Colombia, Biker Land

Since the 1950s, Colombian cyclists, colloquially called “beetles,” have been widely recognized as unsung heroes, faced with the obstacles of nature and harshness of steep mountain ranges that cross the national territory. In 1951, the first professional cycling tour was organized in Colombia, boosting cycling activity in the country. Seven decades later, in every municipality, in each city, on every rural road, we find men and women pedaling to school, to their plantations, or “climbing” mountains competitively.  Bicycles are undoubtedly a symbol of freedom, brotherhood and national pride, thanks to decades of feats of young people who pedal along the edges of cliffs and touch the sky in international competitions.

The real owners of Bogota streets

Colombia’s capital is not exemption, and in December 1974, civil society pushed for the establishment of recreational bicycle lanes, a visionary decision that represented a breaking point in the distribution of the city’s road space. It has been 46 years and these leisure and recreation spaces have consolidated and expanded. Since then, every Sunday and public holidays, between 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., approximately 1,900,000 people go out for a walk, jog, to ride their bike, or skate in the 127-km recreational lanes. 

Since the early 21st century, in addition to recreational use, bicycles have been used daily as a sustainable mode of transport. At the end of 2019, according to the results presented in the Mobility Survey update, 880,367 trips were made every day by bicycle in Bogota, 4,556,702 by public transport and 1,986,760 in private vehicles. In the modal distribution of trips, it should be noted that 67% were made in sustainable modes: 37% by public mass transport systems, and 30% by bike or on foot.

Bogotá is making strides to expand public spaces and develop cycling infrastructure projects that connect the city from North to South and East to West, facilitating mobility for low-, middle- and high-income residents. Today, Bogotá has 550 km of bicycle lanes and remarkable efforts have been made in road safety, intermodality, inclusion and gender, with a focus on promoting bicycle use.

And then came the pandemic...

Over a short time span, the answer to dilemmas around mobility in times of pandemic of cities such as Bogota, Paris, Berlin, London, New York and Lima, has been the bicycle: the best ally in times of social distancing. A complete turnaround has been necessary, to plan and act quickly by introducing health prevention measures in mass transport. Based on the need for recommended distancing, capacity has been restricted to 35% occupancy in underground systems and buses. Thanks to the fact that Bogotá already had an extensive logistical experience in establishing recreational bicycle routes on Sundays and public holidays, the Mobility Secretariat enabled an additional 80 kilometers of temporary roads, for a total of 630 km of roads for cyclists, some of which will become permanent. According to research from the SUR Group of the University of Los Andes, 77% of Bogotans are less than 10 minutes away from a bicycle lane.

In times of pandemic, bicycles take center stage, taking over public spaces and favoring inclusion, thanks to their flexibility, low cost, reduced exposure to the risk of contagion, resilience and sustainability.

Recommendations for positioning the bicycle mode

• Encouraging sustainable modes: bicycles, buses, sidewalks, micro-mobility
• Promoting sustainable mobility plans in public sector companies and agencies
• Enhancing road safety to reduce road accidents for the most vulnerable groups
• Fostering the implementation of flexible hours for the most relevant sectors
• Prioritizing public spaces and road spaces for bicycles and pedestrians
• Providing and maintaining lighting in the bicycle routes to improve personal safety
• Facilitating bike sales, after-sales and repair services
• Promoting and enabling spaces for bike parking lots
• Ensuring gender equity and reducing the bike usage gap
• Enhancing school walking or bike trip programs.
• Empowering the city with massive use of bicycles and connection through other sustainable modes
• Providing quality infrastructure and equipment for interventions and major cycling infrastructure projects such as Medio Milenium