CalBike
  • About Us
  • Get Involved
    • Speak Up for Safe Passage for Bikes
    • Tell the Governor: Daylighting Saves Lives
    • Tell Governor Newsom: Decriminalize Fare Evasion
    • Volunteer
    • Join/Renew
  • What We Do
    • Stay Informed about E-Bike Incentives
    • 2023 Legislative Watch
    • Sign-On Letters
    • More…
  • Resources
    • E-Bike Resources
    • What Is an E-Bike? A Guide to California E-Bike Classifications.
    • California Bicycle Laws
    • Map & Routes
    • Register Your Bike
    • Learn to Bike at Any Age
    • Free Quick-Build Bikeway Design Guide
  • News
    • Blog
    • CalBike In the News
    • Press Releases
    • CalBike Insider
  • Shop
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

Tag Archive for: Bogota

CalBike Staffers Reflect on Bogotá Bicycle Adventure

July 22, 2022/by Kevin Claxton

In March, the city government of Bogotá, Colombia, through BiciActiva, invited three members of CalBike’s staff on an all-expenses-paid bicycling tour of Bogotá and its environs. It was an amazing cross-cultural experience that showed the potential to build biking infrastructure and culture with a tight budget and a lot of creativity.

CalBike staff witnessed cargo bikes and daily commuters in the city center and neighborhoods and saw masses of recreational riders in bike jerseys riding popular routes over the weekend. We traversed Bogotá via a vast, connected network of ciclorrutas, brightly painted and often protected bike lanes and off-street paths. These ciclorrutas are used by commuters, vendors, cargo bikes, and people of all ages to travel all over the city, separated from high-traffic automotive routes. 

Colombia is not a wealthy country, nor is Bogotá a wealthy city. But the Bogotanos have built a city of bicycles and a culture of bicycling that many California cities can only dream about.

All over the city, we rode on protected bike lanes that connected one to the next. Around us, the streets were filled with buses, motorcycles, and taxis — and just a few individually owned cars. Along with the bike lanes, dedicated bus lanes crisscrossed the city. On the outskirts of town, we saw hundreds of people riding up into the hills for fun with friends. 

And on Sunday, 121 kilometers (75 miles) of city streets were closed to cars and filled with people of every social class, every race, young and old, during the weekly Ciclovía, all of them biking, walking, rolling, or skating. A group of teens popped wheelies. A grandmother and grandchild walked together. A little girl trailed her father on a tiny bike. Two young people skated by dressed to the nines. It was such a beautiful vision that, at times, it felt like a dream!

Spending four days in the bicycling capital of the Western Hemisphere with Colombian bike advocates was incredibly inspiring, and the staff returned ready to push even harder to make California’s cities more like Bogotá, with webs of connected bike infrastructure everywhere. Jenn, Kevin, and Dave share their reflections on their experience. 

What was the most inspiring thing about your trip to Bogotá?

Jenn: The thing that struck me the most was the culture of bicycling! There is a very different feel to the traffic culture. I live in Berkeley, one of the more bikeable cities in California, and people regularly harass me even though I’m following the rules. Drivers often assume that cars have the right of way even when they don’t. In Colombia, as our hosts told us repeatedly, people on bikes always have the right of way! It’s not the people on bikes who understand this. Drivers yield to bikes, and I almost got the feeling that they were protecting us. 


Dave at Ciclovia

Dave: The most inspiring thing was Ciclovía — 121 kilometers of major thoroughfares closed to cars and open for people to bike, run, skate, or whatever. It completely transforms the city every single Sunday. We should figure out how to do that here because doing it a few times a year just doesn’t make the same statement. A weekly event normalizes the idea that streets sometimes should be used for human joy instead of automobile movement. 


Kevin: Like Dave, I was struck by Ciclovía. I have enjoyed LA’s CicLAvia for the past few years, but to participate in the original event in Bogotá (which has been operating since the mid-1970s!), was both an honor and a dream come true. Riding a bicycle is my favorite way to explore a city, and it was so special to be able to explore Bogotá during Ciclovía, an event that should be a model for cities across the world. 

What made a culture of bicycling possible in Bogotá?

