{"id":32270,"date":"2016-08-26T18:08:11","date_gmt":"2016-08-26T21:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=32270"},"modified":"2016-08-26T18:08:32","modified_gmt":"2016-08-26T21:08:32","slug":"on-the-brt-route-stories-behind-rios-olympic-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=32270","title":{"rendered":"On the BRT Route: Stories Behind Rio\u2019s Olympic Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

For the original article by Camilla Costa\u00a0in Portuguese\u00a0published by BBC Brasil\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

One of the infrastructure projects considered a major\u00a0part of the Olympic legacy<\/a> is the BRT TransCarioca<\/a>\u00a0bus rapid transit line and highway. Functioning since 2014, the line crosses Rio de Janeiro from the Tom Jobim International Airport (Gale\u00e3o) on the Ilha do Governador<\/a> to Barra da Tijuca<\/a> where the Rio 2016 Olympic Park is situated.<\/h4>\n

The high speed bus system<\/a> is an extension of the original route proposed in Rio’s bid to host the Olympic Games<\/a>. It passes through 27 areas of the city and has impacted the lives of millions of people.<\/p>\n

The bus route passes through old neighborhoods like Penha<\/a> and favelas like Mar\u00e9<\/a>. There are also communities that were totally or partially removed in the construction process both of the TransCarioca and the TransOl\u00edmpica<\/a> line, which links the Olympic centers of Barra and Deodoro and is\u00a0for the exclusive use of athletes, Olympic staff and ticket holders until the end of August.<\/p>\n

\"Transcarioca<\/a><\/p>\n

BBC Brasil<\/em> traveled along\u00a0the routes listening to the stories of Cariocas affected by the new system of transport, both\u00a0within the buses and around the construction of the line. Here is a selection of these stories:<\/p>\n

Gale\u00e3o Stop \u2013 Tom Jobim International Airport<\/h3>\n

\"Shoe<\/a><\/p>\n

Jackson Augusto de Mello, 22, has worked polishing shoes since the age of 13 at\u00a0the entrance to the departure area of Gale\u00e3o and is well accustomed to foreigners, celebrities and athletes. For this reason, the Olympic visitors did not make a great impression on him\u2013except in the moment when he shook hands with the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. “It is good because it\u2019s providing more customers, thank God, but I\u2019ve seen it busier.”<\/p>\n

However, the BRT changed his route to work from Mar\u00e9 where he lives. “It\u2019s much faster. It’s improved\u00a0our lives.”<\/p>\n

He says he wants to watch the Olympic soccer\u00a0games, or at least the mens\u2019 games, but he did not appear excited about the legacy of the Games in the city.<\/p>\n

“For me nothing has changed. I think they are saying that after the Olympics, things are going to get worse.” The reporter asked how. “I don\u2019t even know how to explain to you,” he responded.<\/p>\n

Madureira Stop<\/h3>\n

\""The<\/a><\/p>\n

In the middle of conversation between passengers and workers, people trying to hold open the automatic doors in order to get in more quickly and volunteers on their way to\u00a0the Olympic Park, students Daniel Mendes, 20, and Thalita Ferreira, 21, are waiting for the second high speed bus to get to the famous market in Madureira<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Daniel says:\u00a0\u201cThe BRT has improved traffic, but there is still the problem of overcrowding. I\u2019ve heard lots of people complaining that before there were more bus routes<\/a> and now they are dependent on the BRT. Instead of alleviating the pressure on the lines that existed, they cut routes and filled up the BRT. Maybe there\u2019s some kind of good [in the legacy of the Olympics] but at the moment I\u2019m only managing to see negative effects on the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thalita says: \u201cFor me, it is different. Before, I could catch one bus from Col\u00f4nia Juliano Moreira<\/a>, where I live, to Madureira. Now everything is more complicated than before. If there is congestion, it is faster to take the BRT. But if there is no traffic, the BRT takes longer. These problems have always existed, but with\u00a0the Olympics there\u2019s another thing: it seems like the concern is more about the tourists than about us. The South Zone<\/a> has always been well planned, but the West Zone<\/a>, no.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither Daniel nor Thalita are interested in watching the Games.<\/p>\n

\"Considered<\/a><\/p>\n

When questioned by BBC Brasil<\/em>, the Rio Municipal Transport Secretary confirmed that some bus routes had been cut or became bus lines to BRT stations. But he asserts that \u201cthe locals in the region are not being deprived of public transport<\/a>. On the contrary, they have the option to take a faster and more comfortable form of transport.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""To<\/a><\/p>\n

Thain\u00e1 Germana, 20, is unemployed. At least three times per week, she takes her three-year-old daughter Julia to the Madueira Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Opened in 2012, the leisure park was one of the most celebrated legacies of the Games in the north of the city and received the Olympic rings donated by London, as well as sporting equipment such as basketball hoops and the second biggest skate park in the country, suitable for hosting competitions.<\/p>\n

