It was in 2012, during the pre-election period, that the idea of ​​the Ciclo Rotas Centro (Cycle Routes Center) emerged. This was a gift from civil society to the newly elected mayor of Rio de Janeiro, which aimed at creating a cycle network in the city centre. For this purpose, cyclists joined together for elaborating a comprehensive plan of cyclepaths crossing the central region, a network capable of connecting central districts and the North and South parts of the city.

Interested people were invited to examine existing projects in order to discuss, plan and go out on the streets. Participants committed themselves to count and measure; they carried on a voluntary work done by cyclists for cyclists and by citizens for citizens with only one common goal: creating a more cycle and pedestrian-friendly city.

The proposition of a structured plan was important for providing technicians and municipal administrators with a tool they could use for requesting subsidies to increase the cycle network. A strategy that is not susceptible to shifting political winds and it goes beyond the electoral calendar.

In 2013, the cycle network proposed by the Ciclo Rotas Centro project was formalized and it started to be integrated into the planning of the City of Rio de Janeiro. Gradually the infrastructure, which has been designed thanks to a collective effort, hit the streets. 

ITDP Brasil and Studio X - Rio were partners of Transporte Ativo in this initiative and together with the cyclists of Rio helped to promote changes in the city.

The project has been so successful that it is replicated in several cities around the country. The Ciclo Rotas Centro has already been presented at several international events and in the second half of 2017 Ciclo Rotas Centro was certified as Social Technology by Banco do Brasil Foundation. As a result, the initiative is now part of the Foundation’s Bank of Social Technologies. In addition, it is also among the finalists of the 2017 edition of the Social Technology Award.

You can find below an image before and after of Av. Graça Aranha in Rio city centre.

TRANSFORM YOUR CITY

The tutorial on how to implement a project similar to Ciclo Rotas Centro is available on Transporte Ativo website at: http://www.ta.org.br/temp/2014/tutorialcrc.pdf.

If you need any help implementing your idea for changing your neighborhood or city, please contact Transporte Ativo.  

Text: Gabriela Binatti e Zé Lobo (Transporte Ativo)

Images: Transporte Ativo