Actores clave del sistema de transporte público del Gran La Plata: barreras y oportunidades como factores para la mejora del sistema

Abstract

El sistema de transporte público colectivo automotor de la ciudad de La Plata es actualmente deficitario, de baja calidad e insuficiente para la demanda urbana y suburbana actual. El problema es multicausal y se enmarca en una falta histórica de planificación integral y una cierta discontinuidad político-institucional sostenida, con un comportamiento especulativo de los concesionarios del transporte, y descontento generalizado de los usuarios. El artículo aborda la investigación, análisis y mapeo de los actores clave del transporte público del Gran La Plata a fin de detectar barreras e impedimentos que obstaculizan la posibilidad de construir propuestas de solución integradoras. Se reconocen tres procesos problemáticos: Los posicionamientos asimétricos de los actores económicos con el Estado, las capacidades de organización limitada de la autoridad de aplicación, la desarticulación entre diferentes actores estatales que inciden en el transporte público. Finalmente se enumeran los temas clave por resolver para mejorar el transporte público local.

The COVID19 pandemic affected daily life, two positions emerging in contrasting ways: one that affirms that we will be able to return to our "normal" life and another that raises the emergence of a "new normal". This raises questions about life in cities and, particularly, mobility. With the emergence of the pandemic, global mobility fell precipitously, as it is considered a vector for the spread of the virus. The reactivation of activities has brought with it the problem of how to move around avoiding contagion. Therefore, Argentina generated a series of restrictions on the use of public transport, only for essential workers. But how does it affect urban mobility? The present work aims to analyze urban mobility in pandemic and the use of public transport, taking the city of La Plata as a case study and reflecting on the change in user behavior. The research is based on data collected by Google Mobility and on an ad hoc survey that reveals mobility situations during the isolation period and future trends. The first results show a critical mobility pattern of majority use of the private car, followed by walking and cycling. This pattern produces a territorial and socioeconomic bias that accentuates social inequalities in the population. Public transport fulfills a social role that must be considered in the application of policies. The post-pandemic future will not be without inequalities; therefore we must consider the needs of the entire population, with an efficient transportation system, with freedom of choice and guaranteeing the safety of all.