Bike is environment friendly
Jun 23, 2003
Having lived in the netherlands and observed how the Dutch respect the bicycle, I was intrigued by the article in The New Vision (March 4, 2003). This ‘People’ article was about a man called Joroen Bluys, who marketed milk on a bicycle in Mbale.
TALK BACK
Having lived in the netherlands and observed how the Dutch respect the bicycle, I was intrigued by the article in The New Vision (March 4, 2003). This ‘People’ article was about a man called Joroen Bluys, who marketed milk on a bicycle in Mbale.
The article insinuates that Bluys is punishing himself and should have used a motor bike instead! The photo caption under the picture of the white man doing his rounds on his bicycle clearly brought out the negative attitude that we have towards the bicycle — “Strange but common.â€
The Dutch have learned some good lessons about the bicycle. They have made it so common that seeing one of them riding one is not strange.
I got the message loud and clear when we were driving from Rotterdam to Appledoorn, a stretch of over 100km. One would come across rural-bound Mercedes Benzes, Audis and other expensive brands of cars, with bicycles bound to their roofs!
I became curious and asked some more about this apparently crazy behaviour. I discovered that in the Netherlands, the ratio of bicycles to adults is approximately 1:1! The bicycle has been found to be handy and flexible. It is easier to move around with than a car in the case of traffic jams. This saves time.
The roads in the Netherlands have been specially designed to cater for motor bikes and bicycles. The bicycle does not use fossil fuel, does not emit any toxic gasses and is therefore environmentally friendly.
The use of ones’ own muscle power is good for one’s health as it provides exercise. One is freed from the need to visit the gymnasium, and the costs which would have been incurred. A bicycle therefore is cost effective in many respects.
Ugandans need to borrow a leaf from this experience. With our numerous, competing socio-economic needs, there is a need for frugality in our spending habits. The attitude towards the bicycle should be changed. The current increase of bicycle boda bodas in many towns is a pointer in this direction.
Rather than discourage these boda-boda cyclists from coming into the city centre and the central business district, we should incorporate them into our urban planning strategies.
The sooner we do it the better. We have nothing to lose but much to gain. It is then that the bicycle will become common and less strange.
James Turyatemba,
Kampala
Having lived in the netherlands and observed how the Dutch respect the bicycle, I was intrigued by the article in The New Vision (March 4, 2003). This ‘People’ article was about a man called Joroen Bluys, who marketed milk on a bicycle in Mbale.
The article insinuates that Bluys is punishing himself and should have used a motor bike instead! The photo caption under the picture of the white man doing his rounds on his bicycle clearly brought out the negative attitude that we have towards the bicycle — “Strange but common.â€
The Dutch have learned some good lessons about the bicycle. They have made it so common that seeing one of them riding one is not strange.
I got the message loud and clear when we were driving from Rotterdam to Appledoorn, a stretch of over 100km. One would come across rural-bound Mercedes Benzes, Audis and other expensive brands of cars, with bicycles bound to their roofs!
I became curious and asked some more about this apparently crazy behaviour. I discovered that in the Netherlands, the ratio of bicycles to adults is approximately 1:1! The bicycle has been found to be handy and flexible. It is easier to move around with than a car in the case of traffic jams. This saves time.
The roads in the Netherlands have been specially designed to cater for motor bikes and bicycles. The bicycle does not use fossil fuel, does not emit any toxic gasses and is therefore environmentally friendly.
The use of ones’ own muscle power is good for one’s health as it provides exercise. One is freed from the need to visit the gymnasium, and the costs which would have been incurred. A bicycle therefore is cost effective in many respects.
Ugandans need to borrow a leaf from this experience. With our numerous, competing socio-economic needs, there is a need for frugality in our spending habits. The attitude towards the bicycle should be changed. The current increase of bicycle boda bodas in many towns is a pointer in this direction.
Rather than discourage these boda-boda cyclists from coming into the city centre and the central business district, we should incorporate them into our urban planning strategies.
The sooner we do it the better. We have nothing to lose but much to gain. It is then that the bicycle will become common and less strange.
James Turyatemba,
Kampala