Have a look at the Sao Paulo Subway project until 2020

I found this study at the Terra website and I think it's very interesting for the insidesaopaulo audience. The São Paulo Metropolitan Railroad Network is expanding. Currently it is responsible for the transport of 7.2 million passengers every single day. Modern projects are currently developing the existing 335km network. The network is receiving the largest volume of investments in its history: at least R$ 45 billion will be invested in projects already defined.

In 2017, four new lines should be in operation in the "Paulista" Capital. Currently, four stations are under construction (4-Yellow, 5-Purple, 15-Silver and 17-Gold). The Secretary of Metropolitan Transport is also working on improvements to operation stations and optimization of existing routes. Check out how the current map and see the projections for 2020:

If you want to see the development of this project year to year, visit the Terra website and see for yourself. It is easy to understand.

Few bus terminals will offer free internet access via WiFi. Starts this Monday (December 19)

Santo Amaro Terminal

Next Monday (December 19), the SPTrans (transit department) will offer Wi-Fi at the bus terminal Santo Amaro. In January, it will be lauched at the Sacomã and Lapa terminals.

It is an evaluation. If results are positive, SPTrans will expand the service to all 27 city bus terminals which receive about 2 million people every single day. The initial action will be sponsored by companies already operating in these places, for example, the Rede Ponto Certo, responsible for the selling ticket machines.

It will be a 4 megabytes connection, but it may be 5 or 6, depending on the demand.

To access, you must to registrater yourself using your CPF (we don't know yet if Passport can be used). Each person can only use the free Internet for up to 15 minutes (same procedure used at airports in Sao Paulo). Then you will have to wait an hour to reconnect. File downloads and access to pornographic pages are not allowed.

The use of plastic bag on supermarkets in São Paulo ends next year, on January 25

The mayor of Sao Paulo Gilberto Kassab, signed yesterday (December 15), an agreement with the Associação Paulista de Supermercados (São Paulo Association of Supermarkets) - APAS, which will be the end of the distribution of plastic bags in supermarkets of Sao Paulo - starting next year on January 25th. It has the support of three big supermarket chains (Pão de Açúcar, Carrefour e Walmart) and is intended to cover the entire state.

These supermarkets will no longer distribute 1.7 billion plastic bags on their 600 stores. Supermarkets will offer, as an alternative, biodegradable compostable bags made ​​from cornstarch and reusable bags. Both will be sold at cost price.

Campaign
The initiative of the APAS with the support of the City Council of Sao Paulo is included in a series of other actions of the campaign "Vamos Tirar o Planeta do Sufoco" (Let's save the planet), officially launched yesterday in Sao Paulo. The campaign was started in 2010 with the proposal to encourage the replacement of disposable bags for the reusable ones.

Origin of the São Paulo Population: around 10% of the Brazilian residents live in this city

According to the IPEA - Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (Institute of Applied Economic Research), around 45% of the São Paulo population living in the metropolitan city area comes from severeal diferent parts of Brazil and also from abroad.

Around 10% of the Brazilian population live in the metropolitan region of São Paulo

The research result was released on October 6th, 2011 and shows a study regarding social integration of migrants and foreign residents in the city.

The survey covers issues such as origin, occupation, income and education of this population based on data from the PNAD - Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (National Household Survey) of 2009 and IBGE - Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics). The study also shows data of families and the migrant's access to Technology. Around 10% of the Brazilian population live in the metropolitan region of São Paulo.

The study focuses the analysis on the birthplace of this population with age ranging from 30 to 60 years old (since the career of these people tends to be better set).

[source: ipea-ipnad]

Today, the Luz e Republica Metro Stations of the 4-Yellow line start to work from 4h40 am till midnight

From now on, working from 4h40 am till midnight, Monday to Saturday.

Starting today, the brand new stations Luz and Republica of the 4-Yellow Line will be open as much as the entire Metro system, from 4h40 all till midnight.

But for now, none of the stations of the 4-Yellow Line (Paulista, Faria Lima, Pinheiros and Butantã) work on Sundays. All of them keep being tested.

With extended hours of operation, the Metro hopes to reduce the overcrowded movement of the Station Sé (3-Red Line) and the Luz-Paraíso, the most heavily laden of the (1-Blue Line).

The Bras Station should also have decrease of users because the possibility of integration with the lines of the CPTM at the Luz.

According to the Metro, the current daily demand of 260 thousand users can reach 500 thousand by the end of this year. On the 4-Yellow Line, you can access the CPTM lines through the Pinheiros and Luz Stations.

The famous Mercadao will be closed and scrubbed this Monday, September 26th

The mercadão will be scrubbed

This Monday, the access to Mercadão will be restricted during all day. The Government and the boxes owners are planning reset and clean the building dependencies. The cleanning service happens often but at this time, they want to wipe and scrub everything from the roof to the ground.

Sao Paulo City Hall is planning to renew bus stops in town

Bus Stop addressed under the Martinho Prado Bridge, city centre.

The City Hall is planning to select proposals to renew the bus stops and street watches. The decision may be taken after the law's project regarding street furniture, approved yesterday by the City Hall, which must occur within 30 days.

According to the City Hall, São Paulo has 19 thousand bus stops and 295 watches on the street

The project authorizes the municipality to choose a company that sells advertising space on 43 thousand bus stops and watches, and also repair of the existing furniture and installation of new equipment.

