Medellín: Ciclovías y Metrocables
I began my South American bike tour in one of the most interesting cities on the whole route: Medellín, Colombia. So, I stayed for two weeks to experience the pace of life (and get used to the elevation!). I was also guaranteed two weekends of ciclovía, in case it rained for one. Here are some of my tourist photos of Medellín and Guatapé (a small town nearby).
Medellín is also famous for it's public transportation and public spaces. From a few people I spoke with, you could sense the pride they had for the metro, bus feeder routes, and metrocables. Walking was a challenge due to hills, and a few major roadways that run parallel to the metro line and river. People are using narrow sidewalks, or stairs and bridges. On many streets, two-way cycletracks are added on one side or in the middle. In the city center, these are de facto expanded sidewalks, relieving pressure on the areas crowded by vendors. Drivers were very conscientious of bicycle riders, who regularly mix with motorcycles on many major roads with no bike lanes. The yielding, looking, and slow speeds made this experience more comfortable than you would expect. Medellín is famous for a few projects that addressed the difficult hills where people live: escalators and metrocables. These were fantastic.
Ciclovía is every Sunday, where parts of major streets are open to just people walking, biking, and skating. It runs the length of the city on one of the major highways that parallels the river. There is another branch in the El Poblado neighborhood, and some neighboring cities. It's so successful, there is a nighttime version on weekdays, but I ended up joining a bike party instead. Take a look at this video of ciclovía, and a ride on the metrocable!
Watch on YouTube, with links to specific clips in the description:
