The government has decided to suspend a project aimed at sustainable mobility that included building the largest bike lane in the country in the capital, Santiago de Chile, as it was not considered a "priority" and the funds were preferred to be allocated to "better things. " The project was part of the New Alameda Providencia Axis, a significant government investment to modernize mobility in Santiago, which already had two sections of bike lanes constructed and a third one, which has now been canceled, budgeted and approved by the Budget Directorate. Days before the change of administration, the outgoing progressive president Gabriel Boric inaugurated those first two sections, showcasing the new mobility model, now suspended by the government led by Kast, a president who denies climate change.

Following the news of the project's cancellation, the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism, led by Iván Poduje, stated that bike lanes were "very expensive" and that there was "no priority to build them," as they faced a "serious economic situation, with more than 97% of the budget committed to outstanding debts (related to payments from previous administrations)," and that the decision had "zero ideology. " Poduje explained that it was going to be "the most expensive bike lane in history" and that "with those resources," they could do "better things," also questioning the project since "only 3% use bicycles" and that "priorities come first," referring to the housing crisis and that his ministry would focus efforts on building social housing. The governor of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Claudio Orrego, highlighted the direct confrontation between both mobility models and stated that the completion of the bike lane only constitutes 0.

09% of the ministry's budget. The bike lane that runs through Alameda, the largest avenue in the capital, received 219,000 travelers in February, with estimates of about 7,000 daily users. Petitions to resume the project This Friday, a group of associations, organizations, and Chilean academics signed a petition to resume the works and recover the project, declaring that "halting the works is regressive and deepens discrimination," as the unfinished section connects municipalities in the outskirts with lower income.

Carolina Oyarzún, director of the Furious Cyclists movement, one of the signing organizations, told EFE that "this project took ten years to materialize" and that it affects them because it is a "missed opportunity" to attract more people to sustainable mobility in the city. The cut coincides with the historic rise in fuel prices that Chile has experienced since March 26, the second largest increase in the country's history, which generated the first major popularity crisis for Kast. Oyarzún emphasized that this situation could have been leveraged to encourage more bicycle users, especially in more remote areas.

"We thought that, combined with the increase in fuel prices, we would attract many more cyclists, and of course, it comp…

There are no alternative routes. It was a tremendous opportunity," she explained. The association believes that, nonetheless, "not all is lost" because they must negotiate with the government for a "public-private" initiative to complete the project.

"The construction of cities does not only involve building housing; it also includes parks, bike lanes, sidewalks, and better lighting. One is looking to reclaim cities for people, not let them be consumed by cars," asserted the president of Furious Cyclists.