Mérida, Yucatán (March 5, 2021).- Local civil associations, national and international experts, in coordination with the Government of the State of Yucatán and the City of Mérida, organized a Forum on sustainable mobility called #MeridaPedalea, where topics such as Road Safety, Constitutional Right to Mobility, Environmental Protection, Urban Mobility, Sustainable Cities, among others were analyzed. All this aimed at celebrating inclusive urban mobility, inviting society to be aware of the problems, and seeking to sensitize people to be part of the solution.
During the first day of the forum, the conference “Building the cycling city” was held, as well as a workshop for the media on Sustainable Mobility. The conference was led by Alfonso Vélez, who is an active mobility specialist with more than 25 years of experience in urban mobility, and was broadcast openly through Facebook Live from the official page of the State Government.
The specialist explained in detail each of the benefits of having a comprehensive urban mobility plan such as what is being built today in Merida and highlighted the importance that in every city we have the right to have a faster way to move around and which also ensures its inhabitants the right to flexibility, fun, safety, use of open spaces, an easy route to combine with other means of transport, which is reliable, healthy, and above all, sustainable and environmentally friendly.
He expressed that this type of mobility requires, for its optimal operation, quality, and safe infrastructure, and pointed out that cycling trips together with a highly efficient public transport network are the way to a more sustainable city.
During her lecture, she was accompanied by Diana Gómez, urban cyclist and member of the Bitácora de la Movilidad group, as well as Eduardo Monsreal from the Mérida Sustainable Mobility Observatory, both passionate and experienced in the subject.
The Forum called “Mérida Pedalea” is a space for dialogue and discussion about the great challenges in our city in this matter and will have experts from both the local, national and international order who have participated in the construction of awareness plans and socialization of the new forms of mobility demanded by modern cities.
The Forum will continue today, Friday, March 5. Among the activities for this day, the event continues with a technical visit by bicycle in the company of Ciclo Turixes on the Paseo de Montejo bike paths and along the Historic Center and at 11 o’clock with the presentation of keynotes by international specialists from Mexico City and Colombia and Spain, at the end of the keynotes, a panel table will be held where experts will address the issues of Mobility, Safety, and Sustainability for all.
Finally, the Forum will close with the screening of the documentary “Why We Cycle” a work developed by the Netherlands, which brings together cyclists, scientists, and Dutch citizens to talk about the culture of bicycles, it is a documentary that investigates culture in a country where there are more bicycles than people and where the vast majority travel with them.
