Why is Bogota’s mobility so deficient?

Bogota-trafficIn Bogotá, the sale of vehicles has increased dramatically in the last years. Only in 2012, Fenalco said that 311,912 sales were recorded by the year. In this regard, the Veeduria Distrital has stated in their reports that in Bogota are circulating over 1,200,000 vehicles and expressed: “Whereas previously more than 600 thousand vehicles were circulating for near 14.500 km from length of the total of the road mesh last year, the double of the cars did it for something more about 14.800 km, when the thing to expect was that they were doing it at least in 28 thousand kilometers… “[i]

The mobility is part of one of the fundamental rights of the Political Constitution of Colombia: “Every Colombian, with the limitations of the law, has the right to move freely, throughout the country, in and out of it, and remain and reside in Colombia”[ii]. But this right is broken by the problems in the mobility in Bogotá.

Some of the reasons of the traffic in Bogota are: 1) The corruption in the adjudication (Constructions without studies and designs, without planning) and worse execution of the works in the roads infrastructure (Deficient and incomplete works, for example Transmilenio to the Airport), 2) Lack of maintenance of the roads and undue occupation of the routes between the others, the lack of information regarding the use of the new cards to the citizens over the new integrated system of public transportation.

The Veeduria Distrital has said that the increase in the traffic decreases the speed of the cars: while five years ago cars were travelling at 33 km/h, now they move at 24 km/h. The speed of the public system was also affected: the buses, busetas and taxis, before the 2010 were 53 minutes late when arriving to their destination, whereas this year it has increased in an average of 64 minutes late per arrival.

We can conclude that we are facing an absence of governmental politics to guarantee the right of free traffic, despite of the fact that the “Pico y Placa” equally contributed to the purchase of vehicles. The level of education does not exist for the efficient use of public services: Absence of a plan for the execution of the works and maintenance of the roads while respecting the public resources. Communication deficiency towards the citizens regarding the new Integrated System of Urban Transportation. This means that we need a better development in the mobility of our city and a better defense of our rights as citizens.

Leonel Riveros 8B

Image taken from here


[i]   Veeduría Distrital. Periódico El Espectador. Bogotá DC. 21/11/2011. Sección Bogotá.

[ii]   Constitución Política de Colombia. Editorial Legis.Vigesimo Séptima Edición. Bogotá DC. 2012. 14

2 Trackbacks to “Why is Bogota’s mobility so deficient?”

Leave a comment