Ciclovía means "cycleway," and it is a temporary closing of several main streets throughout the city to automobiles so that only pedestrians and cyclists may use the lanes. There are permanent dedicated cycle paths called ciclorrutas, while temporary cycle paths are called ciclovías. I have never participated because I don't own a bike here, but that isn't much of an excuse because you can rent loaner bicycles for 30,000 to 60,000 Colombian pesos (about 7.50 to 15 US dollars), depending on where you are. My real excuse is that I'm a little scared of cycling in busy streets and don't trust my reflexes to be quick enough. However, it is fun to observe those who are brave enough to participate in this tradition!
The Ciclovía is a tradition every Sunday in Bogotá, and it's a program supported by the city government and facilitated by the Transportation Department so that the roads are closed from 7:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. (I think I approximated the hours in a previous entry, but I was close!) I first learned about the Ciclovía when I was in an Uber to the entrance of a hike and saw dozens of cyclists zooming past down some slopes and plodding up others.
