Cycling is arguably the healthiest, most environmentally-friendly method of urban transportation—providing the rider is safe from being squashed by bigger beasts of the road, such as cars and trucks. Dedicated bike lanes are the key to that, and are now in widespread use around the world.
Colombia was the pioneer of this policy, led by the activist Jaime Ortiz Mariño, who secured the first dedicated cycling lane in 1974 in the national capital. Bogota’s then mayor, Luis Prieto Ocampo, signed decrees making the scheme an official programme promoted by the city government and supported by the transportation department. Within a couple of years “Ciclovias” could be found throughout the country.
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