Currently, there are several countries around the world that are looking for mobility alternatives to minimize the use of cars, mainly in large cities, where this means of transport predominates. The increase in the number of cars and the environmental impact generated by their operation due to the use of fossil fuels have led to the bicycle reclaiming its space in Bogotá.
The connection of the largest city in Colombia with the bicycle began in the 70s, when the city began to temporarily close the main roads of the city for a few hours so that its inhabitants had the opportunity to go pedaling with their family or with friends through the avenues of the city.
This tradition has continued to date and every Sunday or holiday, Bogotá closes from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm around 110 kilometers of the main streets, which are generally congested during the week, so that between 1 and 1 7 million people ride a bicycle.
It really is a different activity to do on Sundays”
But the fervor and the great increase of the inhabitants of the convulsed Colombian capital for the bicycle is not new, in the South American country in general there has always been a taste for cycling, in this sense, Angélica Castellanos, told the voice of americawho takes advantage of the arrival of the weekend to go out for a bike ride.
“We play sports, we leave the house, we get distracted, we see people, it really is a different activity to do on Sundays,” he told the VOACastellanos, who, despite the rain, enjoyed the bicycle tour along Carrera Séptima, one of the most important avenues in the city, which leaves cars outside for a few hours so that cyclists can take their place.
How many kilometers of bike paths does Bogotá have?
According to the Bogota Mobility Secretariat, the city has more than 600 kilometers of roads for the exclusive use of bicycles; In addition, last year it established a new shared bicycle program with more than 3,000 bicycles distributed throughout the metropolis, and which cost $2 per hour.
“We have one of the most extensive bicycle lane networks in the world, it is the most extensive in Latin America that is improving every day. Bogotá has had a love story with the bicycle for many years. It is a health component, it is to transform the territory based on the bicycle, ”she told the voice of america, Deyanira Ávila, Secretary of Mobility of Bogotá.
Bogotá has a love story with the bicycle for many years”
In this sense, according to data from the city, in Bogotá there are around 1,800,000 registered bicycles and it is estimated that 1.2 million people use this means of transport every day.
“Ciclovía is the most recognized program we have in our city, in our country and also in the region. It is a space where physical activity and sports are done, ”he explained to the VOALuis Salcedo Prado, deputy director of the Bogotá District Recreation and Sports Institute.
For the people of Bogotá, two wheels have become a perfect excuse for some to have decided to leave their cars and go pedaling without their vehicles and public transport determining their time thanks to the extensive network of routes within everyone’s reach.
“It is important that we use other alternatives to transport ourselves within the city, alternatives that are necessarily free from the use of cars every day,” he told the VOAFabián Martínez, citizen.
“Uno se siente libre, se puede despejar de todo el estrés transportándose en bicicleta”, manifestó a la Voz de América, Laura Romero.
Por último, nadie sabe a ciencia cierta cuándo empezó a rodar por Bogotá la primera bicicleta, lo cierto es que la ciudad es una de las urbes a nivel mundial donde más predominan los atascos vehiculares y el aumento de los tiempos de viaje en el transporte público, por tal motivo la bicicleta ha conquistado masivamente las calles alcanzado grandes cifras de recorridos a dos ruedas.
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