Even during weekdays, and in the rain, the park is full of teenagers, people doing exercise and families with children.<\/p>\n

“Here it was just overgrown areas\u00a0and houses<\/a>. Now, it is much more valuable, the area in which we live is more appreciated. And there is lots of space for the children to play in, which they didn\u2019t have before,” Thain\u00e1 says.<\/p>\n

During Rio 2016, Madureira is one of the sites for cultural events and has hosted shows, sports and a large screen transmitting the competitions. But after the Games, locals are asking about how the area will be kept safe.<\/p>\n

“Due to the Olympics, there’s been more policing here. Before, there was not very much. After the park was built, people reported that the levels of violent robbery got worse and that there were more muggings inside the park than outside.”<\/p>\n

Asked about her interest in seeing the Games, Thain\u00e1, who was previously\u00a0a semi-professional soccer\u00a0player, admitted: \u201cTo be honest, I don\u2019t care about the Olympics. But if I\u2019m not doing anything else maybe I can come here and watch.\u00a0I used to be interested in the Olympics but I\u2019m not any more, because the world is horrible. And everyone only wants to know about the Olympics. No one cares about the hospitals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ipase\u00a0Stop<\/h3>\n

\"Rapper<\/a><\/p>\n

We met up with rapper and graffiti artist Gil Metralha, 30, next to a graffitied wall that says: \u2018There is a mountain of money for the Olympics, but not for health<\/a>.” The wall greets the passengers exiting the BRT at the Ipase station in the middle of a busy commercial road in the Pra\u00e7a Seca<\/a> neighborhood in the West Zone of Rio.<\/p>\n

Riding a bicycle equipped with speakers playing his music, Gil explained that he used to live on the corner of the block and\u00a0was\u00a0removed to provide space for the new line.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2013, they knocked down my house. They gave some compensation, but the house was worth more. I bought an apartment in Recreio<\/a>, but I want to come back here,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ran a social project from the terrace of my house. I built a track and ten skateboards. Children who got good marks at school could come to\u00a0me, but they had to present their reports. I know all these children around here that you can see. But the project only lasted one year. The BRT put an end to everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite this, the rapper believes the Olympics might bring positive things to the city. \u201cFor me it basically means nothing, but I can\u2019t only think of myself. It could encourage children to practice sports. They are already being encouraged.”<\/p>\n

Taquara Stop<\/h3>\n

\"For<\/a><\/p>\n

While the BRT TransOl\u00edmpica stop near her apartment in Col\u00f4nia Juliano Moreira is not functioning, Bahian seamstress Isabel Ribeiro, 57, has to take a van to the Taquara stop on the TransCarioca line in order to access public transport.<\/p>\n

Nowadays, however, she rarely leaves the house because she has no money for transport.<\/p>\n

Isabel lived in an occupation of an old factory on the edge of the Rua Ipadu in the Jacarepagu\u00e1<\/a> neighborhood. The place was demolished during the construction of the new BRT line. Like the majority of her old neighbors, she received an apartment through the government housing program Minha Casa Minha Vida<\/a>\u00a0(MCMV) in the next neighborhood, but also received a problem.<\/p>\n

Since the local government did not pay the full value of the apartments, Banco do Brasil, who financed their construction, has charged the residents a debt of R$75,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The situation led her to lose her job, have several heart attacks while the bad credit rating from the debt\u00a0prevented her from getting a state pension\u00a0in order to get heart surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lived\u00a0in a tidy home inside a warehouse, but the tiles were already falling off when\u00a0the rain and sewage overflowed. When I got the key to this apartment, I cried a lot because I had prayed to God for my own place. But I don\u2019t know if this here is mine,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI signed a document with Banco do Brasil and I didn\u2019t receive a contract. I receive bills, text messages, phone calls<\/a>, but there is no response from the city government. They could evict me. I\u2019m very scared.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite moving house, which she says was for the better, Isabel resents the Olympic legacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, the Olympics don\u2019t mean anything. This TransOl\u00edmpica only came to end my life, because if it weren\u2019t for this cursed line I wouldn\u2019t be going through this. Everything is blocked, my tax number (CPF), my business registration\u00a0number\u00a0(CNPJ). I have never owed anyone anything before,\u201d she asserts.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompared with where I lived, this is like living in Barra da Tijuca<\/a>. It is a wonderful success in terms of heritage, but it\u2019s destroyed our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

When pursued\u00a0by BBC Brasil<\/em>, the Rio Municipal Housing and Citizenship Secretariat (SMHC) confirmed that “the process of registering the contracts for the Minha Casa Minha Vida apartments\u00a0is underway. The contracts will be delivered to residents after the conclusion of this process.”<\/p>\n

Some residents have lived in the apartments for nearly two years without receiving the document.<\/p>\n

