January 3, 2023, 4:10 AM
January 3, 2023, 4:10 AM
The traffic accidents that occurred on Christmas weekend, which caused the death of two cyclists, have revealed the lack of a network of bicycle paths in the capital of Santa Cruz and neighboring municipalities. In addition, the few that the city has are not connected, they are in poor condition, they are not marked and have even been invaded by street vendors.
This was confirmed by EL DEBER on a tour and corroborated by citizens who travel by bicycle. The double track to La Guardia, inaugurated in 2005 by the mayor Jhonny Fernández, hase one of the longest bike paths on its central ridge, but the lack of maintenance, since some of its accesses have deteriorated, unevenness and even raised blocks are observed in several sections.
“This bike path is in poor condition due to lack of maintenance. As part of the cement is lifted, a type of pier breaker has been formed, which is dangerous for the cyclist,” said Sebastián Olivares, of co-occupationmerchant, who rides his bike every dayicleta to buy merchandise in the capital of Santa Cruz and return to his job in the San Antonio market, located at kilometer 6 of the route to La Guardia.
The same occurs in the fourth ring, where even in the middle of the bike path there are light poles and signposts that force the cyclist to carry out dangerous maneuvers to avoid them.
As in several sectors there are no sidewalks or they are not uniform, the bicycle lanes are also used by pedestrians or athletes.
Those who use this means of transport must also deal with the occupation of the bike lanes, which it forces them to clear space between the vehicles and exposes them to risks of accidents.
In the Los Pozos market and some sections surrounding the El Arenal park, the bike path is subdivided by street vendors, who place their merchandise on this space, obstructing circulation.
On the first ring, although the path for cyclists isIt is easy for traffic, in roundabouts there is no proper signaling to continue the tour.
On Avenida San Martín, a lane for cyclists was painted on the road, but separators were not placed, so it was never respected by motorists.
The representative of the Union of Cyclists of Santa Cruz, Santiago Montero, said that it is necessary for the Mugovernment implements a Ciclovías Directorate to giveTo promote this means of transportation and also to create a network of bicycle paths, which interconnects Santa Cruz de la Sierra with Cotoca, Warnes, Porongo and La Guardia.
“A Municipal Directorate is necessary so that from there they work on the maintenance of the cycle paths that are deteriorated or disconnected and have no signage,” he said. Montero, who also believes it is necessary to update the traffic regulations to regulate the use of the bicycle.
In turn, the head of the Municipal Association of Ccycling, Paúl Lijeron, insisted on making contact withn the municipal authorities to reactivate the project to modify the bike lanes in the Santa Cruz region.
In June of this year, from the Directorate of Signage, Road Technology and Infrastructure of the Mayor’s Office of Santa Cruz reported that there is a project for the implementation of 67 kilometers of bicycle path with the support of the World Bank.
The planning expert, Ernesto Urzagasti, observed the design of the cycle lanes in the capital of Santa Cruz and indicated that it is not just “painting a sidewalk” or generating a section that is not interconnected, but rather the cycle path it has to be part of the urban and integral design.
Urzagasti said that after the 21-day strike, the pandemic and the last 36-day strike, it has been demonstrated that there is a need for a network of routes for cyclists that are orderly, planned and interconnected.
“Cycling is not just going for a walk on the weekend. There are many people who commute to work using a bicycle. In addition, Santa Cruz de la Sierra has all the benefits to have a network of cycle lanes that contribute to urban mobility, for example, it is a flat city without topographic features and with large avenues, where cycle lanes can be planned and inserted”, added Urzagasti, who is also part of the board of the College of Architects of Santa Cruz.
In turn, the vice president of the Municipal Council, Lola Terrazas, sees that the existence of few bike paths is due to the fact that the municipality does not promote the use of bicycles or build infrastructure.
“There is no citizen education campaign by the Executive or maintenance of the bike paths,” said Terrazas.
He added that the Planning Commission of the Municipal Council should have raised a requirement to the Executive for the maintenance of these routes. Besidesof the respective signaling and the promotion of the use of these spaces by cyclists.
