Pandemic Pushes Colombians to Get to Work by Bicycle
2020-09-11
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Luis Fernando Muete used to go to work on a crowded bus.
2But since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, he has been using his bicycle instead.
3The change saves him long waits at a bus station in a poor neighborhood in Bogotá, Colombia.
4It is also less of a health risk for Muete.
5"It's better to avoid crowded places," Muete said as he stopped at a traffic light on his way to the city center.
6"Using a bike is fast and cheaper," he added.
7Cycling, or using a bicycle, has long been a popular sport in Colombia.
8The country is the home of Tour de France winner Egan Bernal.
9But the pandemic has pushed more Colombians to go to work by bicycle.
10Only one city in the country has a subway system.
11Before the pandemic, most people got to work by bus or by car.
12The capital, Bogotá, is a city of eight million people.
13More than 210,000 coronavirus infections have been reported there.
14People in the city are quickly turning to bicycles as a way of transportation.
15In fact, many stores there have run out of bikes.
16The stores are struggling to import more bicycles.
17Bike House is Colombia's second largest bicycle importer.
18It said that its sales increased by 150 percent in July.
19The company imported 16,400 bikes in the first six months of 2020.
20That is 4,000 more than all of last year.
21It has already run out of some kinds of bikes and is waiting for new shipments from China.
22Most bicycles in the world are made in China.
23But Chinese factories have struggled to keep up with growing demand from Europe and the United States.
24"We are probably one of the last places on their list," said Martha Cecilia Sanchez.
25She is the general manager of Distrito Bike, a Bogota shop that mostly sells the Cannondale brand of bikes.
26"It used to take four months...to arrive. Now it takes eight months," she said.
27The small store has been selling around 30 bikes each weekend during the pandemic.
28Before, it sold about 15 to 20 each weekend.
29Sanchez said that recent sales have been "better than the Christmas season."
30Across the street, the Nissi bike store said it had experienced a similar increase.
31It sells road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrids and even some very costly bikes for racing.
32Before the pandemic, the store was selling about 15 bikes a day.
33Now it sells about 25 a day.
34"People are buying them to go to work, but also for pleasure," said sales manager Juan Pablo Garces.
35He added that it "will help us get cars off the streets."
36Local governments in Colombia are pushing for more bicycle use.
37Bogotá Mayor Claudia Lopez turned car lanes over to bicycles at the start of the pandemic.
38The government added 85 kilometers to the city's bike paths.
39Bogotá was already a Latin American leader in bicycle use before the pandemic began.
40Last month, 13 percent of all trips in the city were taken on bicycles.
41That information comes from the municipal government.
42In February, it was only 10 percent.
43It is a small increase, but officials expect bicycle use to increase as restrictions are lifted and more people return to work in offices.
44But rising crime rates may make people fearful of buying or using a bike.
45Police say 1,022 bicycles were stolen in Bogotá in July, almost two times as many as during the same month last year.
46Sometimes thieves push riders off their bicycles.
47The thieves then attack riders with knives and guns.
48To make biking safer, the city has asked for everyone to register their bicycles.
49They have also improved lighting in dangerous areas and increased police presence at places where bicycle stealing has taken place.
50Cristian Gutierrez is a salesman at Class Bikes.
51He said buyers know about the security situation.
52Most people, he said, are seeking bicycles that sell for $150 to $250.
53"People don't want to buy an expensive bike and have it stolen," Gutierrez said.
54"This city is still a bit dangerous."
55I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Luis Fernando Muete used to go to work on a crowded bus. But since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, he has been using his bicycle instead. 2The change saves him long waits at a bus station in a poor neighborhood in Bogotá, Colombia. It is also less of a health risk for Muete. 3"It's better to avoid crowded places," Muete said as he stopped at a traffic light on his way to the city center. "Using a bike is fast and cheaper," he added. 4Cycling, or using a bicycle, has long been a popular sport in Colombia. The country is the home of Tour de France winner Egan Bernal. But the pandemic has pushed more Colombians to go to work by bicycle. 5Only one city in the country has a subway system. Before the pandemic, most people got to work by bus or by car. 6The capital, Bogotá, is a city of eight million people. More than 210,000 coronavirus infections have been reported there. People in the city are quickly turning to bicycles as a way of transportation. In fact, many stores there have run out of bikes. The stores are struggling to import more bicycles. 7Bike House is Colombia's second largest bicycle importer. It said that its sales increased by 150 percent in July. The company imported 16,400 bikes in the first six months of 2020. That is 4,000 more than all of last year. It has already run out of some kinds of bikes and is waiting for new shipments from China. 8Most bicycles in the world are made in China. But Chinese factories have struggled to keep up with growing demand from Europe and the United States. 9"We are probably one of the last places on their list," said Martha Cecilia Sanchez. She is the general manager of Distrito Bike, a Bogota shop that mostly sells the Cannondale brand of bikes. "It used to take four months...to arrive. Now it takes eight months," she said. 10The small store has been selling around 30 bikes each weekend during the pandemic. Before, it sold about 15 to 20 each weekend. Sanchez said that recent sales have been "better than the Christmas season." 11Across the street, the Nissi bike store said it had experienced a similar increase. It sells road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrids and even some very costly bikes for racing. Before the pandemic, the store was selling about 15 bikes a day. Now it sells about 25 a day. 12"People are buying them to go to work, but also for pleasure," said sales manager Juan Pablo Garces. He added that it "will help us get cars off the streets." 13Local governments in Colombia are pushing for more bicycle use. Bogotá Mayor Claudia Lopez turned car lanes over to bicycles at the start of the pandemic. The government added 85 kilometers to the city's bike paths. 14Bogotá was already a Latin American leader in bicycle use before the pandemic began. Last month, 13 percent of all trips in the city were taken on bicycles. That information comes from the municipal government. In February, it was only 10 percent. 15It is a small increase, but officials expect bicycle use to increase as restrictions are lifted and more people return to work in offices. 16But rising crime rates may make people fearful of buying or using a bike. Police say 1,022 bicycles were stolen in Bogotá in July, almost two times as many as during the same month last year. 17Sometimes thieves push riders off their bicycles. The thieves then attack riders with knives and guns. 18To make biking safer, the city has asked for everyone to register their bicycles. They have also improved lighting in dangerous areas and increased police presence at places where bicycle stealing has taken place. 19Cristian Gutierrez is a salesman at Class Bikes. He said buyers know about the security situation. Most people, he said, are seeking bicycles that sell for $150 to $250. "People don't want to buy an expensive bike and have it stolen," Gutierrez said. "This city is still a bit dangerous." 20I'm Ashley Thompson. 21The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 22_______________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24bicycle - n . a 2-wheeled vehicle that a person rides by pushing on foot pedals 25pandemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly around the world 26manager - n. someone who is in charge 27hybrid - n. something that is formed by combining two or more things 28brand - n. products made by a particular company 29pleasure - n. something that causes a feeling of happiness, enjoyment,... 30lane - n. part of a road that is marked by painted lines 31thief- n. a person who steals something 32expensive - adj. costing a lot of money