you think you have achieved this objective?
The presence in Cameroon for 10 days is part of the work agenda which already has the timetable for the first phase established. The activities for this period consisted of checking on the spot the useful parameters to feed the project, living on the spot the problems of displacement in the various points of the cities concerned, knowing all the ways and their problems of mobility, also having work sessions with the various ministerial departments involved in this project, the administrations of the cities of Douala and Yaoundé. Our objectives have been achieved.
What activities have you planned as part of this mission?
We have planned to cover the main traffic routes of the cities concerned, to know the projects in execution and in the process of execution, to update certain information, to experience the mobility problems in the field, to know the characteristics of the cities concerned, to identify the opportunities that can facilitate the feasibility study.
What did you concretely expect from this mission?
We weren't expecting many surprises, we had already started studying before coming to Cameroon.
Why did you choose Cameroon for such a large-scale project? Is it because you yourself are Cameroonian?
The Choice of Cameroon is from the Cameroonian Government, as a good Cameroonian I am committed to bringing my share of contribution so that what has been successfully implemented elsewhere, is better in Cameroon.
How will Cameroonians feel the change after the implementation of this project (speaking of the benefits that this transport system brings)?
The changes will be noticeable very quickly. The Cameroonian will spend less time to get to his destination, he will spend more time with his family, at work than in traffic, he will move in safety and with comfort, the environment will be less polluted by the CO2 emitted by vehicles stuck in traffic jams and consequently a good quality of life.
Can we already have an idea of the cost of the project and the financial partners who are ready to support you?
The consortium is still working to evaluate the project.
How long do you plan to complete this project?
The presence of the Consortium represents the start of the work. According to the schedule that was established for the feasibility study, the schedule until the end of the work will be developed after this first phase.
Do you have an example of a country in which this transport system works well?
Countries like Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, South Africa, Ghana, USA. And several others have already adopted BRT.
Interview by Ahmed Mbala
