Bogotá, Colombia

Transportation Solutions

The TransMilenio System, for example, was created in 2000 to give certain buses the exclusive right to specially allocated lanes. This Bus Rapid Transit system, encompassing 84 kilometers of busways and over 300 kilometers of feeder routes, has significantly increased citizen access to public transport. The system is being built in stages, and by 2030 it is scheduled to cover the entire city. Of the approximately one million passengers transported daily, 5–10 percent of TransMilenio's ridership is made up of former auto users.

[Page 42]Another initiative to increase the daily reliance on nonautomobile modes of transportation is the Ciclorutas project. Composed of a network of approximately 300 kilometers of designated bicycle paths and planned and built mainly between 1998 and 2001, Ciclorutas is one of the most extensive of its kind in the world. This bike network has connectivity with strategic occupational, educational, and recreational spots in the city, as well as the TransMilenio.

To further discourage traffic congestion and address environmental pollution, Bogotá has restricted travel by private vehicles during peak hours on specific days of the week, depending on license plate number. In doing so, the city has limited approximately 40 percent of vehicles from entering the city during rush hours.

In addition, Bogotá hosts Program Ciclovía, in which an average of 117 kilometers of designated streets and main avenues are closed to motorized vehicles on Sundays and holidays to encourage cycling and walking activities. Ciclovía found its roots in social movements in 1974, when over 5,000 cyclists protested pollution, traffic congestion, and lack of dedicated roadways for bicycles. Initially opposed by the transportation and business sectors, the program did not receive institutional support until 1982. By 2005, an average of 400,000 residents aged 18–65 years were participating in Ciclovía every Sunday, and the day often attracts over 2 million participants. Bogotá is also credited with having the world's largest car-free weekday event. Officially approved by public referenda in 2000, this municipal government–sanctioned event prevents almost a million private cars from circulating on the first Thursday in February every year.

Green Space, Cleaner Air

Bogotá has also strengthened the city's sense of community by increasing the number of square meters of green area per inhabitant; at this time, a network of over 1,000 parks covers the city. Reclamation of public space has also proceeded through the pedestrianization of urban streets, with the placement of bollards to restrict car parking on sidewalks and the relocation of vendors into special plazas. Bogotá boasts the world's longest corridor of pedestrian streets, with a 17-kilometer stretch of pedestrian and bicycle pathways that connects several communities to retailers, employment, and public services.

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