Page values for "Innovative Approaches to Addressing Air Pollution in Bogota, Colombia"

Bogota added 80 km of bike lanes during the pandemic and the city's concentration of particulate pollution dropped by 80%. They create a better walking network for pedestrians. In addition, the city will plant over 8,00,000 trees and preserve 4,00,000 existing trees.

1. Electrifying the mass transport system - City policymakers plan to switch from buses that run on fossil fuels to electric-powered vehicles that can move people around the city without generating harmful emissions. A fully electric metro rail system is also being planned, capable of transporting the city’s 8 million residents and around 2 million daily commuters who work or study in the city center.

2. Increasing cycle infrastructure - Bogotá is a bike-friendly city that, like some other major urban areas around the world, has invested in dedicated cycle infrastructure. Every day, the city’s residents make more than 800,000 cycle trips, helping to ease congestion on roads. Plans are in place to extend the existing network by 60 kilometers, to encourage bike use as an alternative to driving or public transport.

3. Encouraging people to walk- As with cycling, the city plans more to encourage people to avoid polluting forms of transport where possible. With coronavirus still a threat, walking offers a way to observe social distancing measures and avoid crowded public transport. With residents making more trips on foot, there are fewer vehicles and lower emissions. Plus walking comes with significant health benefits for citizens.

4. Restricting goods vehicles- The city’s air management plan includes imposing restrictions on trucks entering the city, which will have to comply with strict emissions standards. Although heavy transport is difficult to electrify, the city aims to incentivize truck operators to move away from diesel vehicles to those that run on cleaner fuels.

5. Increasing air quality monitoring- New air quality monitoring stations will be added to the Bogotá Air Quality Monitoring Network. In southwestern areas of the city, where fine particulate matter pollution is most concentrated, the administration wants to work with other stakeholders to reduce particulate pollution by 18%.

6. Investing in green spaces- Creating more green spaces within the city can help improve air quality by reducing the concentration of pollutants in the air.