Mobility has become one of the main issues that affect the quality of life of Colombians.
And it is not for less, because according to international statistics, several cities in our country are among the most congested in the world and three of these appear in the first places where the most hours were lost in traffic jams during 2021.
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This is why local administrations have decreed measures such as the pico y placa, which is becoming more severe, as in Bogota and Medellín, where the restriction is practically all day.
But this has not been enough to prevent us from spending hours detained on the streets of our cities with no chance of moving forward.
Last year, each driver in the country’s capital lost 94 hours in traffic jams, while in the capitals of Antioch and Valle del Cauca were 53 and 51 hours, respectively. This, according to data from the company Inrix, which analyzes mobility in the world.
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In other words, the time lost in the capital, for example, is the same as that spent watching 62 soccer games without counting the added time. It is even almost the same as seeing a World Cup, because in this contest 64 commitments are played.
Bogotá is ranked 12th worldwide -it is the first in Latin America-, Medellin in 94 and Cali at 109. The list is led by London (United Kingdom), Paris (France) and Brussels (Belgium), with 148, 140 and 134 hours lost in 2021, respectively.
This is what the trancones of Medellín look like, or tacos, as they are called in the city.
Photo:Javier Grandson. TIME
And not only those who drive a private vehicle lose hours in traffic jams, but also those who travel by bus and van.
According Ricardo Montezuma, an expert in mobility, this situation occurs in our country, basically, due to three aspects: “We have not been able to order the cities. We have not been able to generate the accessibility infrastructure. I would say that there is another structural factor and it is the disastrous way in which we drive, such precarious forms of driving linked to violence and road insecurity. We have very disorderly ways of driving.”
For example, explains the expert, Bogotá is a structurally blocked city, it is a city that has very few entrances and exits. However, this is repeated in most capital cities of the country.
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Precisely, for the expert, these three aspects are the ones that should be focused on in order to solve mobility problems, which are one of the main concerns of citizens.
As for the pico y placa that were implemented in Bogotá and Medellín, for Montezuma these do help mobility, but they can have “dire” effects in terms of the purchase of motorcycles and other “older, obsolete and polluting” cars. , asserted the expert and added that “it helps, but the change is not structural.”
In that it agrees Dario Hidalgo, who is also an expert in mobility: “Vehicle restrictions are measures that solve issues in the short term, but they do not generate structural solutions. In fact, many people who have the possibility pay to drive or buy another vehicle”.
We have such precarious forms of driving linked to violence and road insecurity. We have very disorderly ways of driving
In addition, there is controversy because in these two capitals you can pay to be exempt from the restriction.
Are there many cars and few roads in the cities of Colombia?
Another debate that has been raised to improve mobility in the country, beyond restrictions such as the peak and license plate, is that we have many cars and few roads. There are those who say that there is nowhere to go.
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According to the Single National Transit Registry (runt), as of December 2021 there were 17,020,451 vehicles in Colombia, of which 10,136,593 are motorcycles and 6,701,970 are cars, vans, trucks, buses, vans and dump trucks. The remaining percentage corresponds to machinery, trailers and semi-trailers, which are 181,888.
In 2019, the total registrations in Colombia were 15,337,965 and in 2020 they were 16,043,484. Practically one million new means of transport are registered each year in the country.
The number of vehicles has grown by more than 50 percent over the last 10 years, since in 2011 there was a record of 7,220,219 in the country. And currently the majority are in Bogotá, with 2,626,905.
“We have a high level of road congestion that is reflected in lost hours. That is driven by a rapid increase in vehicle ownership,” Hidalgo said.
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For him, the vehicle fleet has grown considerably over the last 10 years, but there have been no major improvements in infrastructure for vehicle circulation. However, he also believes that building more roads is not the solution to the problem, as this could even generate more traffic, as many would be motivated to purchase a vehicle.
He argues that “attractive” solutions for citizens should be proposed. “On the one hand, we must improve access to cities. Although we need very attractive alternatives. That public transport improves, but also the opportunity to go on foot and by bicycle”.
