Long live the bicycle and its power to transform our city

Hepower of the bicycle was palpable in Cape Town this past weekend. It was inspiring to see the Pick n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour energy capturing the city.

Even more exciting was to see hundreds of concerned citizens join the Cape Town leg of the World Naked Bike Ride on Saturday morning in a call for safer cycling, and sharing through their painted bodies important environmental and social concerns.

(The World Naked Bike Ride is an international event driven by cyclists who meet and ride together to “deliver a vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive world.”)

What may seem to some as an

Teccentric event highlights the burning desire on the part of citizens to promote a bicycle-friendlier city and a more sustainable place to live.

There are many cities that provide great examples of how this is possible. Amsterdam is often cited, but it might interest some of your readers to hear that Bogota, Colombia, my home city, has also succeeded in injecting its lifestyle with a heavy dose of cycling.

In addition to having one of the most extensive networks of cycle paths in the world, Bogota pioneered the concept of cicloviawhich has spread not only to other cities in the country but also to several other cities in Latin America.

Ciclovia, which literally means “bike path”, started informally in the 1970s and has become the type of event many of us Colombians grew up to adopt as part of our weekend routine and cannot imagine not having.

Every Sunday from 6am to 2pm the major artery of Bogota which, among other things connects the wealthiest part of the city with less privileged neighbourhoods, is shut down, all motorists are banned and people from all parts of the city come out for a morning of exercise.

But it is not only about exercise; in fact, once a week – and on public holidays – ciclovia transforms an avenue normally overwhelmed with traffic into a powerful public space where the city unfolds and takes on a new personality.

From street vendors and artists to aerobics instructors and famous personalities, it is estimated that approximately two million people (30% of citizens) use ciclovias on more than 100km of car-free streets on a weekly basis.

After witnessing so many bicycles in action in Cape Town this weekend, it becomes clear that the city may be ready for something like this.

A space where all Capetonians can congregate and for a few hours stop the traffic that not only pollutes the environment and the view, but that also prevents people from interacting with one another.

Ciclovia was born over 30 years ago and it has required strong commitment from the government and its citizens to see it grow in Bogota; considering how intrinsic cycling is to Cape Town, creating such a space will not take too long here.

It is just a matter of utilising the potential and passion of our citizens. Indeed, beyond the colourful and entertaining nature of it, the Cape Town Naked Bike Ride 2012 this weekend highlighted the strength citizens have when driving this agenda.

Viva la bicicleta … long live the bicycle!