Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos expressed concern over Bogota’s public transport and the urgency of installing metro into the capital city this week, at the World Urban Forum 2014.
FACT SHEET: Bogota’s Transmilenio
Although home to more than 7 million residents, Colombia’s capital relies upon a precarious public transport system. Bogota’s public transport is solely composed of Transmilenio, a bus rapid transit system with limited capacity. Last month inhabitants of Bogota took to the streets to protest for improved public transport, leaving over 30 injured and 8 citizens arrested.
MORE: Bogota public transport riots leave at least 30 injured and 8 in jail
During the 7th edition of World Urban Forum, which took place in Medellin, President Santos talked about the public transport issues Bogota faces, and the importance of a metro system.
“Metro is a necessity to Bogota, we are among the three cities in the world with more than 7 million people and no metro” said Santos. The president added that “the metro on its own is not the solution, neither is the Transmilenio on its own.”
The president talked about Medellin’s public transport successes and presented Medellin as a model for Bogota “What we need to do is similar to what is being done in Medellin, Medellin has got an integral system and the Metro is extended by Metrocables and they are going to add Tranvia” according to Caracol Radio.
Santos said that establishing a metro in Bogota was a top priority when he took the presidential seat in 2010.
The president stated that the project was postponed because “we met with a few interlocutors who for various reasons weren’t able to take the right decisions; they didn’t develop the project and this made mobility in Bogota each time worse,” reported to Caracol Radio.
Sources:
- El metro es una necesidad para Bogotá: Santos (Radio Caracol)
- Santos reitera compromiso en construcción del metro de Bogotá (El Espectador)
