How Rwanda is spearheading sustainable micromobility in Africa
Rwanda has introduced a public e-mobility bike-sharing transport initiative. The new bike-sharing transport initiative is called GuraRide and it is powered by a company known as Gura Universal Link. Bikes are picked and payment is made online via an app: a single ride, daily, monthly and annual tickets.
The government of Rwanda plans to upgrade all roads in Kigali to include dedicated lanes. This will improve safety of cyclists and also encourage the use of bicycles.
Apart from the numerous health benefits of cycling, it is also environmental friendly. According to a new report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The panel’s scientists determined that if the global temperature rises by 1.5°C or more by 2030, the worldwide risk of events like extreme droughts, wildfires, and floods will increase exponentially.
The bad news is that if nothing is done, global temperatures might rise by up to 3°C, which is more than double the rate that scientists think is already dangerous. However, everyone can help combat climate change's effects, from governments and huge corporations to ordinary residents. Cycling for transportation is one of the techniques recommended by the IPCC to reduce our carbon footprint.
According to a 2015 study by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, a significant increase in cycling (about 20%) might "reduce carbon dioxide emissions from urban passenger transport by nearly 11% in 2050."
Getting people to switch from cars to bikes isn't easy. Riders need to feel safe. A good example is Nairobi the capital city of Kenya. It lacks safe and designated cycling lanes. This means that cyclists often have to maneuver between speeding SUVs, trucks and careless drivers. According to The National Transport Authority, 69 cyclists died in the capital in 2020. The number could be much higher.
It is important for cities planning and implementing complete street policies-things like funding infrastructures, building protected bike lanes, and talking to citizens about what would make them feel safe.
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