Although the Bogota Referendum is without any doubt the most important attempt of its type to nail down a car free policy through a popular referendum to date, it is not without precedent. Here is some quick information on two somewhat similar earlier efforts.
In March of 1992 a referendum in Amsterdam called on the city government to halve automobile traffic and parking spaces in the center of the city by the year 2002. It also provided for auto-free streets, bike lanes, enlarged pedestrian walks, an 18-mph automobile speed limit, and a number of other complimentary measures. The plan won the support of 53% of voters.
And while the path since has been anything but straight forward, the fact is that if you go into the historic center of Amsterdam today you will see that enough has happened in the interim, one way or another, so that about the worst way to get around there is in your private car. (Some additional background on the Amsterdam experience is available here. And if anyone wishes to help us complete and update this profile, well, we are waiting for you.)
In this first attempt in Switzerland 21% of those going to the polls voted for this initiative. Before you write that off as a failure, please consider that it meant that some 400,000 thoughtful, highly conservative Swiss voted for this measure. Bearing in mind that it was carried out by a small unbudgeted cooperative group, this has to be be considered a considerable accomplishment under the circumstances. The sponsors of the initiative are continuing to work on their program and intend to take this to the voters again.
Paris, 26 October 2000
Dear Colleagues,
On Sunday, the 29th of October, two questions are being submitted to the citizens that comprise the electoral census of Bogotá, covering issues which in my view are critical to the future well-being of the city and its inhabitants. The first of these asks for citizen views and support concerning institutionalization of the annual Car Free Day, in the wake of this year's highly successful venture which many of you were so kind as to publicly support earlier this year. The second, much more daring, asks for their support for a proposal to ban ALL private car traffic in the city in peak hours beginning in the year 2015.
The full Spanish language version of the popular proposal can be found on the Web at http://www.terra.com.co/proyectos/bogotasincarros/, together with additional background material and a spot poll of visitor views.
A number of other sites also are reporting on this, including:
In this terribly tight time frame, here is what we are asking of you. First and if you agree, will you provide a public indication of your support of this important sustainability initiative? This would ideally take the form of a short email with a few lines of comments, rounded out by your name, title, etc., with as much immodesty and effusion as these unusual circumstances merit. This letter of support should be addressed to Bogotá City Hall at consnacion@gaitana.interred.net.co, and copied to us here at Referendum@ecoplan.org. Our friends in Bogotá will then make industrious use of these support letters over the next three days to show all those concerned that this is not simply an isolated local initiative of perhaps dubious merit, but a central issue and opportunity for this embattled city to make a contribution in the world sustainability arena. For our part we shall be working hard from here to support them in this.
Second and last, they also are looking for volunteers to discuss these matters with the local media. They have already carried out radio interviews with several of our colleagues, and of course for this one does need to be comfortable working in Spanish.
There you have it. One more example of thinking (and collaborating) globally, while acting locally. If this note catches you in time, I am sure that you are going to want to join us in supporting this citizen initiative at 2600 meters and ever so many kilometers away, in this embattled Third World city that is trying not only to deal with its own crushing problems of environment, life quality and social justice, but also, if we think about, to lead the way for us all.
This section intends to provide a first set of background information by way of quick introduction to the referendum. However, to understand what is really going on in the city, you are also invited to have a careful look at The Bogota Project -- indispensable reading for seeing the whole picture.
The original Spanish language of this important statement by the responsible public authorities will be found here, together with an unofficial English translation and information on the legal requirements for passage.
Formal Statement of the Referendum
The reader may find it helpful to have a look at an article prepared by the main Bogota newspaper El Tiempo which is available here both in its original Spanish text, as well as in the rough machine translation that has been prepared for those who have trouble with reading Spanish. The article summarizes some of the main claims and arguments for and against the measures.
Some useful general context Some earlier attempts to use referenda to these endsAmsterdam 1992 Referendum
Swiss March 2000 Actif-Trafic Referendum
Sunday, March 12th, 2000 was the day of a "Citizens' Initiative" which was intended to challenge voters' attitudes and the politics of sustainability in Switzerland. The call was for government and its agencies to do whatever was needed to cut motorized vehicle kms in the region by >50% steadily over the course of the next ten years (not including public transportation). The target area was the entire Swiss Confederation, the cantons, and the communes. This would have reduced traffic volumes to the level existing at the beginning of the Seventies. (See here for further background and links on this.)
Do you have any other examples for us? If so we will be pleased to hear from you and share your information with the others here.
26 October Letter from The Commons inviting supportThis letter was sent out to several hundred leading city and transport scholars and practitioners around the world, in an attempt to develop international support for the Bogota initiative. One explicit result of this is the World Support commentaries and messages that appear on this site.
This second proposition only makes sense if you are aware that the idea is to build cumulatively over the next 15 years on the achievements of their existing ingenious and successful car restriction program, Pico y Placa, concerning which you can find further background here.(PDF file, you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
A quick translation of the Referendum text is annexed to this note.
Other background documentation
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Updated 27 October 2000