Photo: Robson-Combat
Rio de Janeiro opens first downtown cycle lanes
24 February 2014
by Richard Forster
Rio de Janeiro is continuing to improve conditions for its bike riders, with the opening last week of the first 3.3 kilometres of cycle lanes in the city’s downtown area.
“It is a major achievement, and makes a strong statement about the kind of urban mobility we want for our city,” said Clarisse Linke, Country Director for The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) in Brazil, which helped design the new cycleways. “Bikes can serve as an important connection from mass transit stations to the rest of the city.”
There are three different cycle routes connecting important transit stations with their surrounding areas and although it marks a modest initial growth to Rio’s existing bike infrastructure, the Ciclo Rotas Project is an important development for city’s residents. The dedicated lanes are the first in downtown Rio, allowing bikers more safety, comfort, and accessibility and linking bus and metro stations with pedestrian areas.
The new lanes aim to increase mobility in the neighbourhoods of Lapa, Saúde and Gamboa, addressing the ‘last mile’ problem from transit stations to people’s jobs and establishing space for non-motorised transit in downtown Rio. In addition, the new lanes will be integrated with the existing cycling infrastructure, increasing connectivity of the entire network and helping to create a complete path from the city’s North Zone to the South.
“Over the next five years, as more bike lanes are built, along with five new light rail lines and the TransCarioca BRT corridor, downtown Rio will totally transform and people will be crossing the city in new ways,” said Linke. “This is just the beginning.”
The Ciclo Rotas Centro project began in 2012, and is part of a formal cycling infrastructure proposal by ITDP. The plans were developed collaboratively, analysing opportunities for new cycle lanes and increased cycle parking throughout downtown Rio.
Plans for additional bike lanes have been approved, and funding from local environmental funds is anticipated. City Hall is working to remove parking from downtown Rio, allowing more space on the busy streets for bicycles.
