A Ciclovia We Don't Need

A scene on the Ave. Septima Ciclovia today. 

 Some say that Bogotá's Sunday/holiday Ciclovia is the city's 'beach', with its more than 100 kms of car-free streets. But today it seemed that most bogotanos were at Colombia's real beaches (or at home sleeping off last night's partying). La Ciclovia, which often hosts between one and two million bicyclists, walkers, joggers and skaters, instead looked rather barren.

Does it really make sense to mobilize and pay the small army of police and Ciclovia monitors - who undoubtely would rather be with their families or still in bed -  for the few who venture out on Christmas or New Year's Day? Couldn't the money do more for cycling spent a different way?

This is particularly true on a day when motorized traffic is extremely light, anyway, making closing roads to cars almost pointless.

More police than cyclists on this stretch.

A lonely stretch of La Ciclovia today.

The Recrovia, free public aerobics, did get a turn-out.

Ave. Caracas this afternoon, almost bare of car and bus traffic. Why close down roads?

By Mike Ceaser of Bogota Bike Tours