Green living

Bicycle friendly Mexico City
A CNN iReport

Mexico City launches bicycle sharing program

Mexico City has inaugurated a bicycle-sharing program, known as ECOBICI, to promote more environment-friendly methods of transport and reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.

Under the initial phase of ECOBICI, 1,114 bicycles at 85 stations are in place, with bikes available for 30-minute loans to members who pay a 300-peso ($23) annual fee. ECOBICI members will get an electronic card that allows them to borrow a bicycle, use it, and later return it to a station. The stations are located about 300 meters from each other, making bicycle transport ideal for citizens running errands and or making short trips through their neighborhoods.

"Just as in other cities, ECOBICI is a project that seeks to recover public spaces, improve people's quality of life and, of course, help protect the environment," Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said at a ceremony unveiling the program.  The ECOBICI program is part of Mayor Ebrard’s comprehensive Green Plan designed to make Mexico City one of the most sustainable cities in the world.

At present, the ECOBICI stations are located in several neighborhoods. Stations are located at about 300 meters from each other, in Colonias Cuauhtémoc, Juárez, Roma Norte, Hipódromo Condesa and Condesa. It is projected that 24,000 people will make use of the system. More than 1,000 citizens have already signed up.

In addition, the Mexico City government plans to expand its dedicated bicycle lanes to build one along the Metrobus Line 3 route this year, with the goal to connect the metropolis with the neighboring cities of Toluca, Pachuca and Cuernavaca.

The goal of the ECOBICI is to reduce the number of vehicles that go through the city everyday, currently estimated at more than 5 million, while recovering public spaces, reducing air pollution, and improving the quality of life for city residents. Mexico City’s ECOBICI program is similar to those in place in Barcelona and Washington, D.C.