In various parts of the world, many countries actively participate in a social experiment that has been recognized, in some form or another, as Bike Week (usually falling within Bike Month). The idea behind it is to emphasize the importance and utility of the bicycle as a legitimate form of transport, as a way to cut down on harmful emissions, avoid congestion on the roads and promote a healthy and convenient form of exercise for everyone involved.
The idea of Bike Week has become popular in many cities around the world, throughout mainland Europe, the UK, the United States and Canada (with cities such as Boston, Pasadena, Vancouver and Toronto being some of the largest annual participants). However, the practicality of Bike Week is bound to still fall short of the mark in South Africa, even in the larger cities.
In South Africa, it is not uncommon to find that many people live 20, 30 or even 40km away from their place of work, which makes the thought of manually pedaling a bicycle all that way on a round trip a daunting (not to mention time consuming) task.
Apart from the distance that faces South Africans during their every day commute, there is also a significant danger factor involved for a number of reasons, such as high crime rates, hazardous road conditions, and an overall tendency of motorists to not take cyclists into account when using the roads.
Maybe, over time, South Africans will realize the importance of cutting down on emissions and giving themselves an easier commute, but until conditions improve in many ways, Bike Week may just be a novel idea that only a handful of people participate in.
No comments:
Post a Comment