Car-Free Day

The street behind the Paloquemao market, normally congested and chaotic.

Yesterday's car-free day was a success - if you measure it by the number of cars removed from city streets. Many streets and avenues were bereft of private cars, enabling traffic to flow faster, and reducing pollution.

Calle 26, usually a perpetual traffic jam, was given over to cyclists.

bicyclists abounded.

This year's car-free day was dedicated to pedestrians.

City workers show off information on the benefits of walking.

Still, the day was far from pollution-free. Here was the view from the upper end of La Candelaria at 8:30 a.m.

At 8:30 a.m. a grey haze blanketed the city, as seen from La Candelaria.

And, if cars were restricted, 'rolling chimneys' like this bus still abounded.

One of the car-free day's goals is to motivate car-aholics to try car-free ways of commuting. However, many workplaces make that goal mute by shutting down for the day.

Lots of places just shut down. The Ministry of Technology had its workers telecommute yesterday.

And Paloquemao Market was nearly deserted.

Paloquemao market's usually-crowded parking lot.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours