IN the last 15 years, millions of children and adults in 20 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America have received bikes from the nonprofit organization World Bicycle Relief (WBR).
This week, WBR donated its 500,000th bicycle since it was founded in 2005.
The milestone bike was part of a distribution of 102 bicycles to students at the Bar Union Secondary School in rural Kenya. One of this week’s recipients, 15-year-old Damela Achieng’ Owuor, lives 5 kilometers from school and until now has covered the distance on foot.
“Before I was given a bike, I was arriving at school very late,” she said. “[Now] I will come to school earlier and will get home earlier to help my parents.”
As part of WBR’s education program, students, like Damela, and their parents enter a “study-to-own” agreement, confirming that the bicycle will be used primarily to travel to school. A key element of the agreement is that the students will own the bicycle when they successfully graduate from school.
“Today, we’re celebrating a huge milestone: 500,000 bicycles for people in developing nations across the world,” said Charles Kimeu, chief operations officer for WBR in Kenya. “It gives me immense joy to see how these bicycles are literally impacting people’s lives and creating new possibilities.”
Distances are often a barrier not only to education but also to healthcare and economic opportunities. WBR addresses this problem by also distributing the rugged, long-lasting and locally assembled bicycles to health service providers and small-business owners. Consequently, their owners are able to visit more patients and reach more customers per day.
In addition, WBR has trained more than 2,300 local bicycle mechanics so users have reliable access to maintenance and spare parts. This ensures the programs are sustainable and have long-term impact.
WINTER BIKE DAY
ICY roads, freezing wind and increased chances of rain, snow and hail—the winter months can deter all but the hardiest cyclists from riding to work or school.
Yet, with 2020 Winter Bike to Work Day falling on Valentine’s Day promised to celebrate not only love, but also winter cycling.
The climate emergency is the theme for this eighth edition of Winter Bike to Work Day, encouraging participants to “save winter” by committing to cycle more often as a climate friendly mode of transport. Under the hashtag #WinterBikeLoveStrike, anyone can pledge to cycle to work or school, registering via the dedicated web site to take part in the day.
Although there was a participant leaderboard—currently dominated by cities in the United States, Canada and Sweden—the fundamental aim of Winter Bike to Work Day is to encourage year-round cycle commuting in a spirit of friendly competition between cities.
Organizers wish to prove that cycling in the colder months is more fun than it first appears.
Different actions and incentives being organized by participating cities and community groups include pop-up kiosks with free hot drinks, giveaways (such as balaclavas), tips on how to overcome the challenges of winter riding, and workshops. All initiatives are mapped out so people can find events closest to their home.
Winter Bike to Work Day followed the Winter Cycling Congress 2020, which was hosted in Joensuu, Finland. An appropriate place to host a congress bringing together cycling experts and advocates, Joensuu may see a dip in cycling levels during deep winter, yet year round, 20 percent of all trips in the city take place by bike, supported by a network of segregated bicycle tracks.
Many inspiring examples of cycling promotion come from Finland. In Oulu in Central Finland, despite the fact winter temperatures can plummet to -17C, 1,000 of the 1,200 pupils at one of the city’s schools ride in each day, something that was virally captured via social media.
At the national level, the country prioritizes the role of active travel to work and school as a means of improving public health. The Finnish Schools on the Move Programme in which 90 percent of municipalities are taking part—encourages physical activity and movement throughout the school day, and active travel to and from school. With the bicycle well placed to meet these active travel ambitions, having the right infrastructure in place to enable year-round travel to school by bike is appreciated by civic leaders.
Alongside cyclist willpower, city or regional support for cycling in winter can also make a huge difference—with protected bike lanes in snowy cities often proving more impactful than in their warmer counterparts.
A major civic challenge remains the clearing of snow and ice from cycling infrastructure. In Copenhagen, an International Cycling Union Bike City Label holder, the city focuses on removing snow and ice from bicycle tracks before clearing the road—sending a message that bicycle users are cared for and prioritized in the transportation mix. UCI News