Naked cyclists cruise the streets of Mexico City

Naked cyclists took to the streets of Mexico City, the megacity of more than 20 million people, in an attempt to raise awareness about the indiscriminate use of the automobile.

Several of them walked on crowded avenues of the capital, like the main avenue Paseo de la Reforma, totally naked or with underwear and only using their helmets, caps or traditional Mexican wrestling masks.

Some of them brought slogans such as “Take care of the cyclist” painted on their naked bodies or the acronym “WNBR” (worldwide naked bicycle ride, for its acronym in English).

In Mexico City, the use of bicycles has been gradually extended as a means of transport in the face of the continuous congestion on the streets of the city caused by the little more than four million cars that circulate daily.

The use of bicycles is more widespread among the most central districts of the capital such as Rome or Condesa, which allow shorter journeys and where private bicycle rental services have been appearing that are used by hundreds of people.

The city government has sought to encourage the use of bicycles by building special roads for them, although there are still obstructions and accidents with cars that have cost lives and riding bicycles in the city can still be dangerous as motorists don’t yield the right of way to cyclists.

In mid-May, Mexico City had high levels of pollution that required suspending classes and restricting the use of vehicles, which put on the table again the option to further encourage the use of bicycles as a means of transport.

The event in Mexico City is part of a global movement that seeks greater use of bicycles in large cities and more sustainable solutions.