Bogota, Columbia has won the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy’s 2022 Sustainable Transport Award (STA) for its achievements in encouraging active and safe urban travel.
The city has taken a number of actions to improve its sustainable transport:
- It was one of the first cities in the world to create emergency bike lanes soon after the pandemic began. 84 km (~52 miles) were built, resulting in some areas of the city seeing bike use quadrupled;
- Street space was reconfigured to allow for better social distancing and streets that once only served cars were pedestrianized;
- the city now has one of the three largest e-bus fleets outside of China, with a fleet of 1,485 electric buses for its public transportation system;
- road safety was improved with traffic calming measures and speed management programs. The speed reduction on major roads brought a 21% decrease in traffic deaths in 2019 compared to the 2015-2018 average, and a 28% decrease in 2020; and
- it created a Kids First program that targets students who commute on foot and those who commute via different transportation modes. One initiative, called Kids First, created caravans for young commuters by foot and by bike, led by adult guides.
The city has a number of pilot programs planned to continue to improve its urban mobility. BiciCarga will test the use of e-cargo bikes for last-mile deliveries, with the goal of boosting efficiency, reducing emissions, and improving mobility conditions. In future, the project plans to focus on the implementation of last-mile distribution operations using zero-emission solar-powered e-cargo bikes or trikes. It also plans to introduce an inclusive bikeshare system with 1,500 mechanical bicycles, 1,500 electric ones, 150 handbikes, 150 cargo bikes, and 150 bikes with child seats. Low-income residents will receive a 20% discount and 300 public bike repair stands will be available for free for all users.