Puerto Vallarta rides toward a healthier future with free public bicycle program

Long known for its stunning beaches and vibrant streets, Puerto Vallarta is embracing a caller section successful its municipality evolution, 1 focused connected sustainability, nationalist wellness and smarter mobility.

The metropolis is successful the aboriginal stages of readying a escaped nationalist bicycle strategy aimed astatine transforming however some residents and tourists navigate the area.

Public bicycle schemes person taken disconnected successful respective Mexican cities recently. Will Puerto Vallarta beryllium next? (Tomás Acosta/Cuartoscuro.com)

At the bosom of the task is simply a imaginativeness to marque Puerto Vallarta a exemplary metropolis for greenish proscription successful Mexico. The initiative, championed by Mayor Luis Ernesto Munguía González, is being financed done the section tourism trust, which receives gross from a levy known arsenic the lodging tax, which funds and maintains nationalist spaces, tourism infrastructure and citywide services. The attack ties tourism straight to municipality improvement, ensuring that those who payment from the city’s charm besides lend to its sustainability.

According to metropolis officials, the task is expected to unfold successful 2 stages. First, the metropolis is focusing connected revitalizing and expanding the existing web of motorcycle paths. These routes volition signifier the backbone of the program, connecting neighborhoods and cardinal attractions.

At the aforesaid time, municipality planners are studying which areas would payment astir from the installation of bicycle docking stations.

In an interrogation Aug. 18 with Tribuna de la Bahía, Munguía said locations nether information see the intersection of Avenida Los Tules and Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascencio, Plaza Caracol, the confederate extremity of the Malecón, the Universidad del Mar de Puerto Vallarta, and Plaza Lázaro Cárdenas. These sites were selected for their strategical importance, cardinal entree and disposable nationalist space.

Once the infrastructure is successful place, the 2nd phase, deployment of the bicycles volition begin. While details specified arsenic the fig of bikes and operating exemplary are inactive successful development, metropolis leaders person confirmed that the bicycles volition beryllium escaped to use, reinforcing the program’s committedness to accessibility and inclusion.

Puerto Vallarta isn’t starting from scratch. Across the world, successful cities similar Paris, Bogotá and adjacent Guadalajara, escaped oregon low-cost nationalist bike-sharing programs person shown important success. These systems trim car dependency, easiness postulation congestion, amended aerial prime and beforehand healthier lifestyles.

Guadalajara’s MiBici serivce whitethorn beryllium the exemplary that Puerto Vallarta chooses to copy. (MiBici/Facebook)

Guadalajara’s MiBici programme has go a notation point, demonstrating however strategical readying and assemblage engagement tin crook bicycles into cardinal elements of municipality mobility.

For Puerto Vallarta, a metropolis wherever tourism drives the system and clime alteration presents a increasing threat, specified a programme offers a dual benefit. It supports section proscription needs portion aligning the metropolis with planetary biology goals. Visitors volition summation an eco-friendly, cost-free mode to research the area, portion locals, galore of whom deficiency entree to backstage vehicles, volition bask greater mobility.

Matthew Werter, proprietor of Vallarta Unified Health Solutions, sees the inaugural arsenic a measurement guardant for some intelligence and carnal health.

“As we larn much astir our carnal and intelligence health, the value that workout plays cannot beryllium ignored,” Werter said. “This programme provides an accidental for radical to get extracurricular and bask the earthy quality that Puerto Vallarta has to offer. As a father, being capable to hop connected a bicycle and get immoderate workout with my lad portion enjoying this portion of paradise we telephone location lone makes Vallarta an adjacent amended spot to rise him.”

Still, the roadworthy up presents challenges. Bicycle information is simply a concern, particularly fixed the city’s cobblestone streets and often unpredictable postulation patterns. Some person voiced vexation with incomplete oregon constrictive motorcycle paths that permission cyclists exposed.

“I emotion the thought of this, but what astir our roads?” asked nonmigratory Cecy Romero. “We person paths already, yes, but not a lot, and they cannot conscionable beryllium extended; they request to beryllium fixed. People volition wounded themselves connected our roads.”

Gov. Enrique Alfaro, center, inaugurated Puerto Vallarta’s latest motorcycle lanes — portion of a caller inaugural to adhd much greenish mobility options successful the metropolis — successful October past year. Despite this, determination are inactive immoderate concerns that city-wide bicycle lanes could request much protection. (Gov of Jalisco)

Safety is besides a interest for Werter, though helium remains hopeful.

“The worsening occupation of postulation and contamination caused by the ever-increasing fig of cars successful Puerto Vallarta needs solutions that incentivize alternate modes of transportation,” helium said. “Safety would beryllium my top concern; however, I’m definite that Puerto Vallarta tin usage the successes seen successful akin programs implemented successful different cities arsenic a template to guarantee this programme is palmy here.”

City officials are besides exploring however to code attraction and information challenges, including keeping the bicycles successful bully information and preventing theft oregon vandalism. Partnerships with experienced operators, perchance adjacent Guadalajara’s MiBici, are being considered to bring champion practices to Vallarta.

There is besides a beardown propulsion to integrate the bicycle strategy into the city’s broader proscription upgrades. Puerto Vallarta has already introduced electrical buses, with the archetypal spotted connected metropolis streets successful precocious August. Upgraded large intersections and caller investments successful parks and bridges are contributing to a larger imaginativeness of a much modern, connected city.

Programs similar this are transformative not conscionable due to the fact that of the bicycles themselves, but due to the fact that of the ripple effects they create. When radical person entree to clean, affordable and businesslike transportation, their prime of beingness improves. Commutes go shorter. Air becomes cleaner. Public spaces go much vibrant.

In cities specified arsenic Copenhagen and Amsterdam, some planetary leaders successful municipality cycling, the benefits are reflected not lone successful wellness information seen successful the Environmental Insights Explorer and reduced emissions arsenic evidenced by some the Municipality of Copenhagen and the University of Oxford, but successful the mundane lives of residents who consciousness freer, safer and much connected to their communities.

If thoughtfully implemented, Puerto Vallarta’s bicycle programme could go 1 of the city’s proudest achievements by taking a bold measurement toward sustainability, equity and wellness.

The bikes whitethorn beryllium free, but their worth could beryllium immeasurable.