Secretaría de Movilidad

Secretaría de Movilidad
Name	Secretaría de Movilidad
Native name	Secretaría de Movilidad
Type	Departmental agency

Secretaría de Movilidad The Secretaría de Movilidad is a public administrative body responsible for planning, regulating, and administering urban and interurban transport and traffic in several Latin American municipalities and departments. It operates at the intersection of municipal planning, public works, and public safety, coordinating with transit authorities, metropolitan planning organizations, and regulatory courts to implement policies, infrastructure projects, and licensing regimes.

Overview and Functions

The office conducts modal planning and traffic management across networks involving Avenida 9 de Julio, TransMilenio, Metro de Medellín, Sistema Integrado de Transporte Público de Bogotá, Alcaldía de Bogotá, Gobernación de Antioquia, Alcaldía de Medellín, Ministerio de Transporte (Colombia), Instituto Nacional de Vías, Departamento Nacional de Planeación, Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura, Concejo de Bogotá and Concejo de Medellín stakeholders, while interfacing with Policía Nacional de Colombia, Defensoría del Pueblo (Colombia), Procuraduría General de la Nación, Contraloría General de la República, and local Secretarías de Movilidad in neighboring jurisdictions. It issues permits, enforces traffic codes, and undertakes urban mobility studies with universities such as Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Universidad de Antioquia, Universidad de los Andes (Colombia), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, and research centers like CIDE and CEPAL collaborators.

Organizational Structure

The internal organization typically includes directorates for traffic operations, public transport, licensing, road safety, infrastructure planning, and legal affairs, reporting to an appointed secretary who liaises with mayors, governors, and ministerial authorities. It establishes technical committees with participants from Instituto de Desarrollo Urbano (IDU), Empresa Metro de Medellín, Empresa Metro de Bogotá, Secretaría Distrital de Movilidad, Alcaldía Mayor de Bogotá, Autoridad de Transporte Metropolitano, Ateneo de Bogotá, Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá, Fondo de Adaptación, Organización Mundial de la Salud, and international partners such as Banco Mundial, Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, Unión Europea, and JICA.

Responsibilities and Competencies

Core responsibilities include vehicle registration, driver licensing, traffic accident investigation, road signage, and the oversight of concession contracts for bus rapid transit systems and tramways such as Tren de Cercanías, Tranvía de Ayacucho, Tranvía de Bogotá proposals, and municipal fleets. Competencies extend to coordinating emergency responses with Cruz Roja Colombiana, Bomberos de Bogotá, Policía Metropolitana de Medellín, and urban planning entities including Secretaría de Planeación Distrital and Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible. It enforces provisions of national statutes like Código Nacional de Tránsito, interacts with tribunals including Consejo de Estado and Consejo Superior de la Judicatura on administrative matters, and manages multimodal integration with rail, metro, bus, and non-motorized transport networks involving Ciclovía de Bogotá and bicycle advocacy groups such as Bicired.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs often cover road safety campaigns, congestion charging pilots, low-emission zones, fleet electrification, and pedestrianization projects developed with partners like World Resources Institute, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Grupo Energía Bogotá, and local utilities. Initiatives include implementation of intelligent transport systems (ITS) with vendors and research labs affiliated with Universidad EAFIT, Universidad del Valle, and Universidad de Antioquia, pilot projects for autonomous and connected vehicles in coordination with Ministerio de Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones, and public transit reforms influenced by international models such as Transantiago, Curitiba BRT, and London congestion charge studies. Social programs address mobility for people with disabilities, senior citizens, and informal sector drivers, cooperating with NGOs like Fundación Corona and Fundación Carvajal.

Legal Framework and Regulations

The Secretariat operates under national and municipal regulations, applying statutes and decrees issued by Congreso de la República de Colombia, Presidencia de la República de Colombia, and municipal ordinances from city councils such as Concejo de Bogotá and Concejo de Medellín. It administers compliance with laws on traffic, environmental emissions, concession contracting, and public procurement that reference agencies like Agencia Nacional de Licencias de Tránsito and Superintendencia de Puertos y Transportes. Regulatory instruments include technical manuals, resolution rulings, administrative acts, and sanctions enforced jointly with Fiscalía General de la Nación in cases involving criminal negligence or corruption.

Coordination with Other Agencies

Coordination is essential with transportation ministries, public works departments, regional planning authorities, emergency services, and international funders. Regular coordination mechanisms involve interagency councils that include Ministerio de Transporte (Colombia), Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social, Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible, Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres, Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales (IDEAM), metropolitan authorities like Área Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá, and judicial entities including Tribunal Administrativo de Cundinamarca for dispute resolution. Strategic alliances with academic consortia, private operators such as Metro de Medellín S.A., and international development banks support project financing and technical assistance.

Impact, Performance, and Criticism

Evaluations of impact cite reductions in accident rates, modal shifts toward public transit, and improvements in traffic flow where integrated measures were implemented, assessed by entities like Observatorio Nacional del Transporte and academic studies from Universidad de los Andes (Colombia), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and EAFIT. Criticisms commonly target enforcement consistency, contract transparency, fare policy, and equity for informal workers, with oversight reports from Contraloría General de la República, Procuraduría General de la Nación, and civil society organizations such as Transparencia por Colombia and local commuter associations. Political debates around funding, privatization, and urban redevelopment often involve mayors, governors, and national legislators in public hearings before Congreso de la República de Colombia and municipal councils.

Category:Transportation ministries