Wednesday 25 March 2020

Bogota expands bike lanes to fight Coronavirus

Bogota's local authorities have established temporary bike lanes with the aim of enhancing social distancing during the Coronavirus outbreak.

The local government aims to discourage residents from taking public transportation or driving in order to avoid the further spread of Covid-19.

The city has added 22 kilometres of new bike lanes on top of the existing 550 kilometres in place.

The move is likely to have the additonal benefit of driving down carbon dioxide emissions - in China, emissions have fallen by around 100 million metric tonnes because of the coronavirus shutting down industrial processes and limiting transport.

The city council said: "These temporary bike lanes are arranged taking into account that the bicycle, being an individual means of transport, represents one of the most hygienic transport alternatives for the prevention of the virus, especially during this first stage in which it is recommended to avoid close contact and crowds."