The Ecobici program which started since 2010, is one of the best initiatives of sustainable citizen mobility, allowing thousand of people transport quickly, easily and safely in a loan bike in many zones of Mexico City.
Unfortunately, this is a pretty centralized project, which benefits are enjoyed by neighbors and workers of the most exclusive neighborhoods and with greater purchasing power, such as Roma, Condesa y Narvarte; where, also exists a greater presence of bikeways.
Recently, this program has ample in a pair of more demarcations, such as Azcapotzalco and Álvaro Obregón, even though with less service stations than the previous ones. In summary, only these two municipalities along Cuauhtemoc, Benito Juarez and Miguel Hidalgo are the ones than enjoy the service. This leave out to more urbanized areas of the city, where also there are less presence of cycle paths. Fortunately, the head of government of CDMX, Clara Brugada, announced that the Ecobici program will be in the 16 municipalities of capital from that year.
The Ecobici program will be present in 16 municipalities
During the government of their first 100 days of government, Carla Brugada, emphasized the importance of decentralize many government projects to take them to metropolis; among them, the Ecobici program.
The aim is finish with the economic, territorial and gender inequality in the peripheries of capital, allowing that all the capitalins participate and benefit of the different government implementations.
In addition, Brugada indicated that these actions will allow to abolish the stigmas about the most remote capital areas, such as Iztapalapa, Gustavo A. Madero, Tláhuac and Milpa Alta. For that, the head of state indicated that since this year, the Ecobici program will expand to 16 municipalities that are part of CDMX. In this way, all the citizens will have greater mobility options, instead of just who reside in the most centric areas.
300 kilometers of bikeways
Of course, it isn’t worth it to have Ecobici bikes and stations without the necessary infrastructure to protect cyclist. For that, Brugada also informed the construction of 300 kilometers of bikeways in different zones of Mexico City.
Of all these kilometers, 50 of them will be in a special bikeway on Calzada de Tlalpan, which purpose will be to connect Historic center with Azteca stadium; this, as part of the mobility strategy in 2026, with Mexico as one of the three venues of the soccer world cup.
“We will construct 300 kilometers of bikeways and will be intervened 50 crossings with greater incidence of vehicle accidents. This year will also begin the authorization of vehicle accidents. In the present year, we will enable the 50 kilometers of bikeway in Calzada de Tlalpan that will connect estadio Azteca with historic center and will extend the Ecobici service, to all the demarcations of Mexico City”, Brugada confirmed.
The need of decentralized cycle paths
The construction of bikeways and the expansion of the Ecobici program will always have a good acceptance. For that, is necessary to decentralized the cycling infrastructure to all the capital and not taking it to exclusive sectors of society.
Cyclists are everywhere, belong to all the social classes and use their mobility to all the branches: recreational walks, work and sport movements, also transforming into economic actors that develop the growth of local businesses, above all, those in the closeness or close to those nearby a cycle path.
A greater construction of exclusive and separated bike lanes is beneficial for all the sectors, from there the importance of creating more and new interconnected bikeways. However, these will need a correct implementation, ensuring comfortable, safe and functional journeys for everyone.
