When I was in the Netherlands and Germany I was intrigued by the number of cyclists on the road.
I was nothing short of amazed at the rights they enjoy on public city roads, and the respect they are shown by other road users. There are dedicated cycling lanes and stop lights, which are well used. People cycle to work, to the shops and take their children to pre-school (little ones safely buckled into a carry chair at the back) – even in miserable -5°C winter weather.
All major European cities are aggressively promoting cycling to ease traffic congestion and reduce their carbon footprints. The UK offers tax incentives for those who cycle to work. Yes, but that is Europe, you might say, but I have been to a couple of African countries where cyclists enjoy the respect of cars and taxis – even without any cycling lanes or laws.
In South Africa we sit with city traffic congestion and high carbon emissions, but while cycling is a fast-growing sport among the more affluent, nothing much is done to encourage cycling as an alternative to driving a car. Our road users don’t seem to have much respect for cyclists, and many who would like to cycle to work won’t do it, because the chances of being mugged or knocked off your bike are seen as too great.
… if you drive an average 40km round trip to work every day, you could save R2 640 per month on fuel and wear and tear…
This really is a pity, because if you drive an average 40km round trip to work every day, you could save R120 per day or R2 640 per month on fuel and wear and tear of your vehicle at the SARS rate of R2.92/km. You would also be getting in an extra 200km of training per week.
Also, if you cycled to work you would be reducing the amount of carbon you produce by 2.7 tons per year. To calculate your full carbon footprint visit http://www.cap.org.za/calculator/
There are other considerations with interesting environmental implications: between 70 and 100 bicycles can be built with the resources required to build one car, cyclists take up far less space than cars on the road, and moderate exercise keeps us healthy…
With all these benefits, cycling should be promoted as an environmentally friendly form of transport. It is true that commuting by bicycle can be risky, but research has repeatedly proven that it becomes less so if there are more cyclists. As they are clearly not aware of the benefits, we need to lobby our local representatives and National Government to begin recognising the benefits of travel by bicycle:
- Urge them to adopt more cycle-friendly policies, as part of a wider environmental, development and transport agenda. Why not start with cycling lanes and tougher penalties for cars and cyclists who break the law?
- Advocate switching to non-motorised transport, such as cycling and walking, as an action which anyone can take to reduce their environmental impact.
So, start sending your e-letters to the Ministers of Transport and Environmental Affairs now. Let them know why they should be encouraging cycling to work and making it safe to do so. Remind Cycling South Africa that many of their constituents expect them to be backing up these cycling advocacy letters with verbal negotiations.
And while you are on the internet, don’t forget to visit BirdLife South Africa’s website www.birdlife.org.za and check out what we are doing to protect the environment and those beautiful landscapes – home to our birds and our singletrack!
Text by Daniel Marnewick. Article taken from the April / May edition of Ride magazine.
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