Jenn: I don’t know enough about the history of bicycling in Bogotá to fully answer that question, except to say that visionary leadership beginning many decades ago helped to create the infrastructure and build a culture. But one thing that really struck me was how much bicycle advocacy continues to thrive and make a difference. Lorena Romero Fontecha, one of our new Colombian friends, who is a committed bike advocate and the driving force behind Radio Biciactiva, showed us a particular protected bike lane and told us an inspiring story that happened just in the past couple of years: She said that on a dangerous street with fast-moving car traffic, neighbors decided that the street needed a protected bike lane. They asked the city — to no avail. So they went ahead and installed their own pop-up, guerrilla-protected bike infrastructure. The city ripped it out. So what did they do? They installed it again! Again, the city ripped it out. When they installed it a third time, the city gave up and went ahead and added more resilient materials to make it permanent. 


Dave: I don’t know, but what struck me the most was how intense the recreational bicycle culture was. The roads leading to the hills outside of town were packed with bicyclists, thousands upon thousands, with whole neighborhoods of restaurants and businesses set up to serve them. The popularity of bicycling for fun clearly supported the development of bikeways for transportation. 

What did you bring back to your work for transportation justice here in California?

Kevin Mirador overlook

Kevin: Our travels in and around Bogotá provided me with a clearer picture of how we might reshape California’\ transportation system and culture. I say culture because I sensed a kind of mutual respect and camaraderie infused in the network of ciclorrutas and city streets that I feel is often missing from California’s roadways. On Bogotá’s streets, there is truly a symphony of movement. And in Bogotá, the bicycle plays just as important a role for industry and transport as it does for recreation and joy. The bicycle is provided its own respected space separate from and alongside cars, motorcycles, pedestrians, buses, trains, and shared vehicles. I admired the sharing of space I saw throughout the city and felt a sense of community with other road users. 


And finally, what was the most fun part of your trip?

Dave: Ciclovía. Dancing in the streets with my fellow travelers. And strengthening the friendships among Colombian and Californian bike and justice advocates. 


Jenn: Well, for me, surprisingly, it was going mountain biking. I am a committed bike commuter, and I get a lot of joy doing my errands by bike, but I have never been very athletic or much of a recreational cyclist. I had never been mountain biking, and boy, was it fun! Our amazing bicycling tour guide, Andrés from Monte Adentro, took us all around Bogotá to explore the urban infrastructure but also took our group up into the Andes to ride around near the town of Guatavita. We explored trails near a gorgeous reservoir and a pre-Columbian cemetery. It was possibly the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. And it was just incredibly fun to ride on trails — especially on a very cool e-bike that Andrés lent me. We learned about the Muisca people who have lived in that region for millennia and whose ritual use of gold was the source of the legend of El Dorado. 



Kevin: Exploring the city by bike and foot with our lovely hosts. During the short few days we visited Bogotá, I’m sure we rode at least 25 miles in and around the city alone, on ciclorrutas, riverside paths, up winding hillsides, through small neighborhood streets, across rainy parks, and in lively neighborhoods. And we did all this alongside our hosts: passionate and generous bicycle advocates and partners, including our colleague Lorena Romero Fontecha, who made the entire opportunity possible.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Dave-in-Ciclovia-scaled.jpg 1920 2560 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2022-07-22 16:39:282022-07-22 16:39:29CalBike Staffers Reflect on Bogotá Bicycle Adventure

Latest News

  • train passengerTell Governor Newsom: Decriminalize Fare EvasionSeptember 26, 2023 - 3:45 pm
  • Daylighting to Save Lives: Ask Governor to Sign AB 413  September 26, 2023 - 2:33 pm
  • Adding new bike laneActive Transportation Slate Goes to GovernorSeptember 25, 2023 - 9:52 am
Follow a manual added link

Get Email Updates

Follow a manual added link

Join Calbike

  • Link to Facebook
  • Link to Twitter
  • Link to LinkedIn
  • Link to Mail
  • Link to Instagram

About Us

Staff
Board
Financials & Governance
Local Partners
State & National Allies
Careers
Contact Us

