Bogota Mayor Gustavo Petro wants to bring a metro cable system to Colombia’s capital city.
Petro toured the Medellin transport system Thursday morning, which became the first in the world to introduce a cable car as a mode of public transit in 2004. It links poor hillside neighborhoods with the city’s economic heart, providing a safe, quick and cheap way to travel, and has been emulated by cities around the world.
Petro stressed the need for Bogota to develop a “multimodal” transit system. “Bogota could have done this in the 20th century but political circumstances and economic interests prevented it,” he said.
Petro accused private bus companies in Bogota of using misinformation to prevent the development of alternative transporation systems, such as the cable cars and lightrail, which meant Medellin was progressing far faster than the capital.
Petro was due to meet Thursady afternoon with Antioquia governor Sergio Fajardo, who led the introduction of the Medellin MetroCable in his former role as the city’s mayor, and Medellin’s current mayor Anibla Gaviria to discuss the development and operation of alternative modes of transportation.