The Neverending Story of La Septima

The future 'Green Ave. Septima'?

First, it was a full-scale Transmilenio line along Seventh Ave. up to 170th St. Then, a Transmilenio 'light' line up to 100th St., more or less. And now it's a 'green corridor' with bike lanes, an electric bus line and zero emissions.

Seventh Ave. today - jammed up. 

Well, that's just wonderful. Carrera Septima., Bogotá's most historic and representative avenue, really does deserve a makeover that will transform its current chaos, pollution and congestion into something clean and efficient and even pleasant. But this zero-emission 'green corridor' is another utopian dream that's never gonna happen.

And, who can believe that a city government which doesn't even try to enforce emissions laws on the outrageously polluting vehicles on the streets today is gonna eliminate them completely on Seventh Ave? Perhaps they will require all the avenue's neighbors to use only electric cars and bicycles?

Sadly, leftist governments, like the one now supposedly running Bogotá, too often make the ideal the opposite of the doable, and end up getting nothing done. Fortunately, the Polo Democratico Party which is now running the city will be out of office by the end of the year and hopefully the next mayor will choose something more realistic.

Close to finding Atlantis? Preliminary excavations have turned part of Ave. Septima into a huge pit. 

A city employee wears a mask against fumes. 

A first step toward a green city: enforcing pollution laws.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours