The Colombian city is committed to promoting alternative and sustainable modes of transportation that improve people's quality of life.
The Colombian city of Ibagué launched the public bicycle sharing system "Rueda por Ibagué" ("Wheels for Ibagué") which provides an option for the mass use of this alternative means of transportation to the population of Ibagué.
With an operation of 85 bicycles, 16 of them pedal-assisted, in addition to eight stations in strategic downtown locations, this system is part of the pilot project of the Urban Mobility sector of the EUROCLIMA program, funded by the European Union and implemented by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
"I would like to congratulate you for enabling this system that encourages the use of bicycles and improves the competitiveness of the city. The European Union and the German government decided to set their eyes on Ibagué, for being an intermediate capital, with many qualities to carry out this program," said Stepan Uncovsky, country director of the GIZ.
As part of its inauguration, held on February 11, the Forum for Sustainable Mobility was held, in which international experts shared, through workshops and dialogues, the importance of this type of projects. In addition, there was a ride in which attendees were able to use the bicycles.
The event was attended by representatives of the GIZ, the Municipality of Ibagué, the Institute of Financing and Promotion and Development of Ibagué - INFIBAGUÉ, as well as the Ministry of Transportation.
With an endowment of 500 thousand euros, Ibagué received support for the design and implementation of a public bicycle system to increase medium-scale and last-mile trips through sustainable means of transportation, which will contribute to road decongestion, discourage the use of private cars and reduce emissions.
"With the implementation of this system, we are starting to look for alternatives that allow us to move around while taking care of the environment and, most importantly, free of charge. With this project we offer locals and tourists the possibility of using another means of transportation to make short trips downtown," said the Mayor of Ibagué, Andrés Hurtado.
Characteristics of the System
The bicycle sharing system "Wheels for Ibagué" is a fifth generation system with a dockless system, since it uses bicycles and locked smart locks; its location is tracked by a satellite georeferencing system through a digital application.
Through eight stations at downtown strategic points, users will be able to use 85 bicycles: 16 pedal-assist and 69 conventional bicycles. It should be noted that the service is free of charge. People must download the application on their mobile devices and follow the authentication steps to be able to use it.
"We have been in a very strong pedagogical process for several days, so that people do not have problems downloading the application and using the system; our intention is that more Ibaguereños join this system that aims at a more sustainable mobility for the city," said Felipe La Rota García, manager of Infibagué.
Its schedule is enabled from Tuesday to Sunday during business hours, which is when there are more displacements in the area.
In order to design and implement this project, Ibagué received support from the EUROCLIMA program, through GIZ, to carry out feasibility studies, the design and financing scheme of the system, the acquisition of the bicycles, as well as the implementation. The city is currently engaged in information and awareness campaigns to promote the "Wheels for Ibagué" system.
An action for sustainable mobility
Due to the inauguration of the "Wheels for Ibagué" public bicycle system, a Sustainable Mobility Forum was held. During this event, mobility strategies, environmental issues and success stories in other cities that have implemented similar initiatives, were presented.
With the presence of international experts, the importance of public bicycle systems for medium-scale and last mile trips was emphasized. Aligned with integrated mobility planning, these systems, in combination with other modes of transportation, contribute to ensuring sustainable modes of mobility.
Active modes of mobility, such as cycling and walking, are important actions for reducing emissions from the transport sector in cities. Therefore, it is important that local and national governments align in the implementation of this type of actions.
In the case of Ibagué, the new public bicycle system is aligned with the National Active Mobility Strategy, as well as with other public policies and national commitments in Colombia.
The event was attended by César Yáñez, manager of the Strategic Public Transportation System, SETP; Juan Alberto Caicedo, advisor to the Ministry of Transportation; and Viviana Tobón Jaramillo, consultant specializing in public bicycle systems.
About Euroclima
Euroclima is a program financed by the European Union and co-financed by the German federal government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as by the governments of France and Spain through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
The Program's mission is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects in 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean by promoting mitigation, adaptation, resilience, climate investment and biodiversity. To this end, it is implemented according to the "Spirit of Team Europe" under the synergistic work of seven agencies: Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), AFD Group: Agence Française de Développement (AFD)/ Expertise France (EF), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
For more information:
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