MOBILIZING DEVELOPMENT

51 Mobilizing Sustainable Transport for Development
Tanya Müller García
Secretary of Environment
Ministry of Environment of
Mexico City
Mexico
Tanya Müller García was designated as the Minister
of Environment of Mexico City on 1 December 2012
by Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera. She has developed
groundbreaking initiatives and policies to make
Mexico City (one of the largest cities in the world) more
sustainable and resilient, while contributing to fighting
climate change and improving people’s living conditions.
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT SHOWCASE:
Legal name
Secretaría del Medio
Ambiente de la Ciudad de
México
Sector
Government/public sector
Headquarter location Mexico City, Mexico
Number of employees Over 4,000
Number of citizens 8.9 million (2015)
Website
www.sedema.cdmx.gob.mx
The Government of Mexico City has developed and
implemented public policies to improve the city’s mobility
through an integral, safe and sustainable system.
Mobility is a strategic line of action in Mexico City’s Climate
Action Plan, Resilience Strategy and Air Quality Program. It
is considered a key factor not only for a sustainable urban
development but also for smart growth, which includes
equitable and social development.
Mexico City Cycling Strategy
In Mexico City, 50% of the daily trips are eight kilometres
or less. These short distances can be easily done by
bicycle. The Government of Mexico City has placed a
particular policy emphasis on getting more people to
cycle through three focus areas:
1. Cycling infrastructure such as bike lanes, massive bike
parking and the public bike system (Ecobici) has been
created to connect with other means of transport.
Ecobici stations are located close to important
transport hubs and the system is integrated with the
city’s transport card (which includes subway, BRT, light
rail and tram) to encourage intermodality, as 30% of
Ecobici users combine their trips with other transport
modes. Ecobici has allowed an important shift, reaching
35,000 daily trips. The number of female cyclists has
doubled in the last two years, an indicator of gender
balance and safety.
2. New transit regulation: cyclists (and pedestrians) have
priority over any other mode of transport, fostering a
cycling culture and improving their safety.
3. Create a cycling culture: through the closure to traffic of
55 kilometres of the city’s main streets every Sunday for
the enjoyment of more than 54,000 cyclists, pedestrians
and skaters. Seven bike schools were created, which
trained over 90,000 urban cyclists in the last three years.