What We Do

California Bicycle Summit
E-Bike Advocacy
2023 Legislative Watch

Take Action

Current Projects
Past Projects
Donate
Volunteer
Join or Renew

Resources

Maps & Routes
Crash Help and Legal Resources
Quick Build Guide
All Resources

News

CalBike Blog
CalBike in the News
Press Releases
CalBike Insider

© California Bicycle Coalition 2023

1017 L Street #288
Sacramento, CA 95814
© California Bicycle Coalition 2023

Scroll to top
Font Resize
Accessibility by WAH
  • $2 Billion for Bikes
  • 2020 Legislative Watch
  • 2023 Legislative Watch
  • About Us
    • Social Media
    • Who We Are
      • Board of Directors
      • Local Partners
      • Staff
      • State and National Allies
    • Strategic Plan
    • Our History
      • Past Policy Wins
    • Financials & Governance
    • Sign-On Letters
    • Careers
    • Volunteer
    • Contact Us
  • Become A Corporate Partner
  • Become A Corporate Partner
  • Better Street Design
  • Bicycle Safety Stop Campaign
  • Biking Is Not a Crime
  • Business Member
  • Business Members
  • CalBike Community
  • CalBike Equity Statement
  • CalBike In the News
  • CalBike Insider
  • CalBike Seeks Interim Deputy Director
  • California Bicycle Coalition: Celebrating 25 Years
  • Car Donation FAQs
  • Celebrate our 25th Anniversary
  • Climate Ride for CalBike
  • Climate Ride for CalBike
  • Corporate Partners – Take Action Now
  • COVID-19 and Bicycling
    • FAQs About Bicycling Safely During COVID-19
    • Learn to Bike at Any Age
    • Tips and Tricks for Happy Biking
    • Bike Match
  • Details
  • Donate
    • Donate by Mail
  • Donate Campaign
  • Donate Monthly
  • Donate to the California Mobility Fund, Tax-Deductible
  • Donate, Tax-Deductible
  • E-Bike Purchase Incentives
  • E-Bike Resources
  • Edgerunner 11i Giveaway – OP
  • End Parking Minimums — Yes on AB 1401
  • Events
    • Agenda Reveal Party
    • California Bicycle Summit
      • Guide to an Inclusive and Equitable Summit 2022
      • Location
      • Rides & Tours
      • Schedule
      • Scholarships
      • Steering Committee
      • Virtual Summit
      • Virtual Summit
      • Workshops & Presenters
      • Advance Symposia for the California Bicycle Summit
      • Public Statement of Equity and Inclusion 2022
      • California Bicycle Summit Steering Committee
      • Past Summits
        • 2019 California Bicycle Summit: Intersections
        • 2022 California Bicycle Summit
        • 2019 California Bicycle Summit Program
        • 2019 California Bicycle Summit Guide to an Inclusive and Equitable Summit
        • 2017 California Bicycle Summit
        • 2015 California Bicycle Summit: Equity in Motion
        • 2015 California Bicycle Summit program
        • 2013 California Bicycle Summit
        • 2011 California Bike Summit
    • Advocacy Day
    • California Dream Ride
    • California Dream Ride
    • House Parties
    • Past Events
      • Advocacy Week
      • CalBike Chipotle Chowdown: May 31st, 2018!
      • California Dream Ride
      • California Dream Ride
      • Free Webinar: Gearing Up For A Winning ATP Application
      • Low Carbon Fuel Standards Workshop
      • Transportation Equity Summit
      • Transportation Equity Summit & Advocacy Day
      • Transportation Equity Summit 2017
      • Webinar: E-Bike Grant Opportunity in ARB Car-Sharing Pilot Program
      • Webinar: The Why & How of Protected Bike Lanes
      • Webinar: Ticket Diversion Programs
  • Fake Map Demo
  • FAQs
  • Footer
  • Freedom to Walk Campaign
  • Fundraising Essentials
  • Go For a Ride
    • California Bicycle Laws
    • California Bicycle Laws (2021 Update Draft)
    • Crash Help
    • Map & Routes
    • Why Ride?
  • History Archive
    • 2012 Legislative Year in Review
    • 2012-2017 Strategic Plan
    • 2013 Legislative Year in Review
    • 2014 Year in Review
      • Govenor Signs Protected Bikeway Act
    • 2015 Year in Review
      • 2015 Leg Tracker Wrap-Up
      • E-bike Prohibitions Removed
      • Stop the Helmet Mandate
    • Better Bikeways for All
