Bogota was named the world’s third most bike-friendly city by Bicycling magazine, one of the world’s oldest and most popular publications dedicated to the sport.
The article, in which Bogota is ranked third behind Amsterdam and Copenhagen, highlights the city’s weekly Ciclovia – in which almost 75 miles of the capital’s roads are closed off to cars each Sunday for cyclists and pedestrians exclusive use.
According to the magazine, “about 2 million people attend each event” which also include “musical performances and group-fitness classes in parks.”
And Bicycling Magazine is not the only publication to proclaim the scheme as one of Bogota’s highlights. A recent article by USA Today points out that during the event the city’s “normally jammed thoroughfares miraculously vanishes, making way for thousands of free-wheeling cyclists.”
The Ciclovia is becoming a popular scheme throughout Colombia, with copy-cat projects being set up in the cities of Medellin and Cali.