We traversed Bogotá via a vast, road bike jerseys connected network of ciclorrutas, brightly painted and often protected bike lanes and off-street paths. These ciclorrutas are used by commuters, vendors, cargo bikes, and people of all ages to travel all over the city, separated from high-traffic automotive routes.
Colombia is not a wealthy country, nor is Bogotá a wealthy city. But the Bogotanos have built a city of bicycles and a culture of bicycling that many California cities can only dream about.All over the city, we rode on protected bike lanes that connected one to the next. Around us, the short sleeve cycling jerseys streets were filled with buses, motorcycles, and taxis — and just a few individually owned cars. Along with the bike lanes, dedicated bus lanes crisscrossed the city. On the outskirts of town, we saw hundreds of people riding up into the hills for fun with friends.
