Curridabat and Montes de Oca aim to become model cities for urban cycling

The project aims to encourage and promote urban cycling as a means of transport through the construction of efficient cycling-infrastructure and a measure

of the needs of the users.

San José, February 12, 2020. With support from EUROCLIMA+, the municipalities of Curridabat and Montes de Oca are leading a joint proposal to improve mobility and accessibility for cyclists and turn the cantons into model cities in the country.

The project seeks to encourage and promote urban cycling as a means of transport by building an efficient cycling-infrastructure tailored to the needs of users and integrating cyclists into current road geography.

According to Alicia Borja, Mayor of Curridabat, the design of the cities of the Greater Metropolitan Area is conceived in terms of private vehicles, limiting the enjoyment of other forms of mobilisation by citizens. “In our cantons we support the development of urban cycling and the creation of spaces to improve the experience of citizens. This is part of the development vision of the Municipality of Curridabat, where we implement infrastructure for the pacification of our roads, providing accessibility and security for the most vulnerable users, with the goal of reducing incidents on the road,” said Borja.

The initiative “Promotion and Development of Urban Cycling” was presented on Wednesday at the Freses Park in Curridabat, with the participation of people from the communities and promoting organisations.

“In addition to promoting the appropriation of public spaces in a healthy and safe manner between Curridabat and Montes de Oca, and in line with a socio-environmental vision, we aim to provide citizens with sustainable mobility options to improve or transform the way our people move from one canton to another, based on their own experience. For Montes de Oca, this is an effort that joins other projects such as the bicycle lane with San José, the exclusive bus lane and the actions that will come with the electric train project,” added Marcel Soler Rubio, mayor of Montes de Oca.

The project, which is part of the European Union-funded EUROCLIMA+ programme, was created by the Municipalities of Curridabat and Montes de Oca and will be executed by the Centre for Environmental Law and Natural Resources (CEDARENA), with support from the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT).

Project progress

To develop the project, work is being done through an educational component that trains citizens in the use of bicycles, thereby obtaining important data for infrastructure design variables.

During 2020, the local governments of Curridabat and Montes de Oca will work on the design of the infrastructure, taking into account cyclist profilse, potential routes, public transport stations, as well as areas with appropriate speeds, connections between the two cantons, and destinations and integration with existing infrastructure.

In Costa Rica, the transport sector accounts for about 44% of net carbon dioxide emissions. For this reason, in addition to improving mobility, from an environmental point of view the project aims to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by reducing road congestion and by converting people who use vehicles into bicycle users. This is in line with the National Decarbonisation Plan and its Infrastructure, Mobility and Territorial Plannign hub.

About EUROCLIMA+

EUROCLIMA+ is a programme financed by the European Union to promote environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient development in 18 Latin American countries, particularly for the benefit of the most vulnerable populations. The Programme is implemented under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), and UN Environment.

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