The city of Bogotá has long been recognised as a active mobility leader in Latin America, but through the 'Plan Bici' - the city’s ambitious cycling strategy wants to the cycling capital of the world. A webinar co-hosted on the 11th of April by the C40 Cities Finance Facility and C40's Walking and Cycling Network outlined the key objectives and projects within Plan Bici, followed by a discussion with attendees.
David Uniman is the Gerente de la Bici (Bicycle Manager) of Bogotá, a new position created in 2016 by Mayor Peñalosa to develop and implement Plan Bici, a four-year plan to promote cycling in Bogotá. Plan Bici aims to double the mode share of cycling to 10% of all trips by 2020. To achieve this, the city seeks to build at least an additional 120 km of new cycling paths and do maintenance work on an additional 100 km of existing paths. A key project within Plan Bici is Quinto Centenario, a 25-km ‘cycle avenue’ crossing the city north to south and connecting citizens from low, middle and high-income neighbourhoods with jobs, schools and recreational opportunities.
The webinar addressed the following topics:
- What is cycling like in Bogotá?
- What does Bogotá’s cycling infrastructure currently look like?
- What will Bogotá’s cycling infrastructure look like in the future?
- How does the city aim to become the world’s cycling capital?
- What other cycling projects is the city implementing?