Jose Sergio de Oliveira Machado, the former President of Transpetro remarks that the biggest challenge would be to develop cities which would accommodate a large number of people. Along with that, there would be a need to develop a robust transport system and appropriate routes and roads. There needs to be better planned and bigger roads to facilitate for a smooth flow of traffic. The amount of number of vehicles being registered is huge and the so are the spikes in these statistics. So, Sergio Machado opines that it is wide to plan extensively in advance. He further says that these problems are not the ones that could be dealt with mere improvisation and immediate reactions.
The traffic, which is already a problem in some cities, tends to become worse, causing damage to the environment, the welfare of the residents and the economy. A study by Citigroup, for example, an estimated 5% loss of productivity of the Brazilian economy because of traffic jams.
These problems are basic impedances to the development spree. Therefore, it is wise to account for such changes in the long run and then plan accordingly. In a country like Brazil, it is necessary to get the base correct. The foundation of such development and planning has to be precise and yet flexible.
It isn’t a bad idea at all to rope in the best brains of the world. Let us learn from the mistakes other countries have made and not repeat them. It is good to learn from mistakes but even better to learn from somebody else’s mistakes.