BWIRE: Normalise cycling in Nairobi by creating safe lanes

First Lady Rachel Ruto has been a bike enthusiast for a long time. She is known for active lifestyle and dedication to fitness.

On Tuesday, June 6, she hopped on her eco-friendly bike provided by the Korean Embassy in Kenya and cycled for nearly 11km with 30 other cyclists, from State House to the Unep headquarters Head Quarters in Gigiri.

She was championing for cycling safety on our roads, as well as a partnership between the government and the UN Global Alliance for Road Safety. On this occasion the roads were cleared on her way to the UN-Habitat Assembly.

Just like the First Lady, many Nairobi residents cycle to work, but under totally different circumstances. Just a random sample shows that most of those who cycle to work on a daily basis on our dangerous roads are men, from lower income households. The typical bicycles that they ride are called a ‘blackie’.

It is said that the earliest bicycles in Kenya were used by representatives of colonial conquest: administrators, missionaries and settlers. Some of these ‘blackie’ bicycles were given as presents to servants and friends, and before long, the domestic market grew.

Many Nairobi men who ride the ‘blackie’ to work, from time immemorial, have been branded to come from particular regions in the country.

A common joke is that many work as either cooks or watchmen, and a few in other related sectors, typically those that would give the cyclist space at work, to park their bicycles safely through the day. Using the bicycle for this group provides a convenient, cost effective and timely means of transport.

There is also the group that ride bicycles over the weekend, or go for bicycle challenges out of town. They generally take the safest routes and paths, or confined spaces like Karura Forest, and use the right sports gear. They are well aware of the cycling dangers. This group cycles to build friendships and maintain good physical and mental health.

In terms of safety on the roads, what these men in ‘blackies’ have to contend with on a typical day is almost impossible to imagine. 

The way they manoeuvre their way around Nairobi is not for the fainthearted, as they have to play chase with hooting matatus and other rough, inconsiderate motorists.

In fact, to the eyes of a visitor from big cities which have advanced in creating safe paths, roads and even bridges for cycling, like Amsterdam or Copenhagen, that would be one daring suicide mission.

Amsterdam, for instance, is well set up for getting around on a bicycle. It is said that cycling is a visitors' most authentic way of getting around the city. The city has dedicated a cumulative of around 515km of cycle lanes. On a typical working morning, around two million bicycles are on these lanes.

An almost similar situation happens in Copenhagen, a city with high levels of bicycle infrastructure, planning and funding. In Copenhagen, it is casually said that there are more bicycles than people, and it is so safe to cycle that mothers even feel comfortable enough to place their children in front carriers and go about their schedules with them.

Cycling in both of these cities knows no gender, age nor designation.

What the First Lady did on Tuesday was noble and commendable.

In the year 2018, Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris cycled to Parliament in a bid to raise awareness on alternative modes of transport to the city, with traffic being a perennial problem facing the city.

So leaders have shown interest in promoting cycling, but what do Nairobi residents want? Speaking for myself as a cycling enthusiast and many others, what citizens would hope for is for this to be normalised in Nairobi.

How would normalising cycling look like?

With lessons from the said countries that have done this before, ensuring there is a road network and paths created purely for cyclists would be the first step. This would mean having affordable and durable bicycles, and not cheap imports.

Second, creating awareness on the health benefits of cycling. Lastly, having ample, safe parking spaces for these bicycles in schools, malls and the streets, among other relevant places recommended by experts. 

In line with SDG 11, sustainable cities and communities, my hope is that the President in the near future, after the new and expanded road networks and cycling lanes around the city, will join suit in cycling to Parliament.

Part-time lecturer and a communications researcher