São Paulo has a record number of new motorcycles on the streets and a traffic challenge

By Fábio Pescarini

The corridor between cars has never been so congested in the cities of São Paulo.

A survey conducted by Detran-SP points out that the number of new motorcycles registered in the first four months of this year in São Paulo is the highest for the period since 2015, when the historical series began to be cataloged by the state traffic department.

The invasion of two-wheelers is caused by car and fuel prices, the change in consumer behavior after the Covid-19 pandemic, purchases over the internet and delivery apps, and the poor conditions in public transportation.

According to data from Detran, between January and April this year, 74,986 new motorcycles were registered in the state.

The number is 30% higher than in the same period last year, when there were 57,566 registrations, and surpasses all the previous ones, also among the first four months.

The growth in the comparison between the first four months of 2022 and this year is higher than the national average of 25%.

The number of new motorcycles on the streets is proportionally even higher in the capital.

In the first four months of this year, 27,650 motorcycles were registered in the city of São Paulo, 74% more than from January to April 2022 – the current number also exceeds all those from the period from 2015.

The registration of new motorcycles grew more than all vehicles in general.

According to the Detran survey, in the first four months of this year, 267,792 new vehicles were registered in the state, including motorcycles, against 224,177 in the same period in 2022, i.e., a 19% increase – in the capital, the difference was 18%.

Also, according to the state traffic agency, the state fleet now has 4.9 million motorcycles, 25% more than the 3.9 million in April 2015.

The surge in motorcycle sales reflects Brazil’s social conditions, analyzes Pedro Augusto Borges, safe mobility coordinator at the National Road Safety Observatory.

“The person opts for a motorcycle because it is much cheaper than a car, both in purchase price and maintenance,” he says.

A Honda CG 160, the most sold motorcycle this year so far, according to Fenabrave (National Federation of Automotive Vehicles Distribution), costs R$16,300 for the cheapest model.

On the other hand, according to the same ranking, a Fiat Mobi Like 1.0, the most sold entry-level popular car from January to April, does not cost less than R$68,300.

The fuel price also weighed in the sales disparity, according to specialists.

In the last week of April, on average, regular gasoline was sold at R$5.36 in the state, according to the ANP (National Petroleum Agency) survey.

On average, the Honda CG 160 gets up to 40 km with a liter of gasoline, while the Mobi, up to 15 km/l.

The fuel economy makes the family of the businessman Leandro Esteves, 46, take one of the seven motorcycles out of the garage at home in Itatiba (84 km from SP).

Among high-cylinder models or for leisure – one of them, a racing model, was recently bought – the favorite is a Honda PCX 160 scooter.

“It does 38 km with one liter of gasoline”, says the businessman about the motorcycle shared with his wife, 44, and his son, 19.

The growth in motorcycle sales also reflects the poor public transportation conditions, especially in large Brazilian cities, according to the coordinator of the road safety observatory.

Sergio Ejzenberg, an engineer with a master’s degree in transportation from the Escola Politécnica da USP (University of São Paulo), has a similar opinion.

He points out a vicious cycle caused by the reduction in the bus fleet in cities like São Paulo, for example, which causes delays, driving users away to other modalities, and with fewer passengers, the number of buses decreases even more.

“The motorcycle is relatively inexpensive and saves time for the individual,” says Ejzenberg.

“The value of the hour worked is more decisive than the bus fare for many,” says the engineer about the slowness between one bus and another, the main complaint of users in the first quarter in São Paulo.

However, the engineer says the lack of traffic safety is a concern.

One out of every four people killed in traffic in the city of São Paulo in the first four months of this year was on a motorcycle, points out Infosiga, the traffic accident monitoring system of the state government.

The cities, in general, are not prepared for all this violence, says engineer Antonio Clóvis Pinto Ferraz, aka Coca Ferraz, professor, and coordinator of the Center for Traffic Safety at USP São Carlos.

In urban mobility interventions with the new two-wheeled reality, he points out, separating the motorcycle from the cars is necessary, especially on high-speed roads.

“A motorcycle is a smaller vehicle, less visible; it enters the blind spot of other drivers,” he warns.

The measure was adopted last year in the city of São Paulo with the implementation of the blue stripe.

The pilot project started in January 2022 on Avenida 23 de Maio, with a 5.5 km length.

According to CET (Traffic Engineering Company), in 12 months, there were 98 accidents involving motorcycles in the exclusive stretch for motorcycles.

Of this total, 44 occurrences had no injuries.

The others caused 59 victims, only eight of whom were serious. There were no deaths.

The project has been expanded to Bandeirantes Avenue in the south zone.

According to the city hall, there are studies to create another 220 km of exclusive lanes throughout the city.

To separate motorcycles from cars, CET says it has implemented 416 “safe fronts”, exclusive spaces for them ahead of traffic at traffic lights.

The design of the cities directly influences the conflicts between the modes.

That is why it is necessary to invest in urban planning, traffic education, and inspection, believes specialist Pedro Borges.

“This is a challenge that will always be present throughout the world, of how to manage the conflicts of all those who are part of the mobility process,” he says.

With information from Valor

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