    • Getting More Bike Lanes Just Got a Whole Lot Easier
    • Governor Signs Protected Bikeways Act
    • Governor’s Transportation Agency increases bike funding by 35%
    • Reforming the CTCDC
    • SSTI Review of Caltrans Scathing and Hopeful
    • Stop AB 738
    • Summary of 2011 Legislation
  • Holiday Fundraising Opt-Out
  • Humpback
  • Invest/Divest
  • Join CalBike and Get Special Gifts
  • Join CalBike and Get Special Gifts, Ed Fund
  • Join the CalBike Mailing List
  • Landing Page
  • Landing Page
  • License Plate
    • Bicycle Awareness License Plate FAQ
  • Newsroom
    • Press Releases
  • OmniBike Bill AB 1909
  • Our Initiatives
    • Bike Education
    • Bike Share
    • Full Lane for Safety
    • Fund California’s Bikeways
      • Walk-Bike Networks
    • Legalize Hand-Holding: Riding Two Abreast
    • Open Streets
    • Protected Bike Lanes
    • Quick-Build Bikeway Networks for Safer Streets
      • Order a Quick-Build Promotional Brochure
    • Three Feet for Safety
    • What We Did: Past Campaigns and Projects
    • Transportation Justice
      • Breaking Down the Silos
      • CTC Assessment
      • Mobility Justice Labs
      • SB 1 Campaign
        • SB 1: Program by Program
    • Streets for Everyone
      • Better Bikeway Design
      • Complete Streets Campaign
        • Call Your Assembly Member to Support Complete Streets Bill, SB 127
        • Support the CalBike Complete Streets Campaign
        • Complete Streets Supporters
      • Low-Stress Bikeway Networks
    • Central Valley Bikeways Project
      • Central Valley Bikeways Survey
      • Project Plans and Resources
      • Project Maps
      • Fresno
      • Bakersfield
      • Merced
    • Healthy Climate and Communities
      • Autonomous Vehicles Must Make Biking Better
      • Bike Sharing
      • Bike Tourism for Economic Development
      • Community Bike Shops
      • E-Bike Campaigns
        • SB 400 E-Bike Voucher FAQs
    • A Stronger Movement
      • Electing Allies to Office
      • The Untokening
      • Walk Bike Youth Leaders
  • Plan for the Future Campaign
  • Recurring Donations
  • Register Your Bike
  • Resources
    • Design Best Practices
      • Bike & Pedestrian Plan Inventory
      • Webinar: Complete Low-Stress Bike Networks
    • Fact Sheets and FAQs
      • Complete Streets Fact Sheet
      • E-Bikes Fact Sheet
      • Give Me 3 FAQ
      • Helmet Mandates Fact Sheet
      • Protected Bikeways Act FAQ
      • Safe Routes to School
    • Funding Sources
      • Active Transportation Program Resources
      • Webinar: How to Access State Funding for Bike-Share and Micromobility
    • Get our Beautiful Jersey
    • Other Resources
    • Our Video Channel
  • Salsa test page
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
  • Summit Thank You Page
  • Support the INVEST in America Act
  • Take Action
    • $10 Billion for a Bikeable Bay Area
    • Bike the Vote
    • Call the Assembly to Support AB 3153
    • Complete Streets Petition
    • Connected Bikeway Networks Petition
    • Drive Less-Bike More Petition
    • Dutch Reach Petition
    • National Transportation Funding Petition
    • Reform Traffic Law Enforcement
    • Save Bike-Share!
    • Show Your Organization’s Support for SB 127
    • Sign the Petition: $10M E-Bike Affordability Program
      • Thank you for supporting affordable e-bikes for Californians
    • Tell Governor Newsom to Sign the Complete Streets Bill Today!
    • Tell the Assembly to Support E-Bikes
    • Tell Your Senator to Support the Bike Parking Bill
    • Visionary Transportation Planning: AB 1147
    • YES on AB 117
    • Yes on AB 1238
    • Yes on SB 288 for More Bike Lanes
    • Tell the State Health Officer that Bike Repair Shops Are Essential
  • Tell the State Health Officer that Bike Repair Shops are Essential
  • Temp
  • Thank You
  • Thank you
  • Thank you
  • Thank You
  • The Latest
  • The Latest
  • Yes on AB 43 for Slow Streets
  • Driver Cut Off
  • Driver Left Turn
  • Driver Right Turn
  • Entering the Roadway
  • Passing