These are the most dangerous routes for cyclists in Bogotá

Bicycle theft is one of the crimes that hit the community the most in Bogotá. By November 2021, for example, it was reported that more than 8,200 of these vehicles had been stolen in the Colombian capital, which means that, by that time, 26 were stolen daily, on average. According to a survey conducted by RCN Mundo, citizens have already detected which areas are most affected by this crime. The community highlights ten spaces in particular.

According to the research, the areas that are most frightening for cyclists are: the tunnel section of 26th Street with Boyacá Avenue; the 80th Street with Cali Avenue; Boyacá Avenue, between 127 and 116; the 30th race, from 26th Street to 100th Street; 170th Street, between Seventh and AutoNorte; the Tenth race until Bicentennial; Boyacá Avenue, between 13th Street and Esperanza Avenue; the Sevillana sector, from north to south; Primero de Mayo Avenue with 29th Street; and Juan Amarillo Stretch, in Suba.

It should be noted that, according to data from the authorities, between January and March 2022, 49,573 cases of theft were recorded, not only of bicycles, which is equivalent to 550 robberies a day. This figure, explains Blu Radio, the media in charge of revealing the figures, details how this crime has been increasing in the city. While 15,315 cases of theft were counted in January, in February the figure rose to 15,895. March, for its part, accounted for 18,363 thefts.

In addition to the monthly increase in numbers, there is talk of an annual increase of 7.6% in the number of robberies. For 2021, between January and March, the same period evaluated for this year, 46,061 cases were counted, that is, 3,512 fewer than this year. As previously mentioned, these figures not only refer to the theft of bicycles, but also to pedestrians, residences, commerce, and so on. By 2022, in fact, the Bogotá Metropolitan Police have captured 3,010 people reported to be involved in this type of criminal action.

Bogotá, details the local mayor's office, has more than 560 kilometers of cycling routes. San Cristobal, Santa Fe, Barrios Unidos and Los Mártires are among the areas most affected by bicycle theft. According to Probogotá, at the total close of 2021, 9,499 cases of bicycle theft were recorded. 79.41% of the victims, that entity details, were men, and it was also known that in 43.4% of cases no weapon was used. 54.9% of robberies were committed in the form of robbery.

For this year, the administration of Claudia López proposed, as a mandatory measure, the registration of bicycles, according to her, to deal a serious blow to this crime. “By decree, an owner of a bicycle in the city must register his bicycle, this is a measure to reduce the theft of this means of transport (...) which should not happen and that it hurts us so much, when it happens (the crime itself), but it must also be protected with the registry in case it is recovered by the authorities”, argued the official.

By February of this year, results of the Perception and Victimization Survey of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce showed that Bogotá people recorded the highest perception of insecurity in the last six years. While in 2016 that indicator was 42% for 2021 it stood at 88%. In 2020, it reached 76%. This was stated by Nicolás Uribe, president of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce (CCB).

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