A
Story
The Traffic Mimes of Bogotá
Been living here in Bogotá all my life and in all my years of commuting (walking, bus and now almost exclusively cycling) and have never seen one of them.

Though I wish there were more of them. Traffic here (in general terms) is a complete nightmare but it is too civic culture.

  • xyos
  • ·
  • 2 hours ago
  • ·
  • [ - ]
This happened 20 years ago, Bogotá was chaotic at that time, no cars stopped at traffic lights
Really wish I had a time machine to go back to that board room decision and witness the moment when desperation led someone to shout "Let's use mimes!"
From the article:

‘“The people who designed it understood that in a 7-million-person city like Bogotá, a very small percentage would actually see the mime artists,” says Felipe Cala Buendía, the author of Cultural Producers and Social Change in Latin America. However, Mockus believed in the power of word of mouth.’

I have photographs from the Poblado district of Medellín, Colombia of a man who had strung a tightrope between two lightpoles of a side street, and tightwalked them carrying hoops and bowling pins that he juggled while cars passed below.

Anyone trying this in the U.S. would be arrested, so it was surprising to see. I wonder how the insurance works.

  • xyos
  • ·
  • 2 hours ago
  • ·
  • [ - ]
Insurance is not a term we use a lot in Colombia
Too true. I remember when I visited it took me a while to get used to this. I would ask my friend questions like “what happens if I fall off this campero/get bitten by one of these street dogs/clock somebody in the head playing rana/twist my ankle on this busted-out sidewalk? Who has the liability here?” and he would say “we don’t really have that here man”. Honestly it was a great time.
>blistering Colombian sun.

I'm pretty sure the sun is never "blistering" in Bogota.

Bogotá is at 2640 m, so there is more unfiltered radiation. Like 20-25% more UV. And it's cooler so you don't notice it as much as you should. You can get sunburns even with clouds at that altitude.
Bogotá is 4 degrees north of the equator. Its climate is a bit temperate due to being in a high altitude plateau. But you better wear sunscreen anyway under tropical sun.
  • xyos
  • ·
  • 2 hours ago
  • ·
  • [ - ]
As a Colombian now living in the north, every time I return to Bogotá, the UV index is between 9 and 11, and I get sunburned. My skin has become accustomed to the 1-2 levels typical of Northern Europe.
It's at an altitude of 8500+ ft - UV is much stronger and the sunburns can be bad if you're not prepared.
Um actually it's more "blistering" than in So Calif (where I also lived most of my life) due to the altitude.
Why are you so sure? What information do you have that leads you to be that sure?
I have enjoyed Atlas Obscura for 15 years probably, but the site is now unusable on my phone unless I’m at home on the pi-hole. I can’t get halfway through an article without the page reloading, shifting boxes, and various other things that make it literally impossible to finish reading. What is the point
Found this video https://youtu.be/6YcK05z--n8 wish there were more and as interesting as the pictures in this article
  • xyos
  • ·
  • 2 hours ago
  • ·
  • [ - ]
This is another video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqPfW62aqzk

Mockus was the best mayor Bogotá ever had. Cultura ciudadana, or "Citizen Culture," was the most transformative policy we ever implemented.

The photos in the article seemingly are of Brazilian traffic mimes.