Residents of the southern Caribbean communities of Puerto Viejo, Cocles, Manzanillo, and others are drumming up support for the creation of a safe, non-motorized trail for use by bicyclists, skateboarders and pedestrians to travel around the region.

The online petition can be found at ipetitions.org, and local petition drives have been held in the region.

“Bicycles in the South Caribbean of Costa Rica are not only used for sport or recreation – they are part of the lifestyle, and are the most important means of transportation used in the community by residents and tourists who visit our beaches,” reads the petition to build a CicloVida, a unique take on the traditional term used for bike paths or trails – CicloVia.

On Saturday, project organizers announced that over 200 signatures were collected at the Puerto Viejo Farmer’s Market. They also presented the background on the project and next steps and events planned at a meeting of environmental organizations at the Marcus Garvey Culture House.

The project is being undertaken by the community-based Organización de Vecinos del Caribe Sur (South Caribbean Neighbors Organization) and aims to see the construction of “appropriate infrastructure for the circulation of pedestrians, bicycles, wildlife and other alternative transportation such as skates and skateboards, to reflect this reality of life and ensure a safe environment for our families, children, and domestic and wild animals.”

The organizers said that the ipetitions platform includes a donation page which follows the signature page, and explained that such donations go to the ipetitions platform and not to the CicloVida project, which will be pressing for governmental funding of such infrastructure.