The Los Cabos Business Association is evaluating plans to restore the Cabo San Lucas Ciclovía, a recreational bike path that ran along Marina Boulevard for 14 years before shutting down in July 2023. Carlos Tinoco, the association’s president, called the revival a top priority, though no reopening date has been set. The roughly 1.2-kilometer route once connected Puerto Paraíso mall to the Pedregal entrance and drew families, cyclists, and tourists every Sunday morning.
“We are considering bringing back the Recreational Bike Path. Now that we are once again leading the association, it is one of the issues we need to address,” Tinoco said. He pointed to growing interest in sports and outdoor recreation across Baja California Sur as a reason to act now.
Mexico City’s Ciclovía Model Ran for Over Two Decades
The concept of closing streets to cars on Sundays for cyclists and pedestrians traces back to Bogotá, Colombia, which launched its ciclovía program in 1974. Mexico City adopted a version in 2003 called Muévete en Bici (“Move by Bike”), closing a 55-kilometer loop through Paseo de la Reforma and surrounding avenues every Sunday. That program draws an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 participants weekly and has run continuously for over 20 years.
Cabo’s version was far more modest. Its 1.2-kilometer stretch along Marina Boulevard was a fraction of the Mexico City route. But it served a similar purpose: giving residents and visitors a car-free space for walking, cycling, and family activities in a city where sidewalks are narrow and traffic congestion has worsened steadily. The program launched around 2009 and operated on Sundays until July 2023, when it folded.
The shutdown came after the municipal government pulled institutional and financial support. Los Cabos went through a mayoral transition in late 2021 when Óscar Leggs Castro took office. His administration, and the subsequent government led by current Mayor Daniela Espinoza Castro, shifted budget priorities toward water infrastructure and road projects. The ciclovía, which required traffic control, barriers, and event coordination staff each Sunday, lost its funding line.
Other Mexican cities have faced similar struggles. Guadalajara’s Vía RecreActiva, a 70-kilometer Sunday route that has operated since 2004, nearly shut down in 2019 over budget disputes between the state and municipal governments. It survived after civic organizations pressured officials to maintain funding. The pattern is consistent: ciclovía programs cost relatively little to run but are among the first items cut when budgets tighten.
Marina Boulevard Businesses Lost Sunday Foot Traffic After 2023 Closure
Marina Boulevard is the commercial spine of downtown Cabo San Lucas. It runs along the marina and is lined with restaurants, souvenir shops, tour operators, and two major malls: Puerto Paraíso and Luxury Avenue. On Sundays when the ciclovía operated, the closed road funneled hundreds of people past storefronts that otherwise depend on cruise ship passengers and bar-hopping nightlife crowds.
Tinoco argued that restoring the path would diversify what downtown Cabo offers. “This part of the city is not just about nightlife. We can offer visitors other recreational and sporting activities,” he said. The business association has not released cost estimates for restarting the program, and it remains unclear whether the group would seek municipal funding, private sponsorship, or a combination.
The closure left a gap in free, family-friendly activities in the tourist zone. Cabo San Lucas has a limited number of public parks. Parque Amelia Wilkes, the main downtown green space, covers less than one city block. The malecón (boardwalk) near Playa El Médano offers walking space, but vehicle traffic and commercial vendors crowd the area. For residents in colonias like Pedregal and El Chamizal, the Sunday ciclovía was one of the few organized outdoor recreation options that did not require a gym membership or resort access.
If you bike or walk along Marina Boulevard, the difference between a car-free Sunday morning and a regular traffic day is stark. The road carries heavy tour bus and taxi traffic during the week, and the absence of protected bike lanes makes casual cycling risky outside of organized closures.
The business association’s proposal remains in an evaluation stage, with no timeline for a formal decision. Tinoco said the group’s current leadership considers the project a priority but acknowledged that securing consistent funding and institutional backing would be the main challenge. The next regular session of the Los Cabos city council, which would need to approve any road closure permits, is scheduled for later this month. Source reporting is from local Baja California Sur media outlets.