A Cycle Lane Success

Mayor Gustavo Petro's pedestrianization of Ave. Septima during the day and his creation of a bicycle lane have notably increased the number of cyclists on the stretch of Ave. Septima from Plaza Bolivar north to Calle 25, where the street reopens to cars.

And, that's not only because the city is lending bikes to use on this stretch.

Besides the increased number of bicyclists, pedaling here's now definitely safer, more pleasant and less polluted.

I've also noticed a large proportion of female cyclists on the pedestrianized Ave. Septima. Generally in Bogotá almost all commuter cyclists are male.

But Petro is now under seige, by a campaign to revoke his mandate. If Petro goes, then the car-free Septima, which many retailers oppose, will likely end, too.

Four cyclists, one of them carrying his daughter home from school,
use the bike lane on the pedestrianized stretch of Ave. Septima. 

Less than ideal. Ice cream vendors find the bike lane useful.

However, after passing 25th St., the bike lane just ends and cyclists share the road with cars, trucks and buses again....

A bike chained to a pole. The whole car-free 24-block stretch lacks a single bike parking rack.

From 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. this stretch of Ave. Septima opens to motorized traffic,
but the bike lane remains. 

This garbage truck found the bike lane a convenient place to stop,
forcing a delivery cyclist onto the sidewalk.

No cycle lane here! Farther north on La Septima a cyclist battles his way amongst cars and buses.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Public Bikes on Seventh Ave.

Attendants and bikes on Seventh Ave. 

Bogotá's long-promised public bicycles system appears no closer to reality. But, in what will hopefully spur officialdom to get it moving, City Hall and the IDRD have set up a low-tech, small-scale bike lending program on the pedestrianized stretch of Ave. Septima between 19th and 24th Sts.

The aluminum-frame bikes are lots nicer than needed
for five level blocks of Ave. Septima.

Right now, they've got 16 bikes, stationed in two spots, by 19th St. and 24th. But they have more bikes available and intend to expand, an attendant told me. The bikes are nice ones, with aluminum frames. And security isn't bullet-proof: attendants make sure users have a valid photo ID, and take a photograph of the person with ID and bike. Users are supposed to remain only on the five blocks of Seventh Ave. which are closed to cars while the bridge over 26th St. is replaced as part of the TransMilenio expansion project (The new bridge is supposed to be completed in 100 days.)

Encouragingly, an attendant told me they lent bikes 130 times today, which was happily rain-free. Yesterday was tougher, however, because of cold rain and protest marches.

"When the protests finally ended, the rains started," an attendant lamented.

Students, local employees and "even business men in suits and ties," used the bikes. Not a single one was stolen, altho I can't imagine it'd be very difficult for someone to present a fake ID and then dart down a side street into the Santa Fe neighborhood, where a stolen bike would be easy to hide.

This five-block project isn't very practical for transport, altho officials should consider expanding it to include spots near universities along the Eje Ambiental. But it demonstrates, once again, that real demand exists for public bicycles in Bogotá, and that this city of traffic jams may be missing an opportunity by not pursuing the idea, as Medellin is.

Users riding five blocks on loaned bikes. Each loan includes a helmet, but few got used. 

A bicycle stand. 

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Bogotá's Suddenly Bikeable Seventh Ave.

Where cars normally rule, now it's bikes and pedestrians. 

Walking across the bridge over 26th St. 

Bogotá's normally chaotic, congested and contaminated Seventh Ave. has suddenly become bikeable, thanks to the demolition of the bridge over 26th St. - at least for the seven blocks between 19th and 26th Sts.

While it's only a short stretch, and cyclists and pedestrians still have to fight traffic and pollution to the north and south, to the city's credit it's made a real effort to create a 'humane' transit scheme for the car-free stretch of Seventh Ave. (Which will last at least five months and might be extended to Plaza Bolivar, and even made permanent).

To the north of 26th, they also added a useful bike lane, altho the barrier can't protect against the chronic pollution.

Are these improvements signs of bigger things to come? We can only hope.

Seventh Ave. in normal times. A bicyclist fights his way amidst traffic. 

In normal times, cycling along Seventh Ave. is not child's play. 

The bike lane has even made Seventh a tourist attraction. 

The bicycle lane's presence doesn't mean it's respected. 

The city also created this bike lane near the old Bavaria brewery. It's useful, but the pylons orovide no protection from noise and pollution. 

Is this just temporary, or the start of a more bikeable Bogotá?

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogota Bike Tours