Critical Mass Is Alive and Well at Guadalajara’s Paseo de Todos

Walking and bicycling in Guadalajara, Mexico can be dangerous in many parts of the city, but there’s a movement afoot among many citizens to change that. GDL en Bici is a group of local advocates who have been organizing regular bike rides for years, and nothing is more impressive than their ride on the first Thursday of the month – the Paseo de Todos – which regularly draws up to 5,000 riders to celebrate and demand safer cycling conditions.

People just have a lot of fun. You’ll see families, students, and older residents throughout the crowd. Drivers who usually fill the city’s congested roads mostly seem to tolerate the inconvenience. The police largely ignore the whole thing. An added twist is that each of the rides has a theme. One month it might be to celebrate Mexico’s Independence. Another it could be comic books. Luckily we got to ride along in October, when it’s all about celebrating the Day of the Dead.

Streetfilms would like to thank Guadalajara 2020, for sponsoring the film and enabling Streetfilms to make the journey to document this wonderful event, and Gil Penalosa, Executive Director of 8-80 Cites, for organizing the details.