We continue our mini-interview series with the Velo-city 2019 Keynote Speakers! #VC19Keynote #MeetTheSpeakers #CyclingForTheAges

Mariel Figueroa is the Country Manager of Tembici Argentina, the company in charge of the new Bike Share System of Buenos Aires. She has as main responsibility the comprehensive management of the company in the country. 

Mariel is known to be passionate about transportation and urban mobility and has a strong belief that the bicycle is a powerful tool of social transformation that improves people's quality of life. 

She worked as a General Coordinator of the Bike Share System "Mi Bici Tu Bici" in the city of Rosario, Argentina, and developed activities in the public sector as a member of the Strategic Projects Management Area in the Entity of Mobility of the same city. She is also co-founder and promoter of latinosbp.org, an open, free and collaborative platform with information about the Bike Share Systems of Latin America. In the academic field she has been involved in several research projects related to urban mobility.

Mariel is an Industrial Engineer graduated from the National University of Rosario and is currently working on a Master's Degree in Transportation Planning and Management at the University of Buenos Aires. 

What does “cycling for the ages” mean to me?

For me, “cycling for the ages” means social transformation and freedom that should be accessible to all. Most people of my generation were raised in medium or large Latin-American towns and were taught to ride a bike but not to adopt it to our daily life. 

In that sense, “Cycling for the ages” means that this must change to be a natural condition for all. We should enjoy the road at all ages! I strongly believe in the bicycle as a powerful tool of social transformation, as well as the feeling that anyone can be the leading character of their own personal revolution.

How will the city of the future look like taking into consideration the gaps in the developing and developed world?

The city of the future will be a city oriented to people and not to vehicles, regardless of the level of development of the country. In this way, this gap between countries will decrease markedly and there will be nothing that can prevent this paradigm shift from happening.

I can well imagine a large majority of cities with Bike Share Systems that allow people to enjoy their daily trips, but this definitively depends on our actions and our leadership in the present.

What do I expect from Velo-city 2019 Dublin?

I am honoured to have the opportunity to extend our experience working in Latin American cities with their particular contexts and difficulties. I hope to have the possibility to foster new cities to be encouraged to generate great transformations like the ones we are trying to achieve.

For me, it is always a pleasure and a continuous learning to participate in Velo-city and share challenges with people from different continents.

Ms. Mariel Figueroa is a speaker in the seventh plenary session of Velo-city 2019 Dublin, entitled “The City of Today” to take place on Friday, June 28th 2019 at 14.15-15.15.
For more information on the Velo-city Programme, Exhibition and Registration go to: https://www.velo-city2019.com 
Sign up for our newsletter: https://abbey.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=fd5fa9b846888ef25e85f1973&id=75273fab2e
Follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn