Curridabat and Montes de Oca Seek to Become Model Cities for Urban Cycling

Building Tailor-Made and Efficient Infrastructure for Cyclists

San José, Costa Rica, February 12, 2020. With support of the Euroclima+ programme, the Costa Rican municipalities of Curridabat and Montes de Oca are leading a joint proposal to improve mobility and accessibility for cyclists and convert the municipalities into model cities in the country.

The project seeks to encourage and promote urban cycling as a means of transport through the construction of efficient cycling infrastructure tailored to the needs of cyclists and that integrates these into the current road geography.

According to Alicia Borja, mayor of Curridabat, cities within the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) are designed with private vehicles in mind, limiting other forms of mobilization by citizens. “In our municipalities we support the development of urban cycling and the creation of spaces to improve the citizens’ experience. This is part of the vision for the development 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 road incidents”, says Borja.

The initiative Promotion and development of urban cycling was presented on February 12, 2020 at the Freses park in Curridabat, with the participation of people from the communities and participating organizations.

“In addition to promoting the appropriation of public spaces in a healthy and safe way between Curridabat and Montes de Oca, and as a result of a socio-environmental vision, we seek to provide citizens with sustainable mobility options that improve or transform the way in which our people move from one municipality to another. For Montes de Oca this is an effort that adds to existing projects such as the cycle lane to San José, the exclusive bus lane and the actions that will be implemented concerning the electric train”, added Marcel Soler Rubio, mayor of Montes de Oca.

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

Project progress

The project includes an educational component, which aims to train citizens in the use of bicycles and thus obtain important data concerning different variables of infrastructure design.

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

In Costa Rica, the transport sector accounts for about 44% of net carbon dioxide emissions. That is why in addition to improving mobility, from the environmental point of view the project seeks to mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases via the reduction of road congestion, by motivating drivers of vehicles to use the bicycle instead. This is in line with what is stipulated in the National Decarbonization Plan, in its axis of Infrastructure, Mobility and Territorial Planning.