Mérida Ranks 6th among Cycling Cities As Bike Use Ticks Up

Mérida has earned a spot among Latin America’s top cycling cities — sixth place, according to the Instituto para Políticas de Transporte y Desarrollo (ITDP) Mexico’s Ciclociudades Monitor. The problem? Fewer than four out of every 100 trips in the city are actually made by bicycle.

That disconnect between recognition and reality is something Edgardo Bolio Arceo has been tracking for years. An architecture professor at the Universidad Anáhuac Mayab and a former director of the Instituto Municipal de Planeación de Mérida (IMPLAN, Mérida’s municipal planning institute), Bolio Arceo says the numbers haven’t budged much.

“It hasn’t increased, or it increased very marginally. We’re essentially at a constant,” he said, noting that cycling accounts for roughly 3% to 4% of trips in the city.

Meanwhile, the private car dominates. More than 40% of all trips in Mérida are made by automobile, and that figure keeps climbing. The contrast is hard to ignore for a city that has invested heavily in cycling infrastructure and earned international attention for its sustainability efforts. ITDP recognized Mérida as a finalist for its 2025 Sustainable Transport Award and has credited the city with significant gains in protected bike lane access over the past several years.

Bolio Arceo says the city’s own planning documents acknowledge the gap. IMPLAN’s Plan Integral de Movilidad Urbana Sustentable (PIMUS, Mérida’s Comprehensive Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan) 2040 calls for a shift away from private vehicles in favor of cycling and public transit. But he argues that achieving that goal requires more than blueprints.

“The improvement of cycling mobility is not just a matter of infrastructure,” he said. “It’s about changing the community’s mindset toward a more responsible and respectful use of public roads.”

Safety Is the Biggest Roadblock

For many residents, the hesitation comes down to safety. Bolio Arceo points to a troubling trend: cycling injuries in Mérida have increased by 8% to 9% in recent years. Between 2019 and 2022, INEGI data shows an 8% rise in the number of cyclists injured in road incidents. He estimates that 40 to 50 locations across the city — including stretches of the Periférico ring road — are considered high-risk zones.

Mérida currently has more than 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) of bike lanes, but their quality and design vary widely. “Not all bike lanes are designed according to the most current standards,” Bolio Arceo said, “and that presents a challenge in terms of safety and functionality.”

He also raised a concern familiar to urban planners: bike lanes that lead nowhere. A route that doesn’t connect to a school, a market, or a transit stop won’t attract riders, no matter how well it’s built. “The lanes for cyclists need to connect to something,” he said. “Not just built any which way.”

That critique is consistent with findings from other experts. A recent analysis from ITDP Mexico found that while Mérida has made measurable progress expanding access to protected lanes, many Mexican cities still struggle with fragmented networks that fall short of serving daily transportation needs.

The “En Bici” Program and What Comes Next

Bolio Arceo sees potential in expanding the city’s “En Bici” (On a Bike) bike-share program, which operates through a network of stations across Mérida. He argues that growing the program and improving its integration with public transit — particularly Va y Ven buses, which already carry bike racks — could make a real difference in modal shift.

The question, he says, is whether there’s genuine political will to prioritize cycling alongside the car culture that continues to shape the city’s growth.

“You have to ask: is there real interest in increasing bicycle use? If the answer is yes, then we need to look honestly at the obstacles and figure out how to improve that modal balance,” he said.

Mérida’s metro area population has topped 1.2 million, and traffic congestion is a growing daily reality. Many families own bikes but use them only recreationally. Turning that into regular transportation is a challenge that goes well beyond painting lanes on pavement — it requires safer streets, better connectivity, and a cultural shift that no ranking, however flattering, can produce on its own.

With reporting from Diario de Yucatán

Quick Facts: Cycling in Mérida

Mérida ranked 6th in the ITDP Mexico Ciclociudades Monitor for cycling infrastructure
Bicycle trips account for just 3%–4% of total daily trips in the city
Private cars represent more than 40% of trips
Mérida has more than 100 km (62 miles) of bike lanes
Cycling-related injuries rose 8%–9% in recent years; INEGI data shows an 8% increase in injured cyclists between 2019 and 2022
An estimated 40–50 locations in the city are considered high-risk for cyclists
The “En Bici” bike-share program operates across dozens of stations citywide
IMPLAN’s PIMUS 2040 plan calls for reducing car dependency in favor of active and public transport