The Secretariat asserts that “they are still regulating the payment” of all the apartments together with the Banco do Brasil. But the institution did not say when\u00a0the debt would be settled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever we become aware of residents’\u00a0complaints, SMHC requests that the bank stop sending bills,\u201d the institution claims.<\/p>\n

In recent days, however, Isabel continues to receive message about the debt.<\/p>\n

The Banco do Brasil confirmed, by email, that \u201cwe are actively demanding the late payments.\u00a0In order for\u00a0the situation to be regularized<\/strong>, we are waiting for the Rio de Janeiro city government to follow through with the payments promised to the beneficiaries.”<\/p>\n

Curicica Stop<\/h3>\n

\""I\u2019m<\/a><\/p>\n

For shopkeeper Ana Thelly Nascimento da Silva, 30, the removal<\/a>\u00a0in Vila Uni\u00e3o de Curicica<\/a> was less controversial than for other residents of her region. Between the TransCarioca and TransOl\u00edmpica line, she had her second hand furniture shop moved to a nearby space as a result of the new line.<\/p>\n

Now, the shop is up against a huddle of small two story houses next to the viaduct where the BRT passes, [at\u00a0the moment of this interview] still under construction.<\/p>\n

In the last month, Ana has had her new place of work blocked off in order for repairs to be made on the construction. This report found her at the moment in which she received authorization to return.<\/p>\n

“The people from the company that is doing the works asked me to make a calculation of how much I would have earned in order to give me compensation. And they did the same thing with the people who live here: renting furnished apartments so that they could stay. But everything was fine. There was no damage to my walls, nothing.”<\/p>\n

The former athlete says that her journey from home to work has become longer with the BRT, since the line that took her directly has gone. Even so, she believes that the legacy for the city could be positive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very patriotic. Problems happen in everything we do, but the Olympics are a good thing for everyone, not only for the athletes. And everything has a sacrifice. Some things will go wrong, but many things will be very good. With these large transport infrastructure projects there will be less traffic in Rio,\u201d she asserts.<\/p>\n

Alvorada Terminal \u2013 Last stop on the route<\/h3>\n

\"Sueli<\/a><\/p>\n

Late\u00a0morning, the Alvorada Terminal\u2013expanded and reopened in 2014\u2013is full of National Force soldiers, Barra hotel and shopping mall employees, volunteers, and tourists arriving from Gale\u00e3o or leaving their hotels in the direction of the South Zone beaches.<\/p>\n

Sueli Silva Santos, 45, has worked for a little over a year at a newspaper stand at the terminal\u2013which is five stops after the Olympic Park.\u00a0\u201cHere it is much busier. The revenues of the stand have increased along with my salary. I don’t see anyone complaining about the BRT, no,\u201d she affirms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m enjoying the Olympics. Sometimes I help the foreigners. They come and ask me for things and I don\u2019t understand anything, but work things out. I would be crazy about watching the Games, if there were a television here (at the stand). If I could, I would watch everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Aldair<\/a><\/p>\n

Hairdresser Aldair Jos\u00e9, 44, arrived at the final stop at the end of the TransCarioca coming from Penha in\u00a0the North Zone<\/a>\u2013a journey that used to take nearly three hours that now takes less than an hour and a half.<\/p>\n

“For me, the BRT changed a lot, mostly for the good. It has already helped me with work. I was unemployed and I ended up working on the construction of the route as a transport operator for 11 months. It helped me financially, which I needed. It also helped me because I\u2019m coming here to start another temporary job for the Olympic period.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the Olympics is good for the world and for Rio. It generates tourism<\/a>, money, employment. But there is the other side, which is forgotten, which is health and security here. This is terrible. The Olympics will bring in a lot of money, but we wonder whether this money will be invested in Rio afterwards. I hope so.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas For the original article by Camilla Costa\u00a0in Portuguese\u00a0published by BBC Brasil\u00a0click here. One of the infrastructure projects considered a major\u00a0part of the Olympic legacy is the BRT TransCarioca\u00a0bus rapid transit line […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":32284,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1293,1736,1869,1330],"tags":[225,606,1864,609,280,11,569,35,157,37,5,193,1084,409,1402,81,591,592,21],"writer":[2184],"translator":[1152],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-32270","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-evictionswatch","8":"category-1736","9":"category-transit","10":"category-translation","11":"tag-barra-da-tijuca","12":"tag-brt","13":"tag-bus","14":"tag-colonia-juliano-moreira","15":"tag-complexo-da-mare","16":"tag-forced-evictions","17":"tag-jacarepagua","18":"tag-madureira","19":"tag-minha-casa-minha-vida","20":"tag-north-zone","21":"tag-olympics","22":"tag-penha","23":"tag-praca-seca","24":"tag-public-transportation","25":"tag-legacy","26":"tag-transcarioca","27":"tag-transolimpica","28":"tag-vila-uniao-de-curicica","29":"tag-west-zone","30":"writer-camilla-costa","31":"translator-lucy-mcmahon"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32270"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=32270"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=32270"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=32270"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=32270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}