International Cycling Law: Bogota, Colombia
By Abigail Sobin
Colombia is known for its coffee, beautiful landscape, and rich cultural heritage. Yet few Canadians know Colombia — specifically its capital city, Bogota — for its cycling culture! Not only is Colombia the perfect destination for cycling tourism, but cycling is also popular among the locals. National and municipal initiatives to improve cycling infrastructure have contributed to Bogota’s status as an up-and-coming cycle-friendly city!
Population: 11,344,000 (Bogota Metropolitan Area)
Ridership: Bogotanos make roughly 800,000 bike trips per day
Laws and Policies
In Colombia, cycling policy is determined at the national and municipal levels. At the national level the Department of National Planning, and the Ministry of Transport, regulate bike laws. In Bogota, the district develops and implements its own policies. In October of 2016, the Colombian federal government enacted “Law 1811: An Act to Grant Incentives to Promote the Use of the Bicycle Throughout the Country and Modify the National Transit Code.” This legislation introduced many initiatives, such as:
Article 5: the “biking to work = paid vacation” provision encourages public workers to ride their bikes to work regularly by giving them eight paid half-days off for every 30 commutes to work by bicycle.
Article 6: this article requires parking areas serving public buildings to dedicate a minimum of 10% of parking spaces for bicycles.
The 2016 legislation also encourages the use of bicycles within the transit system. Transit operators can give cyclists one free transit pass upon showing proof of 30 bicycle uses. Another provision requires that the metro and tram system develop a method of allowing cyclists to bring their bicycles on board with them.
Law 1811 encourages the collecting and analysis of sustainable transportation data, amends the Colombian transit code to prioritize bicycles and promotes a culture of safety along roadways.
Law 1811 amends 2002 legislation to give cyclists and pedestrians priority, prohibit the parking of motorized vehicles in bicycle paths, create cycling lanes and require that motor vehicles maintain 1.5 metres of distance when passing cyclists.
What makes this city’s cycling culture unique?
The Ciclovia has become an integral part of Bogota’s cycling culture. Every Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., 120 km of Bogota’s streets are closed to cars and open to cyclists and pedestrians. This is a practice that first began in 1974. The Bogota Ciclovia has inspired similar events in Ecuador, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Peru. Bogota also has an extensive bicycle infrastructure which sets it apart from other cities. Bogota features 540 km of bike lanes, and in 2020 funding for another 200 km was secured. The city has set a goal to establish a bicycle lane 500 m from every home. The municipality has also been working to build bicycle garages near transit stations and underground bicycle parking near metros. 2500 parking spots have already been built, and there are plans to build another 13,000 new spots by 2027.
Bogota, Colombia, August 15, 2021. Every Sunday morning and public holidays certain streets of the city are closed to cars to allow bicycles to circulate. This is the Ciclovia. Photo by MatthieuCattin
What can be done to improve the city’s cycling culture?
Law 1811 is an innovative piece of legislation; however, it is still in its infancy. Many of the provisions which Law 1811 set forth still need to be implemented. Bogota is also a hot and car-congested city with poor air quality. While Bogota is not as hot as other Colombian cities, cyclists may have to bike long distances. Bogota cyclists have expressed a desire to have showers installed at office buildings. Making this change would encourage more people to bike to work. Bogota also suffers from some road safety issues. Cars do not usually give bicycles and pedestrians the right of way, potentially putting cyclists in harm’s way. The majority of the 540 km of bike lanes in Bogota are placed in pedestrian areas. As a result, the sidewalks can become very small. Reportedly this leads to occasional conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians. Bicycle lanes are often used as parking for cars, obstructing cyclists’ ability to use them. There have also been complaints stemming from the city’s decision to place bicycle lanes on the left side of the street, making it difficult for cyclists to access and leave the lanes. Overall, Bogota suffers from some infrastructural challenges, but once improvements are made it has the potential to become a world-class cycling city!
How does Bogota, Colombia compare to London, Ontario?
In Colombia, bike laws are set by the national and municipal governments. In contrast, laws in London are determined by the province and through municipal bylaws. In Ontario, drivers must leave 1 metre of space when passing a cyclist. In Colombia, the law requires drivers to leave 1.5 metres of space when passing cyclists on the road. In Colombia, all cyclists must wear helmets. In Ontario, only cyclists under 18 years of age must wear a bike helmet. Colombian cyclists can use the whole lane when riding. This is thanks to a 2016 revision to the law that previously stated that cyclists are to stay within 1 metre of the curb. In Ontario, cyclists are legally allowed to ride on any part of the roadway, and on narrow streets cyclists can ride in the middle of the lane. However, cyclists should maintain at least 1 metre of space on each side whenever possible.
We can see that, although stemming from different levels of government, laws in Ontario and Colombia are quite similar. London has less extensive bike infrastructure in comparison to Bogota. However, it is important to recognize that London is several times smaller than Bogota. This makes London’s 350 km of bike lanes quite impressive, considering its size. Despite this, London still has a long way to go and could pick up some pointers from Bogota to improve its cycling culture and infrastructure. A recurring Sunday Ciclovia, for example, would be a wonderful City of London initiative to bring attention and importance to the rights (and joys!) of residents riding bikes.
Works Consulted
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