Day after day, second after second, the artificial intelligence evolves in a constant and surprising way. An example of this evolution is the famous ChatGPT, which use is more frequent in all the topics. For that, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to ask ChatGPT… What it thinks about urban cycling and bike ways in Mexico?
Do you want to know the answer? Do you believe this text system thinks about the future of bike in Mexico? Does it have good or bad news? Join us in this virtual ride and discover it.
What Chat GPT is?
ChatGPT was released by a startup OpenAI in 2022. It’s an artificial intelligence under the model of chatbot, meaning, a robot able to talk through text. In this way, can answer questions, create essays, poems, tell jokes or even generate programming codes.
The answers are based on the available information on Ethernet and under its most recent update. Meaning that for now, it can’t provide details in real time. From there comes the name Generative Pre-trained Transformer, GPT.
Under this concept, we have done some questions related to the use of bike in Mexico and its cycling infrastructure. Here’s what it told us…
What do you think about urban cycling in Mexico?
Urban cycling in Mexico has gained popularity in last years, & a great potential to improve quality of life in cities. In many areas, cycling is an economic, ecologic and healthy alternative to motorized transport.
This practice has the potential to transform mobility and contribute to a healthier and sustainable environment for country. However, is necessary to improve infrastructure, security and culture around this transport to be a feasible and allure option for more people.
This answer is notoriously accurate. In one hand, cycling increased drastically in 2024, that in Mexico City registered almost 500 thousand daily rides.
Likewise, a great part of metropolis and other states have a cycling infrastructure, and is necessary to extend it to the one already created. An example of these are the Toluca bike ways, which users complain about the bad conditions of these.
What do you think about the cycling infrastructure in Mexico?
The cycling infrastructure in Mexico shows a mixed picture with significant advances in cities and areas. And some others still having considerable challenges.
Mexico city, Guadalajara & Monterrey have implemented bike ways and exclusive bike-lanes, offering a safer and more pleasant cycling experience. Also, implemented programs such as Muevete en Bici in the capital and bike way networks growth in Guadalajara and Monterrey.
The use of shared bike system has helped to develop cycling to a greater demand of cycling infrastructure.
However, in many cities and suburban areas, the cycling infrastructure keeps being insufficient or non-existent. The lanes for bikes are usually interrupted, bad designed or simply non-existent in certain neighborhoods.
In some cases, the existent bike ways and lanes don’t receive the correct maintenance. The previous issue leads to bumps, accumulation of debris or damaged traffic signals.
The bike integration with public transport (buses and trains) is often limited, it complicate the combination of different transports.
The quality and quantity of cycling infrastructure can variate among different cities and regions. Big metropolises are used to have more resources to develop infrastructure, while more little cities and rural zones stay behind.
This answer is more interesting and with different poles. In one hand, it’s right, it mentions that cycling infrastructure grows but, not in an equality way. In CDMX, we have a greater number of bike ways in center neighborhoods with a high socioeconomic level.
On the other hand, on the places and zones with low resources, there are a few or nonexistent bike paths. Of course, a valid excuse can be in greater part that work and tourism are centered on more concurred zones, likewise, the government budget in mobility isn’t used to be the same for every demarcation.
However, even though it is little by little, all the places have the right to a diverse cycling infrastructure.
Chat GPT is also right by mentioning that exist other interrupted or bad designed cycling lanes, as the limited accessibility with bike and other public transports.
In the first case, not in a few occasions is set a bike way, but maintenance isn’t provided, without mentioning that some of them have a low logistic. In the second case, is ironic that the purpose of a bike way is to interconnect with means of public transport but only in a few of them can access with them and in the majority after 10 pm in the metro.
What’s your opinion about the bike ways of the country?
The bike ways in Mexico are an essential part of cycling infrastructure. These provide a physical separation between cyclists and motorized vehicles, increase safety of cyclists, reducing risk of accidents and fostering more people to use bike as a mean of transport & reduce vehicle congestion.
On the other hand, some bike ways have a bad design and can put cyclist in risk. In other cases, bike ways have a good connection among them with other means of transport, limiting use and effectiveness.
Sometimes, motorized vehicles invade these or people use them for other purposes, as parking lot, reducing security and functionality for cyclists.
It also emphasizes the lack of priority. In some cities, bike ways can be a secondary or temporary option, instead of an integral part of transportation system, leading to a lack of investment and inadequate planning.
Once again, ChatGPT is right.
Cities as León, Guadalajara, Mérida and CDMX have a great quantity of cycling lanes, resulting that more citizens want to cycling. In addition, the recreational and Sunday bike ways have had a good acceptance.
However, is true that motorized vehicles invade them constantly. In the best of cases, also dangerous, motorcycles use bike lane as a proper one, derived in run overs to cyclists and pedestrians. In the worst of cases, motorists use them as permanent parking lots.
Let’s stand out that the case of the bike way Isidro Fabela, in Toluca. A project stopped for many years due the negative of traders. These last argue that their sales will reduce, due customers don’t have a place to park. For this reason, lane couldn’t be build, even though in recent days a cyclist died by being run over in Toluca.
Another aspect to stand out is the lack of bike ways throughout the country, while most of these cycling lanes concentrate in CDMX, with over 310 miles, or Guadalajara, with over 621 miles, other entities as Tijuana, only has a bike way of 8.0 miles of length.
Finally, we wanted ChatGPT tell us the estimate about when Mexico will have the necessary cycling infrastructure to be a cycling city. And this was the answer:
It’s difficult to exactly predict in what year Mexico will have a cycling infrastructure completely adequate, due this depends of multiple factors. Some factors are the speed of politic implementation, resource assignation, evolution of cycling culture and collaboration of different levels of government and civil society. However, we can make some comments based on the current trends:
Short term (2025-2030): May be we will see significant advances in important cities and quality improvements of existing bike ways. However, the infrastructure can be unequal in coverage and quality to national level.
Medium term (2030-2040): A continuous approach in infrastructure investment and improvement, is possible that for 2030-2040 Mexico has a cycling network more developed and integrated, specially in urban areas. The transition to a more complete cycling infrastructure could be more visible in main cities.
Long term (2040 and beyond): If the current trends are maintained and existent challenges are overcome, is possible for Mexico to have a more complete and high quality cycling infrastructure in all country, as the urban and rural areas.
Of course, this will depend on the advance of the government as society invest in all ways, from monetary to road culture. While, we can say that at short term is promising. It is enough to know that the commitment of CDMX, Guadalajara and Monterrey consists in create a greater network of bike ways before 2030.
Let’s see what ChatGPT tell us for then.