What a shame! Sao Paulo is not behaving well during the World Car-Free Day 2011

São Paulo - Diego Ramos at 9 am: That's just one of the several photos I could take during my bus ride this morning, near Minhocão. The streets were full of cars, showing how much people care about environment. 

It is currently very sunny (midday) and it is worse! No excuses... Something has to be done! Don't miss the march for the sustainable mobility plan of São Paulo this Saturday. Check it out!

Related topics: 

• São Paulo will participate of the World Car-Free Day for the 6th consecutive year on September 22nd
• Moving Planet: march for the sustainable mobility plan of Sao Paulo. September 24th

São Paulo will participate of the World Car-Free Day for the 6th consecutive year on September 22nd

Sao Paulo World Car Free Day 2010 [photo: kenjikatahira]

World Car Free Day

The event encourages motorists to give up their cars for one day. This event happens every year on the same day.

Last year 2,221 cities joined the initiative. However, in 2011 the number of cities subscribed dropped to 2,017. In other words, 9% fewer cities are involved.

Government
The CET (Traffic Engineering Company) won't organize any change regarding the traffic flow during the Car Free Day. Last year, the 9/22 did not affect the population. The level of traffic was the same a on an average day.

The only change will be offered by SPTrans (the government company responsible for public transportation). The group promises to increase the number of buses during rush hours in an attempt to help with the efforts.

What will happen in Sao Paulo
A series of free activities are planned for this event. Check out:
September 22nd (Thursday): from 7:30am till 10am, the Associação Ciclocidade will offer a collective breakfast at Praça do Ciclista for those who arrive riding a bicycle.
At 7pm at the Campo do Astro, the film "O Caminho das Nuvens" (2003) by Vicente Amorim will be shown.

September 23rd and 24th (Friday and Saturday): the Museu da Imagem e do Som (MIS) will show short films about transportation and the environment. Among them is "Entre Rios" by Caio Ferraz Silva,which tells the story of São Paulo and the city's waterways.

September 25th (Sunday): there will be a bicycle exchange fair at Espaço Urucum.

Sao Paulo: Intercity Bus Stations are no longer allowed to charge for the use of toilet

Yesterday (September 15), a law forbidding to charge for the use of public toilets in bus stations in São Paulo State was published on the Diário Oficial (Official Gazete).

Signed by the governor Geraldo Alckmin, the law requires concessionaires or licensees of bus terminals to maintain their facilities tidy and clean and also to provide access for disabled people.

The new law is already in force. A daily fine (R$ 5,235) will be applied for the concessionaires that won't fulfill the requirement.

From now on, the use of mobile phones inside bank branches will be illegal in São Paulo city

The mayor of Sao Paulo, Gilberto Kassab, signed legislation banning cell phone use in banks and at ATMs in the city. This law was signed on August 26, 2011 and is now official. However, this law has not yet taken effect, because the banks still have to adapt to the new rules.

The fine will be R$ 2,500

The main goal of the new law is to reduce the occurrence of muggings against customers as soon as they leave the bank. According to the official information, it will be illegal to make and receive calls. Not even text messages will be allowed.

This prohibition is already law in two other cities in São Paulo State (Campinas and Franca). This is not a state law.

[source: estadao]

Indy Sao Paulo 2011: Cash back for those that bought tickets and couldn't go to the race on Monday

[photo: marcio fernandes/ae]

 Indy Sao Paulo 2011: race was interrupted after heavy rain

The Sao Paulo Prosecutor's Office (Promotoria de Justiça do Consumidor da Capital), Procon and TV Bandeirantes signed a Conduct Adjustment (TAC) to ensure financial compensation for all consumers who lost out on the São Paulo Indy 2011 race. The race should have happened on May 1st at the Anhembi street circuit, but because of heavy rains, it was postponed until May 2nd.

For prosecutors and Procon (a Brazilian state consumer protection agency), consumers who could not attend the race on Monday can get a partial refund.

Bandeirantes television (the company responsible for Indy in Brazil) has to grant a 30% discount for tickets for the 2012 edition or they have to refund 30% of the amount paid.

For the next year, a refund will also be set in place in case similar situations occur, since the Indy is set to take place in São Paulo until 2019.

Service
Consumers who wish to receive the discount or secure return for 2012 must submit the original ticket in person at ABC Tickets Livepass. Check out the list of service locations:
Shopping Market Place - Monday to Saturday, from 10am till 10pm.
Brascan Open Mall - Monday to Saturday, from 10am till 10pm.
Shopping Villa Lobos - Monday to Saturday, from 10am till 10pm; Sunday and Holiday, from 2pm till 8 pm.
Bilheteria 2 of the Morumbi Stadium - Monday to Sunday, from 10am till 6pm.

Vaccination against H1N1 (swine flu) will be delivered for free to the population until May 21st

The Brazilian government decided to deliver free vaccination against the H1N1 to the whole population. The campaign started last March 8th and it has already reached around 1 million people. The Government goal is ambitious, aiming to reach more than 15 million until May 21st.

This action must be taken to prevent further deaths during the next winter. The whole population is allowed to be immunized, but everyone has to follow a schedule organized by the Government. Age groups of Brazilian citizens are spread on different periods. It first started by the hospital staff and now (until April 2nd) the priorities are: pregnant women, children from six months to two years and chronically ill people.

Every Brazilian will have a chance to be immunized for free and it will certainly help when the winter arrives.