Bogota roads will be free of their normal traffic this Thursday as the city has an offical “Car-Free Day,”, organized by the city council.
The event is part of a citywide scheme to raise awareness of the pollution caused by the use of private cars and to demonstrate the efficiency and benefits of using alternative transport.
Starting at 6.30 in the morning and ending at 7.30 at night some 1,350,000 cars will be prohibited from using the road, as the only vehicles allowed on the streets will be motorcycles, school buses and emergency service vehicles. Any vehicles that do not comply with the day’s restrictions will incur a fine of COP204,000.
Public transport services will be running as normal, with over 1100 Transmilenio buses running throughout the day. Bogotans will also be encouraged to make use of the 354 kilometers of cycle paths running through the city.
Transport police will also establish 36 new surveillance posts on the day to ensure that drivers do not exceed speed limits within the city.
Last year’s “Car-Free Day” saw an increase of 7% in the use of the city’s Transmilenio service, compared with that of a normal day.
To find out more about the day’s regulations, click here.