{"id":1029,"date":"2013-06-25T12:49:15","date_gmt":"2013-06-25T12:49:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.roadtrafficsigns.com\/blog\/?p=1029"},"modified":"2024-06-10T04:12:31","modified_gmt":"2024-06-10T08:12:31","slug":"activists-promote-pedestrian-safety-bogota-columbia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.roadtrafficsigns.com/blog\/activists-promote-pedestrian-safety-bogota-columbia\/","title":{"rendered":"Activists use art to save lives on the streets of Bogota, Columbia"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pedestrian

View this sign here<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

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\"crosswalks<\/a>In 2003, the city hall of Santa Fe\u2019 de Bogota together with Road Prevention Fund started a campaign<\/a> called “Each star is a killed pedestrian” to pay a tribute to the 1500 pedestrians killed in road accidents in the preceding five years. The campaign appealed to the conscience of drivers and promoted safe driving behavior that reduces dangers to people on foot.<\/p>\n

This year, the statistics show that the plight of pedestrians remains more or less unchanged. In 2012, 296 pedestrians died on the streets of Bogot\u00e1, Colombia. This time around, urban activists have decided to campaign for pedestrian safety by taking cues from “tactical urbanism.” Activists including planning students, architects, and designers make the city their canvas to portray everything that is hurting the pedestrianism of the city and in the process, get problems fixed.<\/p>\n

Early innovators in Bogot\u00e1<\/h2>\n

Although Bogot\u00e1 was rife with crime and run by drug lords in the 90s, it underwent a makeover. In the mid-1990s, Mayor Antanas Mockus introduced imaginative measures to improve urban life, like hiring\u00a0400 mimes to make fun of drivers who did not follow traffic rules. This led to a 50% reduction in traffic fatalities.<\/p>\n

Mockus\u2019s successor, Enrique Pe\u00f1alosa, introduced a successful bus rapid transit program. Cars could not park on sidewalks in Bogot\u00e1\u2019s busiest areas, and Bogot\u00e1 was where Ciclov\u00eda<\/a> began. A 120-kilometer network of the city\u2019s largest roadways, the Ciclov\u00eda was closed to regular traffic from 7 am to 2 pm on Sundays, holidays, and some evenings. During this time, cyclists, walkers, runners, and roller skaters could use the area. On average, 700,000 of them do so, on Sundays and holidays.<\/p>\n

Bogot\u00e1 today<\/h2>\n

The rise in pedestrian deaths in Bogot\u00e1 today signals that times are very different now. As Germ\u00e1n Sarmiento, a Bogot\u00e1 activist says, \u201cThe city has suffered terribly from subsequent bad governments.\u00a0There is terrible infrastructure for pedestrians (no crosswalks, no pedestrian lights, no speed controls and no respect for STOP signs or red lights), and a culture that literally prioritizes the way of cars in every intersection. If you are walking in Bogot\u00e1 you have to be alert at all times. Pedestrians are astonished when a car lets them walk first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tactical urbanism campaigns<\/h2>\n
\"Activists

\u201cHis Majesty the Crater.\u201d Image by Germ\u00e1n Sarmiento<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

This situation led to Sarmiento and other activists to let art do the talking. For instance, they painted the area around a huge crater with colorful blocks and a bright crosswalk. Sarmiento writes, “The whole purpose of our act was to ironically and humorously honor and celebrate the life of this enormous pothole. Days after the initiative took place, most of the potholes in the area were fixed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCrosswalks for Life\u201d was another successful pedestrian safety campaign. The activists painted colorful crosswalks where pedestrians had died or been injured in crashes. This campaign was covered extensively by the media. A government agency has voiced interest in scaling up this campaign.<\/p>\n

\"Crosswalks

Crosswalks for Life. Image by Germ\u00e1n Sarmiento<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

The activists aim to increase citizen engagement with such ideas. Sarmiento writes, \u201cThe legacy of Mockus and Pe\u00f1alosa is very important because it lets us know that better is possible. We are creating awareness with regards not only to pedestrian rights, but also activating citizen engagement that pressures government institutions to act on matters that are their responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

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