Four Wheels More Important Than Two?

Two cyclists Sunday near Calle 26. La Ciclovia was cancelled for drivers' benefit, yet car traffic was very light.

Ousted Bogotá Mayor Gustavo Petro may not have done as much as many of us had hoped for cycling - but he did at least sing bicycling's praises, and give bikes some priority. That's most evidenced on Seventh Ave, which Petro pedestrianized and added a bike lane.

Skaters on 26th Street on
Good Friday's Ciclovia.

But bicycling's status may be dropping under the post-Petro placeholder mayors. Bogotá is famous for its Sunday-Holiday Ciclovia, when some main streets and avenues are shut down to cars. This Sunday, however, city officials surprised us by canceling La Ciclovia so as not to inconvenience holiday drivers returning to the city.

Bicycling down Ave. Septima
during last Thursday's Ciclovia.

Admittedly, they did schedule two Ciclovia's last week, on Thursday and Friday. And, with many Bogotanos either out of town or celebrating Easter with their families, the cyclist turnout was light over Easter.

However, the predicted rush of motorists into the city didn't seem to appear at all - or at least until after La Ciclovia had ended at 2 p.m.

Would they have taken this Snday's Ciclovia away  if Petro were still mayor? I doubt it.

Bicyclists share Ave. Septima with a bus on Sunday,
when the avenue would normally be closed for La Ciclovia.

Ciclovias have been cancelled previously to keep those annoying bicyclists out of the way of drivers returning to the city. It's symptomatic of transit planners' mindset that cars are important, while bicycles are nothing more than recreational vehicles whose primary duty is to not inconvenience motorized vehicles.

I hope we won't lose Petro's unfortunately few contributions to urban cycling: the on-street bicycling lanes and the pedestrianization of Ave. Septima.

Bicyclists on the Ave. Septima Ciclovia. Will the mayor reopen it to cars and eliminate the bike lane?

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

What's Mayor Petro Done for Bicycling?

A cyclist on a new bike lane on Ave. Septima

A few mayors ago, Bogotá was widely seen as a trailblazer for bicyclists. It's since lost that image. When Gustavo Petro became mayor at the start of 2012 he really talked the talk about promoting cycling. Two years later, however, as Petro fights to stay in office, his record is disappointing.

Petro has built some bike lanes, created a very limited bike lending program in the city center and paid for pro-bike propaganda. But cycling conditions in most of the city haven't improved. And, in legal terms, cycling has been ignored.

Painters lay down a bike lane on Ave. Septima.

In two years Petro has built only 14 kms of bike lanes. That's more than his predecessor Samuel Moreno, but only 10% of what Petro promised he'd build during his four-year term. (Image: El Espectador)

Free bike for loan on Ave. Septima - but only for use on Ave. Septima. A real public bicycle program is still just a promise.

Mayor Petro won cyclists' gratitude by closing part of Ave. Septima to car traffic during the day and adding a bike lane to the street.

Posters promoting cycling cover poles along Ave. Caracas.

A bici-carril, an innovative bike lane for Bogotá, near the Universidad Nacional. Neighbors objected to the lane taking space away from cars, and even pulled out the dividers at one point.

A cyclist fights with traffic on Ave. Caracas.

But cyclists still fight for a bit of space amidst chaotic, polluting traffic.

Motorcycles continue proliferating. Can you spot the lonely bicyclist in this picture?

And bicycles with motors, called ciclomotores, have proliferated as well. This one is on Ave. Septima's bike lane, even tho that's supposed to be only for real bicycles.

Meanwhile, the city's thousands of bicitaxis remain technically illegal and subject to police harrasment and confiscation.  

And air pollution? City authorities still haven't noticed it.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogota Bike Tours.