Of bikes, buses, and becas

Well, I was completely wrong about the event tonight. No ambassador, just as well. Instead, the cultural affairs officer - such a sweet lady. Definitely did not feel the need to harangue her in a corner about the National Guard being deployed to patrol the borders. Although there were several dozen other embassy workers, so I guess we could have gotten in our futile political arguments, if we hadn't been there for the free food in the first place.

Naturally the first person I saw when the elevator doors opened (if you're really swank in Bogota you have your own elevator) was my public transportation professor. I've been semi-avoiding him ever since I stopped going to that class after it got way too technical for me. I can only read so many travel demand manuals. But he was terribly kind, and I'd been meaning to write him a nice email or something, just wish I'd gotten around to actually taking that initiative - this just made it look like I'd been avoiding him.

Interestingly, it seems there is a parallel group of Colombian students with becas (scholarships, but I like calling them Beccas) from the state department. There are 12 of them, they all know each other and study at La Nacional, and I had run into one of them a few times before at campus events. The scholarship is for Afro-Colombians to study English before applying for a Fulbright to study in the states. It's called the Martin Luther King scholarship -- the embassy folks are not real subtle. It seems to be a good program though, if that's your goal.

We all agreed that if either group had a party, the other set had to be invited. And one of the girls told me about some Sunday aerobics in the park thing, and invited me for this weekend. Hope we end up going - today was not the best day for follow-through. I went to the girls' school, sat for 45 minutes, only to be told, hmmm, I don't think we're having a workshop today. It's el Dia del Maestro! (Day of the Teacher) Plus I have this meeting, see...I think it's time for me to look for another volunteer opportunity, probably through the Participandes network, which seems slightly more volunteer oriented than your average public school probably has time to be.

Ah well. I did spend lots of time moving myself around today, giving me a better understanding of what public transportation is like for people who don't live within walking distance of their daily activities. TransMilenio is really going through some growing pains -- apparently they ordered buses for the added routes too late and only half have been built. So they're stretched extremely thin, plus people who still aren't served by TM have had their buseta routes all twisted up in order to avoid the TM stubs, meaning longer commutes.

I've heard lots of talk about bikes today - in Bolivia, and now in Chicago, where they are launching Sunday Parkways, based on Bogota's Sunday Ciclovias!

Chicagoland Bicycle Federation —Sunday Parkways (IL)
For the past several months, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation has been working to build support for something we call Sunday Parkways. Borrowed from programs in Latin America, the idea of Sunday Parkways is to return the avenues to the community for a few hours every Sunday, when a network of streets is closed to traffic - becoming completely car-free.

Our initial proposal is 7 miles long. If successful, the hope is to expand the route over the next two years to 30 miles and later 60 miles, along routes that extend north to south and east to west, across Chicago. The expanded route will link city amenities, such as museums, cultural centers, diverse neighborhoods, artistic venues, recreation areas, parks, sports facilities and theLakefrontt Trail. Sunday Parkways promotes a healthier, more active life in and around the city with the participation of everyone, regardless of social status, age or physical ability. People can participate as an individual, as a family or as a group.

In Bogota, Colombia, where this program originated, physical activity stations - such as calisthenics, yoga and dance aerobics - are scattered along the route. There are other lifestyle-related activities such as health screenings and information stations on nutrition and well-being. The avenues are filled with thousands of walkers, runners, skaters, bikers and joggerss. Bogota'’s Ciclovi­a Dominical has enjoyed great success since its inception in 1980. Nowadays, the trail covers 75 miles, and 500,000 participants turn up every Sunday. An identical Sunday program in Guadalajara, Mexico also has grown significantly.

I can't wait for this idea to catch on in Atlanta - it's really quite magical. Families, singles with dogs, older folks, the spandex crowd, everyone comes out for Ciclovia, and I'd be shocked if it weren't creating some terrific public health benefits.