Fifty years ago, amateur cyclist Jaime Ortiz Marino initiated the "Ciclovía," a car-free day in Bogotá, Colombia. This event gained immense popularity, fostering an anti-car culture that has inspired cities globally.
On December 15, 1974, Ortiz, supported by 5,000 people, secured permission to close a section of the city center to cars, dedicating the streets to bicycles and pedestrians. This groundbreaking event quickly became a beloved Sunday tradition. According to city officials, the Ciclovía is now held in many parts of Bogotá and approximately 200 cities worldwide.
"It's the largest outdoor classroom in the world," Ortiz, now 78, told AFP. Every Sunday, around 1.7 million Bogotá residents cycle, rollerblade, or engage in other physical activities along the city's 127 kilometers of car-free streets, according to official figures.
These family-friendly outings provide a much-needed break for residents of one of Latin America's largest cities. "The Ciclovía is part of the spirit of Bogotá," says Camilo Ramirez, who runs with his wife while their two sons, aged 5 and 12, cycle alongside them.
Over the past two decades, cities across Latin America, from Mexico City to Santiago and São Paulo, have implemented similar weekly car-free programs. In Bogotá, situated at an altitude of 2,600 meters, the grey clouds of pollution tend to vanish each Sunday. Official figures indicate that the Ciclovía has contributed to a reduction of 444 tons of carbon dioxide. Enthusiastic participants often travel from wealthier neighborhoods in the north to poorer areas in the south—or vice versa. In a country marked by significant inequality and poverty, the Ciclovía also serves as a means of socializing.
"This activity keeps me alive," says 89-year-old John Lozano, who rides his racing bike every Sunday morning to meet friends along the route.
Ortiz describes the Ciclovía as an "exhaust valve" for the region's fourth-largest city, which has seen its population grow tenfold over the past 50 years, from 800,000 to 8 million.
Despite being one of the major cities in Latin America, Bogotá lacks a metro system, a project that has only recently begun after decades of studies, failed projects, and corruption scandals. In 2023, the TomTom Urban Traffic Index ranked Bogotá as the second most congested city in the world, after Manila. Although it might seem unlikely, Bogotá, the world’s third-highest capital after La Paz and Quito, has sparked a cycling revolution.
Colombians have a long-standing passion for cycling, fueled by the achievements of cycling legends such as Luis "Lucho" Herrera, who won the Vuelta a España in 1987, and Egan Bernal, the first Latin American to win the Tour de France in 2019. In rural Colombia, many farmers and workers rely on bicycles for transportation to work.
"Before the Ciclovía, we knew that most homes had a bicycle," Ortiz recalls, "but there was nowhere to ride them." In 1974, Bogotá was a city designed for cars, even though the majority of its citizens did not own cars.
Bicycles have become a symbol of freedom, "allowing everyone to move in a way that is accessible," explains psychologist and urban planner Carlos Efe Pardo.
Beyond promoting physical activity and environmental conservation, the Ciclovía creates job opportunities in a country where 55% of workers are informal. On Sundays, vendors selling salads and fruit juices offer refreshments to pedestrians. Eladio Gustavo Ates, a 56-year-old mechanic, has been repairing bicycle punctures and inflating tires every Sunday for 32 years. He notes that this work has enabled him to pay for his daughter’s education and support his household.
