More street stories from Bogotá…
A friend recently said that people from Bogota are not very nice to each other on a daily basis, something I can attest to and are probably guilty of, but that during Ciclovia “even thieves take a break from their day to day behaviour”. It is indeed a suspension of reality, both of a physical and an emotional nature.
Considering how congested and dangerously aggressive streets in this city are on a regular basis, it is almost strange to see the motorcar with its fumes give space to human bodies of all ages, backgrounds and ability. Likewise, hostility is replaced by smiles and sense that harmony reigns. It is this magic that still gives me goose bumps when I walk onto Sunday’s Ciclovia, the weekly programme which turns many of the city’s arteries into car-free routes and see thousands of people on bicycle, running, walking or taking part in organised exercise sessions.
Despite its more than forty years of existence, the concept continues to be a bit of a novelty and even in other Latin American cities, local government and activists look up to the Bogota model. Last week I was invited to be part of a webinar to share ideas with other people in Latin America to create walkable and cyclable neighbourhoods. I was invited to share my experience setting up Open Streets in Cape Town but of course, that story only exists because of the Bogota inspiration.
The webinar included cases from other countries in the region of place-making initiatives, creating more pedestrian-friendly environments, engaging children in the co-creation of public space and in particular initiatives such as ‘walk to school day’ which takes place in October.
The conversation centred largely on the role of the individual and civil society in creating programmes and opportunities for people to change their behaviour and outlook on mobility specifically and public space more broadly. Having led an organisation which sought precisely to achieve that I have a biased opinion on the impact of such interventions, (I believe they are powerful tools to shape how cities evolve) however, I have lived in Bogota for the past 6 months and have witnessed that despite the Sunday magic of Ciclovia, the rest of the days, people do go back to their less than well-mannered behaviour and that although initiatives around cycling are plenty, simple things like bicycle parking are not only missing, there seems to be little awareness of why it is important to offer such infrastructure and so I am wondering where the gap lies.
I’m sure there isn’t a single answer but my reading of the situation is that there is a constant tension between innovating and regulating. We seem obsessed with the idea of making things ‘official’ by creating rules around them. In the case of cycling for instance, there are initiatives to register bicycles with local government and apparently there is quota on bicycle racks for all fee-based parking lots. There is also infrastructure in some areas of the city but simple things like going to most shops and running any errand by bicycle is no easy feat. Most establishments do not offer bike parking and do not see why it matters.
I recently went to a one of the large chain shops in the city early in the morning. In fact it had just opened, but I was so unlucky that the few bicycle parking spots were all taken (not by customers but by people working in the area, because there isn’t parking in their places of work). I then tried to park outside but the security guard told me I couldn’t do it because it was public space, something I completely understand, but then I was left with no option but to turn around and leave. I eventually found a place where the guard could not see me and locked my bike to a railing so I could go in and buy the few things I desperately needed but the experience left me frustrated.
Even Ciclovia at times seems over-regulated and I have often thought the role of the guardian (the young people in yellow and red uniforms) tends to be a little too army-like. But this past Sunday I was reminded that some of this is warranted. After all, they are ensuring there are no vehicles in the space and judging from the general demeanour of people in cars here, the danger is very real. At 7am like clockwork the streets shut down and the guardians are responsible to ensuring the space is safe. No easy task.
Perhaps this tension between innovation and regulation is necessary in cities like Bogota, where people find themselves under constant stress resulting in aggression and mistrust. Perhaps it is in navigating and managing it that we will find the answers for long-term change, and even if we don’t become ‘nice to each other’ on a daily basis we might still be able to increase the level of mutual respect on the streets… like we do every Sunday and public holiday when streets open up.
