[sustran] FW: Bogota item from latest MOBILIZING AFRICA #7

Paul Barter geobpa at nus.edu.sg
Tue Oct 9 09:41:40 JST 2001


Bogota is not in Africa obviously. But there is a particularly interesting
item on the city from the latest Mobilizing Africa newsletter. 

-----Original Message-----
...

MOBILIZING AFRICA

	A Bi-Weekly Bulletin from ITDP and
	Africa Sustainable Transport (SusTran) Advocates

 	=============================================================
 	Electronic Edition Number 7            October 5, 2001
 	=============================================================
                         HEADLINES
	==============================================================
	* NEW INVESTMENT FUND TARGETS AFRICA'S BIKE DEALERS
	* BOGOTA'S MIRACLE:  WHAT LESSONS FOR AFRICAN CITIES?
	* TUK-TUKS FOR ZIMBABWE?
	* GROUP CYCLES 550KM TO SPREAD AIDS MESSAGE
	* SWAZILAND: LUXURY CARS JUSTIFIED SAYS MINISTER
	==============================================================

*  The Fall 2001 edition of Sustainable Transport Magazine is now
available.  To receive a complimentary copy, or to send a complimentary
copy to an influential policy maker, please send us a message.

** To learn more about ITDP visit http://www.itdp.org

*** To submit your articles to Mobilizing Africa, or to (un)subzcribe:
steely at igc.org

...snip...

*	*	*
BIKE USE IN BOGOTA JUMPS 900%, BOOSTS LOCAL RETAILERS

Bogotá, COLOMBIA-- Sales of Trek, GT, Schwinn, Bianchi and Giant have
increased 80% at Bici Ruta, a bike retailer in Bogotá, Colombia.  Bici
Ruta is not the only retailer who is selling increasing numbers of
bikes and accessories; business is booming for bike dealers throughout
Bogotá, a city of 7 million people.  Why the sudden jump?

This year, Bogotá completed a network of "Ciclo-Rutas", 300 kilometers
of bicycle paths, the most extensive dedicated bike path network in the
world.  The new paths, coupled with other bike promotion measures, have
caused a 900% increase in cycling.  In  1997 only 0.5% of the
population used the bicycle as a means of transportation, today more
than 5% do it.

Other strategies that have led to the growth of cycling in Bogotá
include a crack down on cars parking on public space, and the
"Ciclovia", a policy by which all cars are banned from 120 kilometers
city's main arteries on Sundays and holidays, opening the streets to up
to 2 million cyclists, walkers, and roller-bladers.   The popular
Enrique Peñalosa, who because of term limits recently stepped down as
Mayor of Bogotá, was the primary force behind these and other pro-
bicycle measures.

On Thursday, February 24, 2000 Mayor Peñalosa carried out Bogota's
first Car Free Day, a day in which no cars were allowed to circulate in
the entire urban area (32,000 hectares).  During 13 hours, from 6:30
AM to 7:30 PM, about 6,5 million people moved in public transit,
bicycles, roller blades, taxis and by foot.  On this workday 98% of all
activities functioned normally.  Indeed, many businesses reported
increased sales.  Due to these visionary efforts, Mayor Peñalosa was
recently awarded the prestigious Stockholm Challenge Prize.

A bus rapid transit system called TransMilenio was also launched in
December 2000.  160-passenger buses run through exclusive corridors.
The system is integrated with the Ciclo-Ruta network, TransMilenio's
main stations are provided with bicycle parking facilities.

In a referendum held on October 29, 2000, Mayor Peñalosa asked citizens
if they wanted to have a Car Free Day every year the first Thursday of
February and whether they wanted to prohibit all cars circulation at
peak hours (6 AM to 9 AM and 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM) by the year 2015.
Both proposals were approved, which means that Bogotá is becoming the
first Car Free City in the world.

"Mayor Peñalosa's policies have positively affected my business; I
have increased sales as well as the mechanical service.  People have
become passionate about bicycles; they buy accessories to repair or
improve their bikes, sport clothes, hamlets, gloves, etcetera," said
Carlos Torrado, the owner of Bici Ruta.

According to Torrado, who in addition to Trek, Gary Fischer, GT,
Schwinn, and Bianchi carries his own line of "Torrado" bicycles,
monthly sales have jumped 80%, to US$ 9,900 per month in one year

"It has become a trend for parents and their children who go together
to the Ciclovia or the Bike Paths.  I have seen cases in which the
father buys a bicycle for his son and then buys one for himself and
another one for his wife, so they can enjoy bicycling together,"
continued Torrado.

Oscar Edmundo Diaz, who is currently employed at the Institute for
Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), an international bike
advocacy group based in New York City, gave a seminar to industry
leaders at this year's Interbike trade show.  "This is a perfect
example of how pro-bicycle policies and infrastructure can yield
significant increases in sales for the bike industry," said Diaz.  Mr.
Diaz, before he came to ITDP, was Mayor Peñalosa's Special Advisor on
Foreign Affairs.  "Now that I am at ITDP, I am working to convince
other cities around the world adopt the same things that have worked so
well in Bogotá."

The Bogotá model has been studied with interest by other Latin American
capital cities such as Lima, Quito, Santiago de Chile, Panama City and
Guatemala City.


...
other items snipped
...

MOBILIZING AFRICA #7

*	*	*


 ----------------------------------------------------------
 MA#7
 Editor:  Paul S. White   steely at igc.org
 ----------------------------------------------------------

Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP)
115 West 30th Street, New York, NY 10001
tel. (212) 629-8001   fax (212) 629-8033   mobility at igc.org








Paul Steely White
Director, Africa Programs
Institute for Transportation
& Development Policy (ITDP)

115 W. 30th St. Suite 1205,
New York, NY 10001
Tel +212 629 8001, Fax -8033,
www.ITDP.org



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