On the South American continent, Colombian capital Bogotá is an example of a city that encourages sustainable mobility, rolling out a number of clean transport initiatives and putting cycling increasingly at the forefront in the city center.
Since the late 1990s, the Colombian metropolis of more than 7 million inhabitants has been turning to sustainable solutions, with mayors such as Enrique Penalosa and Antanas Mockus, who are open to an ecologically-oriented policy, leading the way. And now some 20 years later, the results are bearing fruit, as Bogotá has just won the 2022 Sustainable Transportation Award from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), an NGO that promotes soft mobility worldwide.
The covid-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for Bogotá to intensify its efforts, with the creation of numerous pedestrian streets and 80 new bicycle paths, a quarter of which have become permanent. Some neighborhoods have seen a fourfold increase in the number of cyclists in the space of two years.
Today, bicycles are clearly prioritized as a mode of transportation in future urban planning efforts. The city recently launched a pilot program for electric bicycles for couriers to improve both service and air quality. Cargo bikes are expected to join the logistical operations for "last mile" delivery in the near future.
As far as public transport is concerned, Bogotá plans to increase its supply of electric buses, with a fleet of nearly 1,500 electric buses planned to be rolled out over the next five years, compared with the 350 already in circulation.
The city is also promoting carpooling during rush hour, by prohibiting access to certain areas to vehicles with only one person on board. A host of examples for other South American cities to follow.
