Why We'll be Sucking Smoke for a Long Time

Belch on! An aged truck coughs out smoke in central Bogotá.

Yesterday's El Tiempo carried two tragic articles for those of us who care about breathing clean air.

Our lungs suffer from the poisons spewed out by those smog-belching, decades-old trucks which afflict our avenues and highways. And the government had passed a decree ordering the elimination of those old, often-decrepit machines. However, one of the truckers' demands during their recent strike was the elimination of this rule, which cost them income.

And, the truckers won, preserving their right to continue contaminating us for the duration.

'All policies of limiting the useful life in cargo transport are discarded.'

'School transport in suspense over decree to junk old cars.'

The next time you see one of those white school vans drive past, observe whether it's trailing a stream of smoke and you might be surprised to see how old and dirty many of those vehicles are. But, like the truckers, the school van owners are protesting laws requiring them to retire those old, but profitable, smog belchers.

And expect the government to backpedal on this one, too.

Why do the polluters win these battles? It's simple: Their pocketbooks depend on polluting, and so they make noise. Meanwhile, the other 99% of us who would prefer to breathe clean air, keep quiet.

School vans rest between runs in La Candelaria.

An old truck streams smoke near the Universidad Nacional.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Scenes from Bogotá's Bike Week

A rider on a trick bike at Jorge Tadeo University.

Crazy wheels and idealism, but not so much practical mobility: Last week Bogotá held its seventh-annual Bicycle Week, when cycling and its advantages are supposed to receive lots of attention. Unfortunately, perhaps, the week focused more on cycling's eccentricities than its potential for moving people cleanly, healthfully and sustainably.

To his credit, Mayor Petro has supported cycling, with both media events (worth little) and some concrete advances, such as several new bike lanes, the IDRD's bike lending program on Carrera Septima, the Universidad Nacional and Virrey Park. However, plans for a city-wide public bikes program are stalled. And Petro has done little to address systemic problems, such as pollution, traffic congestion and chaotic streets, which can make cycling unpleasant and even dangerous.

More photos and details on my Bogotá bike blog.

César Salamanga, founder of Pazicleta, which provides bicycles to poor rural children, to enable them to get to school and keep them out of Colombia's armed conflict.

Street bikes from Mejor en Bici, Bogotá's best-known cycling advocacy organization.

Reading the book on bicycling, published by Bogotá's City Hall. 

Juan Camilo of Bicisi, which builds affordable custom-made bikes 'so that nobody has an excuse not to ride a bike.'

Several bamboo bike makers have sprouted in Bogotá over the last few years.

Clowning with colorful bikes at the Bici-Expo.

Santa, a circus bike rider, shows his stuff in the Parque Nacional. The banner announces a competition of 'ecological bicycles.' But aren't ALL bikes ecological?

The Bici-Expo was held at the Gran Estación shopping mall.

The Gran Estación lends out these bikes during La Ciclovia.

A happy cycling couple at the Bici-Expo.

Masked against pollution: Sadly, many Bogotá cyclists feel the need to protect themselves from the city's air.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Battle Over the Buses

Bus-free day? Calle 26, usually busy with private buses.

Thousands of private buses stayed home today in what could be the beginning of a battle over the future of the city's public transportation.

Calle 26 this afternoon near the Central Cemetery.

Mayor Petro wants to replace the city's old, chaotic, polluting private buses with the Integrated Public Transit System, or SITP. But the SITP has been poorly implemented. Few people ride the buses, pushing some of the system's private operators toward bankruptcy. And, many of the blue SITP buses belch as much smog as do the traditional private buses, altho Petro's 'Humane Bogotá' doesn't seem to care about that.

Petro's solution was draconian: Expanding the city's failed Pico y Placa anti-traffic congestion rule from private cars to the private buses, banning them from the streets two days each week depending on the last digit of their license plates. The law has been on the books for years, named the 'Environmental Pico y Placa.' Since 'clean air' is not in this mayor's vocabulary, the law had been forgotten - until Petro needed a weapon in his battle with the private bus companies. Now Petro decided to enforce it, but evidently with no environmental criteria.

Calle 26 on a normal afternoon.

The move does make some sense, since transit specialists agree that Bogotá has an excess of buses, many of which are old and polluting. But the law's real, thinly-disguised motivation was to force passengers onto the SITP buses. Inconveniently, however, many pointed out that many outlying neighborhoods lack SITP lines.

The strike dramatically reduced traffic in central Bogotá. But that was probably also because many people just stayed home today. As for the SITP buses, while they appeared to carry more passengers than usual, I saw many that were nearly empty or carried few passengers, despite the strike.

Will the bus companies persist in their strike? Can Petro take the political cost? Tune in in a few days.

A lone bus on Carrera 10, which is usually back-to-back buses.

A line of SITP buses in Teusaquillo.

A SITP bus with an impressive number of passengers. (The man on the bench is displaying his solidarity with the bus strike.)

Despite the strike, this SITP bus was nearly empty.

Green is not clean. A (private) bus belches smoke today.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Bicycle Week in Bogotá

Harley-style bikes rev up to start Bogotá's Bicycle Week.

Bogotá's sixth annual Bicycle Week kicked off today with mountain biking, a children's obstacle course, an exhibition of exotic bikes and even a bicycle museum in the Parque Nacional.

The week, whose schedule is available here and here, also includes forums on cycling, cycling instruction for women, a bicycle exhibit and other events.

Despite being a big advocate of cycling, I've long felt dubious about bike promotion events which consist primarily of fun and games. But my attitude is changing, in part because fun and games do seem to sell other activities, including driving cars, and also out of a feeling of futility: What else can we do, after all, with the huge onslaught of pro-driving propaganda and societal pressures?

However, Bogotá could do more substantial things to promote urban bicycle use, such as taming traffic, controlling air pollution and making cars pay the true burdens they impose on society, by raising the price of gasoline and charging for parking.

The bicycle museum. 

A child in the bicycle museum. 

Future racing champs? Kids ride an obstacle course. 

Classic bikes and riders. 

Women mountain bikers charge uphill in the Parque Nacional. 

A Guy Fawkes bicyclist.

Welcome to the Day of the Bicycle in Bogotá.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours