Ciclovia

Ciclovia

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Ciclovia, a Spanish term meaning "Bike Path" is most commonly associated with various cities in Columbia, such as Bogota, Cali, and Medelin. A ciclovia is either a bike route, or more commonly, a closed street that is used exclusively for biking, walking, and other similar activities.

Bogota's Bold Idea

Bogota is the sprawling capital of Colombia with a population of over seven million. Its congested streets carry over 55,000 taxis, 18,000 buses, and more than a million private cars. The traffic culture in the city is notoriously lawless, resulting in 56,000 accidents and 900 deaths annually.[2]

Every Sunday and holiday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Bogota, Colombia closes off--or, rather, opens up---more than 70 miles of city streets. Closed, that is, to cars and open to bicyclists, skaters, walkers, and mass aerobics. When that happens, 1.5 million people come out to enjoy the safety, community, and exercise that a seemingly car-free city allows. According to many participants, the Ciclovia has transformed life in the city all around for the better. People feel happier, healthier, and more united.[1]

In Bogota, the Ciclovia is hardly a recent fad. It began in earnest as early as the early 1980s, after initial experiments in the mid 70s.[3,6] But the hero of the event is Guillermo Peñalosa, who became the city's parks commissioner in the 1990s. When "Gil" took office, there were already 8 miles of roads devoted to the Ciclovia. In two years he increased both the amount of space and the number of participants by almost ten times. He is proud of the egalitarian nature of the event. "You will see people in
$5,000 bikes and others in $50 bikes, and all having the same fun!" Gil exclaims. "Rich and poor, young and old, men and woman, tall or short... ALL!" [1,4]

Gil's brother, Enrique Peñalosa, served as Bogota's mayor between 1998 and 2001, and during that time extensive improvements were made to the city's bicycle and public transit infrastructure.

The event is orchestrated by Bikewatch, a team of mostly young, helmeted Bogotans employed by the city. Their name is a play on Baywatch, the American television show that is also popular in Colombia. According to Gil Peñalosa, when they adopted this name the number of applicants for the job jumped from 20 to 1,500.[1]

Not Just Ciclos

Bikes dominate the name and the landscape of Ciclovia, but there is a lot more to it than that. Ciclovia days in Bogota are combined with Recreovia (pictured at right), a program of free public exercise activities in parks and other car-free areas.[7] Activities include dancing, yoga, and aerobics, led by professionals who are paid by the city and accompanied by festive music. Free bike rentals are also provided for short rides within city parks for residents who don't own bikes themselves.

Ciclovia also provides tremendous business to vendors who serve Ciclovia participants.[1]

Beyond Bogota!

While Bogota has taken the Ciclovia concept farther than any other city in the world, it is not alone in trying. Other cities in Colombia, including Cali and Medellin, also hold Ciclovias, and cities in other countries in Latin America have tried out the concept.

In the United States, El Paso, TX and Los Cruces, NM are the only cities to try a Ciclovia, using that name. Portland, Oregon's Sunday Parkways, which began in June 2008, freed up 6 miles of roads for six hours.[5] New York City will test out another Ciclovia-inspired event, Summer Streets, on three consecutive Saturdays in August 2008 from 7am to 1pm. NYC's "street opening" will run on August 9, 16, and 23 on a route connecting Brooklyn bridge to Central Park along Broadway and Park Ave. Baltimore will be rolling out a similar Sunday Streets program in October and San Francisco will launch its own version of the event in August and September of 2008.

Chicago launched its own version of Sunday Parkways October 5, 2008, after more than two years of planning and organizing by the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and five neighborhood groups along the eight-mile route. Thousands turned out and had a good time (see audio slideshow); the second event is set for October 26 on the south end of the route. A team of 15 Chicago activists traveled to Quito, Ecuador, in September 2008 to learn about that city's "Ciclopaseo."