Over 30 Bicycle riders in the Liberian capital have joined the rest of the world in observing World Bicycling Day in an event led by Monrovia Cycling Club on Wednesday, June 3, 2020.
The over thirty bicycle riders began their ride in group from the Ministerial Complex in the Congo Town suburb of Monrovia to the Ministry of Transport at the center of Carey and McDonald streets in the city center.
And then they rode through the streets up to the European Union Delegation on the top of the hill at Mamba Point along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, and back stopping at the Monrovia City Hall in the Sinkor suburb of the Liberian capital.
They covered a distance of about 25 kilometers in this West African city.
According to a statement from the organizers released by giz, “this exercise was aimed at creating awareness of the Club and encouraging others to join regular ride of the Monrovia Cycling Club.”
For safety reasons in observance of the COVID-19 Health protocol, bike riders wearing mouth coverings.
The organizers say all bikers were required to wear helmet and bright colour outfits to become eligible for the ride.
The bright colours also served as reflectors for other road users, the organizers said.
World Bicycle Day
Since 2018, June 3rd is declared by the United Nations General Assembly as World Bicycle Day. Globally, on this day and it is commemorated for the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the Bicycle, which has been in use for two centuries as a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transport. This organized ride is intended to raise awareness in Monrovia about World Bicycle Day.
SUTP: Encouraging walking and cycling
Walking and cycling are key to sustainable urban transport. The first thing you need to do? Develop comprehensive cycling and walking concepts with high quality street design standards for sidewalks, cycle paths and complete streets. This means, you will need to limit road space for cars and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists at intersections. This could also include cycling highways, pedestrian zones with removed barriers for pedestrians or the implementation of green waves for bicycles. Creating a complete urban cycling network and appointing cycling and pedestrian advisors in transport administrations and introducing a public bike sharing system are also good ways to encourage more walking and cycling in your city. Check out our resources on: https://www.sutp.org/principles/encouraging-walking-and-cycling/
Monrovia Cycling Club
In November of 2019 a group of bicycle riders decided to ride every Saturday morning as a medium to exercise. This small group originally called “Bikers” evolved to also contribute to other societal needs thus the new name was crafted as the “Monrovia Cycling Club”. The Monrovia Cycling Club is not only passionate about bicycle riding and keeping fit, but we are also concerned about our society and giving back to our society through community services. It is our hope that we can create more awareness and encourage young kids to learn, enjoy and be professional bicycle riders while supporting other impactful ventures.
Cycling & COVID-19:
Cycling is not only a great way to stay healthy (not only in times of the COVID-19 outbreak) and is a suitable alternative to gyms which had to close in the last months. But cycling is also an effective way to support physical distancing and to relieve the burden on public transport during a pandemic.
Worldwide – in Berlin, New York, Bogotá – the topic of pop-up bike lanes has developed great momentum in recent weeks. Pop-up bike lanes (also called emergency bike lanes) are temporary bike lanes that enable social distancing by providing more space for cyclists on the one hand and relieving the public transport system on the other.