The importance of using alternative means of transportation continues to grow and the bicycle has become par excellence the preferred vehicle for exercising, caring for the environment and not paying to get around.
(Shared bicycles in Bogotá: how it will work and the cost it will have).
Cities have had to adapt to this model that is gaining more and more strength. In Latin America, the main cities have adopted a space for cyclists to travel together with cars. And even in other cases, the bike paths intended solely for mobility on two wheels, They have changed the layout of the streets.
One of the cities that has made the most progress in the construction of bicycle lanes is Bogota. According to Esri, a geography software company, the capital has a total of 564 kilometers built. The city has even made indisputable efforts to integrate cyclists into its road infrastructure. In Colombia, in Cali, for example, there are 192 kilometers of bike lanes, in Medellin there are 120 kilometers, in Manizales there are 107 kilometers of these corridors and Barranquilla, 63.10 kilometers.
These cities, together with the Colombian capital, are the places with the most road development in this sense within the country.
(The rules and increases that begin to govern in Bogotá from this Tuesday).
“However, the construction of kilometers of cycle path is not enough if the generation of culture in the use of bicyclesEsri said in a statement.
Fernando Rojas, an expert in mobility, considers it necessary for cities to guarantee spaces that allow people to leave their neighborhoods and connect to public transport by bicycle or make longer journeys in a safer way.
“The added value of the bicycle is that it not only decongests the city, but also contributes to the environment and, if civility is instilled in the ecosystem, it is an important tool for cultural transformation,” Rojas stressed.
In his perspective, Colombian cities have dedicated themselves to building roads, but they are not worrying about guaranteeing safety for cyclists.
(Will the peak and plate promote sustainable mobility?).
“The cities are understanding the importance of the bicycle, but they are missing the opportunity to take the two processes hand in hand: to the extent that the cycling infrastructure increases, a culture of civility is generated from the bicycle,” Rojas said.
Regarding the parameters of infrastructure or longevity, in the world there are no established regulations of kilometers, in this way each city evaluates its particularities and needs and based on them establishes the mobility strategies.
For the development of these routes, there are companies specialized in providing, through technological information, an efficient, clear and timely work route for their development.
José Barrera, manager of the infrastructure and transportation sector at Esri Colombia, explains that Arcgis technology, in his case, is a geographic information system used by companies that develop bicycle infrastructure.
“ArcGIS technology allows the creation of this ecosystem through the collection of all the mobility infrastructure information that cities have (bridges, streets, type of transportation that works, etc.), where people live, how far they are going to travel, what are the travel times and, from there, an informed planning is generated”, explained Barrera in this regard.
In Colombia, these Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are managed by the mobility secretariats to evaluate all possible scenarios and provide infrastructure solutions for bicycle users.
PAULA GALEANO BALAGUERA
