Even though is a pride to know that in Mexico there are more people using the bike, keep existing zones as Tijuana where, less than the 1% of population uses the bike to transport to work or school.
The last information is highly contrasting with Mexico City, where the Ministry of Mobility (Semovi) recently informed that in, 2024, the trips by bike increased to 500,000 per day.
On the other hand, the Programa Sectorial de Movilidad y Transporte Sustentable del Gobierno del Estado (State Government Sector Program for Sustainable Mobility and Transportation) indicated that the city hall of Tijuana is where less people use the bike to transport.
How many people in Tijuana uses the bike?
According to the Instituto de Movilidad Sustentable (Institute of Sustainable Mobility), the average rate of people that use the bike to transport to work is a 1.48, emphasizing that the municipalities of San Quintín and Mexicali, where overcomes with a 4.42% and 2.80%.
Regarding the municipality of Tijuana, the study refers to less than 1% of workers and students that use the bike. Only the 0.59% of people that work, use this mean of transport to go to their work.
About the students, just the 0.16% of them uses this mean to go to school centers.
Bikeways would improve the use of bike in Tijuana
Although, saying that the 9,209,944 citizens that inhabit on CDMX influence the number of bike trips to the 2,157,853 in Tijuana, isn’t entirely true.
The fact that a place has more people than other can be synonym of a greater existence of bikes, but it hasn’t to be properly the use of these. In this comparison, we can use as an example to Netherlands, where the 16,690,000 citizens on the country (not just on the capital), can boast that the 99% of them use the bike to transport.
Here is where road culture is involved but, also the cycling infrastructure. A country where the state or city with a huge network of well-constructed and planned bike paths, fostering the greater use of bike.
A unique bike way
In the case of Tijuana, the state only has a bike way, of almost 8 miles, nothing compared to the 211 miles of bike paths in CDMX.
The problem doesn’t finish with having a cycling lane, as Ivonne Ache mentions, activist in mobility and who highlights other fail on the lack of cycling infrastructure:
“The city council says that exist 8 miles, but actually, only 5 of them have separation. Meaning, there are 5 where exist a barrier that protects because the rest is pavement marking only and it doesn’t exist anymore”, she complained.
Instead, the activist ensures that, with more well constructed bike paths, it would develop the use of bike. Emphasized that, on the center zone, circulate at least 900 cyclists on the 12 hours course, due bike lanes are necessary to protect them.
Other challenges for not cycling
Another purpose of why people don’t use bike, according to Ache, is due a list of the 100% more congested cities in Mexico, Tijuana has 5 according with the post of the organization Estrategia Misión Cero.
The traffic increased to the low cyclist safety, avoid people feel comfortable when cycling on streets. In this aspect, is necessary that a bikeway has physical barriers, such as confibicis or lane separators, that maintain separated to vehicle transit of cyclists.
Likewise, Yury Báez , head of Instituto Municipal de Participación Ciudadana (Municipal Institute of Citizen Participation), stressed that even though the construction of bikeways it was a constant demand of cycling organizations, little or nothing has been achieved.
This even though has collaborated in projects for the socialization of bike lanes, such as the bike way planned on Tecnológico-Universidad avenue on Otay-Centenario city hall.
In short, to talk more about the people who use bike, is necessary to build a cycling infrastructure of quality with a good logistic. This must have necessary tools and well planned routes to provide people a sustainable, safe and efficient transport.
