Informal Solutions at a Mobility Node: El Trébol, Quito

Transport research tends to focus on the economics and efficiency of different formal transport modes and associated infrastructures. Not so much attention has been given to perceptions that the users have toward transport modes and associated infrastructures, and less so when the mode is informal (also known as para-transport). This study aims to enrich the academic debate surrounding transport through a qualitative research project and case study. The objective was to determine the perception of transport in a mobility node of Quito (the capital of Ecuador) called El Trébol. Over a 100 opinion polls and 6 focus groups were carried out by students from the Pontifical Catholica University of Ecuador (PUCE) at El Trébol transport node with users of a variety of transport modes (both formal and informal). The findings highlighted how informal and formal modes of transport converge and interact to form a neuralgic, multimodal transport hub. Looking at the node through perceptions of the end users helps in understanding how the complexity of these transport modes interact. The impact of this is that, by looking through the eyes of the end users, policymakers might be able to harness infrastructure, public space, informality, and safety to solve multimodal transportation challenges that the city faces.