Car-Free Day IS Ciclists' Day

Bicyclists ride on the Ave. Septima bike lane. I saw many more bikes than normal today. 

On Car-Free Day, the Petro administration did much more for cyclists than have other mayors have, creating a temporary bike lane down Ave. Septima and turning Calle 26 into a weekday Ciclovia. And, I saw many more cyclists than normal.

Car-Free Day is supposed to spur Bogotanos to change their transit ways. How many of those who dusted off their bikes today will continue using them?

Bogotá environmental officials reported that the number of cyclists sextupled today. I'd take that statistic with a grain of salt, but our numbers did rise.

Air quality also improved. Ozone, nitrous dioxide and carbon monoxide levels all dropped - but the concentration of suspended microparticles was actually higher than normal in the morning, but dropped to normal in the afternoon.

Greenman leads a caravan of costumed bicyclists on a temporary bike lane created on Ave. Septima today. The lane should be here every day. 

Crowded bike parking at the Jorge Tadeo University. The parking lot attendants told me that on a normal day 40 to 50 students (of thousands) come by bike. Today, about 200 did. Tomorrow, probably 40-50 again. 

Calle 26 was turned into Ciclovia today, altho it wasn't exactly crowded.

Liberal Party candidate Galan's people campaigned by bike today.

 By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Car-Free Day in Bogotá

A group of cyclists, mostly from the Universidad Central, on Ave. Septima.

Today wa Bogotá's annual Car-Free Day. Mayor Gustavo Petro gave the day a novel emphasis on bicycling by cycling to work himself, and creating a temporary bike lane on Ave. Septima and a Sunday-style Ciclovia on 26th St. 

But, while I saw more cyclists than normal, the two-wheeled turn-out seemed a bit underwhelming. 

A cycling poster that appeared today. 'I'll meet you pedaling over there. Let's hope they leave us our own lane.'

Cyclists make good use of the temporary bike lane on Ave. Septima. A good idea which should last. 

Cyclists on 26th Street, which was turned into a Sunday-style Ciclovia. But the turnout looked a little lonely. 

'Slow or with space?' A poster advertises car-free day. 

Exito supermarkets gets into it. 

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogota Bike Tours

Car-Free Day is Not Bicycles Day

A cyclists carries his son on 13th St., which was wonderfully uncongested today. 

Today was Bogotá's annual Car-Free Day, intended to get auto-addicts to think about new ways to get around.

Cyclists use a bike lane
near Jorge Tadeo University.

One of those ways is cycling. Disappointingly, however, I didn't see a whole lot more cyclists than usual. Here are photos of a few of them.

This bike lane behind the Central
Cemetery was blocked by four
of these carts in one block's distance. 

Cyclist vs. TransMilenio.

A bicyclist crosses a street near Jorge Tadeo University. 

At the Universidad Central, the parking lot attendants told me that about 80 people had arrived by bike - some eight times the usual number. However, that was probably partly because the university organized a bike ride out to some wetlands. At the neighboring Universidad Jorge Tadeo, the parking lot attendants said that 23 cyclists had arrived - only a few more than 15 people who normally pedal to campus. And, they added, the number had plummeted from the more than 50 who pedaled to campus during last year's Car-Free Day. All of this despite the fact that the university sent out an e-mail reminding people that free bike parking was available. (Bicycles park free there every day, in fact.)

What could the city do to get more folks onto bicycles, at least this one day? How about bike lanes right down the middle of major avenues? How about public bicycles, at least for one day?

Traffic actually moves at rush hour in central Bogotá. Ordinarily, at this hour of the evening this street is a traffic jam. 

Cycling thru the usually congested and chaotic streets of the Santa Fe neighborhood. 

A flooring company uses the 'Car-Free Day' - right beside a car advertisement. 

Universidad Jorge Tadeo's uncrowded bicycle parking lot. 

At the Universidad Central they set up two extra racks for bikes. 

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogota Bike Tours

Bogotá's Car-Free Day

University of the Andes students pedaling home. But how many of these generally wealthy kids will leave the car at home and make bicycling a habit?

Car-Free Day 2011, on Thursday Feb. 3, brought out more cyclists, but not the crowds of pedalers I'd hoped for. More importantly - do Car-Free Days create any lasting changes?

Certainly, the streets were less congested and bicycling more bearable. Here are some cyclists passing our clean-air protest on Seventh Ave., enjoying more than the usual road space, and slightly cleaner-than-normal air. El Tiempo reported that the number of cyclists increased 46 percent on Car-Free Day.

A few of us from Bogotá Bike Tours protested the city's horrendous and clearly uncontrolled pollution. I felt a lot like Don Quijote charging windmills as we hung out our banners and talked about air pollution to pedestrians who mostly walked past uninterested, often smoking.

I reflected on how many bogotanos were likely complaining right then that their favorite TV show was canceled, that there are no grapes in the market, that the car is dirty, that the maid is late, that the ice cream is frozen too hard...and only four of us out of those nine million bogotanos were out protesting something which must sicken and kill thousands of people every year.

During our protest, a sampling of Bogotá's bicyclists passed by, including several fixie riders on their super-light machines, a Spanish woman who told us about the Bicing public bikes in Barcelona and, most memorably, Green Man with his lighted-up bike, who carries on a constant and very quixotic campaign for environmental sanity.

This guy felt the need to wear a facemask even on Car-Free Day, rebaptized Clean Air Day.

I doubt the day will spur any lasting changes in bogotanos'  behavior, or respect for cyclists and other non-motorized travelers. The day after, pollution was back out in force, and cars once again blocked pedestrian and cyclsts-access, because nobody counts in this town unless they're motorized!

Here's our bike tour cruising through the normally car-choked Santa Fe neighborhood.

And here's that same stretch of street the next day. See the smog-belching truck? 

We ended the day in the National Park with a protest against pollution. Both Parchita and Green Man, as well as some guys on fixie bikes, turned out in support. 

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Bogotá's Car-Free Day

Car-Free Day

Feb. 4 was Bogotá's annual Car-Free Day, a decade-old tradition. It's one of the few cities to have such an event. Car-Free Day's goal is primarily to demonstrate to auto-addicts that they CAN get to work or school by means other than the private automobile (or taxis, which abounded). Yesterday, congestion dropped dramatically and carbon monoxide 43 percent, but the many old buses meant that pollution continued.

Unfortunately, since car-free day is only one day, many car owners simply postpone things until the day after, producing more congestion on Feb. 5. The city should rather have such days weekly or monthly, so that it becomes a custom rather than an oddity. Bogotá's pico y placa law prohibits cars from circulating two days each week, according to the last digit on their license plates. However, the rule also promotes the purchasing of second, often used, cars. The best solution by far would be a London-style congestion tax.

This blog is written by Mike Ceaser, of Bogota Bike Tours