Back in June, one of my pieces in this newspaper focussed on the power of rethinking urban transportation, starting from cycling. I was inspired by the transformations undertaken, over the last two decades, in the city of Bogota, the capital of Colombia. There, in what then became a real best practice that has been adopted worldwide, the administration of former mayor Enrique Penalosa literally turned around the whole town by unleashing a new powerful vision. These have been revolutionary trend-setting moves that enabled millions of citizens to reclaim urban spaces by eating away at the domineering role that cars have been enjoying for decades.

The results have been more astonishing. First there are more opportunities for people to enjoy their bicycles without any cars around, the so called Ciclovia model. Among the achievements, there is also the creation of pocket parks in lieu of car parking lots and the TransMilenio, an extensive bus rapid transit system. There was also the first ever Car Free Day initiative that would soon be replicated worldwide. One of the architects behind these trailblazing shifts is Oscar Edmundo Diaz, who twice worked as Special Advisor on Mobility to mayor Penalosa.

After my piece, I and Diaz, a renowned international expert on sustainable urban mobility, got connected and talked on the journey undertaken by Bogota to transform itself. I was driven by an interest to better comprehend the steps taken in the Colombian capital and how the changes unfolding there could, after proper adjustments, be also proposed in a city like Kathmandu. Over the course of our discussions, Diaz explained that change was not at all easy, but it was possible if there is a long-term project in place.

'Cities need a vision to work towards that city model and set goals on how to achieve [them]. Penalosa's successes in Bogota [are] a combination of his vision and his leadership. He created teamwork, appointed project managers that were in charge of working together with Cabinet members to get things done. What was important was the project, not the Secretary or any under public official under which the project was undertaken,' Diaz shared via e-mail.

Here a key message from my conversation with Diaz: 'When the space to park cars is wider than the space of pedestrians, it is a sign of inequality.'

'When was it decided that it is more important to protect cars instead of pedestrians?' he shared provocatively but correctly.

Diaz continued: 'It's possible to transform our cities into more livable ones, however that requires first political will, then action in different fronts, implementation of high-quality public transport, transport demands management and non-motorised networks.'

'Changes are not easy, sometimes even at the cost of the mayor's political career. In 1998, when Mayor Penalosa started taking cars off the sidewalks to reclaim them for pedestrians, an impeachment process started. Thankfully the promoters didn't get enough signatures to move forward'.

My curiosity was the following: how to start? I learned from Diaz that even the staunchest detractors can, at the end, come on board.

'Months later, even the promoters of the impeachment thank Penalosa for the transformation of sidewalks because people were able to enjoy the public space and retailers sold more than before. It was proven that people don't need to park in front of a store to buy from that store,' he told me.

'The main feeder of a public transport system are the sidewalks, they must be high quality, protect the life of pedestrians, people in wheelchairs and parents with baby carriages.'

Then what about making it easier to consider cycling as a way to commute? 'Bicycles can become a real option for commuting, but protected infrastructure is necessary. It's not just a matter of promoting it. The same way public transport creates routes, cities must have Origin-Destination studies to know where the potential cyclists need to move from and to. We don't expect everyone to move by bicycles, but if 10%, 15% of the citizens use the bicycles as a means of transportation, it is a huge contribution to the city's air quality.'

'In Bogota, the Ciclovia or Car Free Sunday that occurs every Sunday and holidays, from 7AM to 2PM, runs on 130 kms of main roads [and] is the best and most enjoyable public space in the city, over 130 kilometers of main roads are closed to traffic to allow about 3 million people to enjoy the city.'

I also found out that there is Night Ciclovía on the same roads from 6 pm to midnight, two or three times a year. I learned that Bogota even carries out transportation contests in which participants commute about 6 to 8 kilometers – one person drives, another one takes a taxi, there is a person taking TransMilenio, and one rides a bicycle.

Would you be surprised to know that every time the bicycle gets to the destination first?

What about the Car Free Day? In Bogota, it happens on the first Thursday of February each year from 6 am to 9pm, but it is also often organised in September.

'A Car Free Day is a powerful exercise that proves citizens that [it] is possible to move about by bicycle, public transport or walking. In developing country cities, this is how the majority of the population moves every day, so we are asking a minority to leave the car at home once a year. Travel times reduce.'

Possibly this is not over complicated to start with or at least this is what I thought before my conversation with Diaz.

'For the first Car Free Day, the News Director of the main radio station called for public disobedience. In an interview on air, Penalosa invited the guy to run a poll, and if the majority of the people didn't want the Car Free Day, he would call it off. About 55% agreed with the Car Free Day.'

Wrapping up, my key takeaway from my interview with Diaz is that, despite the obstacles, it is not impossible to prioritise people's rights to enjoy pollution-free public spaces. Yes, we need resources, a lot of them but it is key to have a clear vision. Transforming urban mobility is what Diaz wrote me at the end: it is really about re-imagining cities.

'Citizens in Bogota are really able to imagine a new and different city, free of congestion, free of air and noise pollution.'