Even the debate of regulating the vehicle fleet has been planted, despite the fact that some experts point out that this is not the real problem. “We have a lot of old obsolete cars. We do not have many cars if we compare ourselves with other countries, although there will be a lot, it will continue to grow, it will not stop. We do have a lot of motorcycles, motorcycles are a more serious problem for me than even cars. The motorcycles seem to have no regulation, “said Montezuma.
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From the Mayor’s Office of Medellín they point out that the Territorial Ordering Plan (POT) is focused on improving and strengthening non-motorized modes and public transport in the first order. Proof of this is that the tender for the third line of the Metro has already been opened.
“It should be noted that the city has a fleet of approximately 1,788,000 vehicles, where the road network, due to the densification of the city itself and due to topographical conditions, does not grow at the same rate as the vehicles, a situation that generates a phenomenon of important congestion”, commented Víctor Hugo Piedrahíta Robledo, Undersecretary of Mobility of Medellín.
Bogotá mobility through 26th street, from downtown to the west of the capital.
Photo:Maurice Moreno. TIME
And he added that another problem is that culturally there is a perception that the private vehicle represents the best way to get around and “that is why the invitation from the Municipality is to discourage the use of the private vehicle and bet on sustainability.”
There is also concern about the delay in each journey
On average, a private car trip in our country lasts 45.57 minutes, according to information from the Numbeo platform.
This figure is made taking as a reference each journey reported to this platform. While there are trips that can last 10 minutes, others can last more than an hour. In other words, there may be people who take up to 45 minutes to go to work and another 45 to return home.
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This indicator in Bogotá is above the national average, as it reaches 52.13 minutes. This makes it the Latin American city with the worst weather -followed by Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Mexico City (Mexico).
We have a high level of road congestion that is reflected in lost hours. That’s fueled by a rapid increase in vehicle ownership.
As for the other cities in the country, the travel time is considerably reduced when compared to Bogotá. However, experts explain that this is due to the size of the territory. On average, a car trip in Medellin lasts 36 minutes, while in Cali and Barranquilla it takes 35 and 27.67 minutes, respectively.
In addition, it is necessary to see who are spending the most time on the journeys. Experts say that the lower class is the most affected.
Numbeo also collects information from some intermediate cities, such as Manizales, where each tour lasts 12 minutes.
This is what drivers think about mobility in Bogotá, Medellín and Cali
Drivers in these cities agree that getting around by car is becoming more and more complex and point out that if public transport were more accessible, they could get out of the car more often.
Alejandro Álvarez, who travels frequently between the north and south of Medellín and its metropolitan area, says that entering the southern municipalities, such as Envigado, is increasingly complex, both through main and alternate roads, regardless of the time. This can often take up to an hour, but it is also a journey that could be done in 25 minutes if the traffic is flowing, but this is rare.
From Cali, Kevin López says that one of the problems of mobility is that there is no respect on the roads, something that worsened after the national strike.
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Overview of mobility on Oriental Avenue, in Medellín.
Photo:Javier Grandson. TIME
“People no longer respect the roads, they get into the wrong way, they pass the traffic lights.” These situations, he explains, can lead to accidents that ultimately cause traffic jams.
Antonio, who works as a driver for a private company in Bogotá, says that with the pick and tag all day he has improved mobility in the city.
However, he finds the number of hours lost in traffic jams worrying.
“It’s a long time and most of it causes stress,” he explained. For him, you can’t walk on roads like the NQS, so he prefers to always travel along the 68. But he is emphatic when saying that “we lack a lot of civic culture when it comes to driving.”
Other drivers from Bogotá point out that with the works that are being carried out in the capital, the trips are increasing. And they add that when the Metro works begin, it will be worse. They narrate for a route between the north and the Center you have to leave an hour in advance to arrive on time, but they fear that the weather will get worse.
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Faced with this problem, experts indicate that the authorities must invest more in infrastructure, better conditions must be guaranteed in public transport, so that getting out of the car is not so annoying for those who are used to traveling in their own vehicle. But citizens must also contribute to the solution by having a better road culture.
MATTHEW GARCIA
Nation’s Editor
On Twitter: @teomagar
matgar@eltiempo.com
