I love bicycles. I have ridden them all my life but not without the usual steady look over my shoulders to see if there is a car coming behind me. For most of the times I have been on the roads; either driving or riding, I have had to either honk at a cyclist for veering into my lane or being honked at because I have veered into a driver’s way.
Drivers and cyclists encounter each other on the road daily and the scenes are often not a pretty picture, but the fault is neither of theirs. Vehicles and bicycles are both means of getting by; however, they have separate needs which ought to be respected. It is neither the driver nor the cyclist who is to blame but I think the fault here is that planning has not factored-in each of their needs in the design and structure of our built environment. When city planning does not factor in the needs of these two separate modes of transportation and decides that both should compete for the same space-what you have is a lethal combination waiting to explode. The stories of accidents involving motorists and cyclists abound. Separate reasons apply to each story but I believe the BIG question is “where are the bicycle Lanes?”
I have lived in Accra my entire life and I know that my city is congested. During rush hours, lots of time is spent in traffic jams leaving little for productive work. One of the reasons is the over- concentration of traffic to the central business district and the other reason is our over reliance on vehicles to commute to even the most conveniently short distances. The consequence is poor air quality due to heavy vehicular emission which affects our health. Traffic jams also means high fuel consumption for less output-which is actually a waste. High fuel consumption locally means high fuel import bill. As Dr. Nii Moi Thompson (an economist) puts it; poor city planning leads to traffic congestion-which also leads to waste of time/man hours. Traffic jams also increases fuel consumption-which increases your fuel import bill-the more fuel we import-the more dollar you need-and the more dollars you require the weaker the Cedi becomes. Dr. Nii Moi Thompson often uses this theory he calls “systems” which literally means “everything affects something”. If you don’t get it right at the foundation, all structures would subsequently suffer. Already, the country is reeling under this cycle of poor city planning and we all paying the high price for it.
Many Ghanaians love to ride bicycles and is even a reliable means of transport to less income earners. In Accra, the ‘Avenor’ area is a bustling bicycle sales hub and source of income for numerous young people. Well, I bought all my two bicycles from there some time ago. A young man I spoke with said “it’s a very good business”. Besides the fun, riding your bicycle saves you money and gives your body exercise as well. What I call “saving two birds with one stone”. High fuel prices usually prompt people to drive less as they find alternatives such as cycling, walking or public transportation. Fewer cars on the road mean a dramatic decrease in the amount of automotive pollution, which also leads to improved public health.
Unfortunately, road construction in Ghana; as far back as I recall, had made little or no space for cycling at all. This is a huge defect and the country must begin to promote cycling a way of cutting down cost and saving the environment. By design, the central business district must be made unattractive to vehicular traffic and more attractive to cyclists and other Non-Motorized Transport (NMT). The over dependence on motorized transportation is partly because our city planning has not factored in alternatives such as cycling or even walking. For example, growing of trees along our city’s roads are not only for beautification but also to promote other mode of commuting which in some developed economies, has become an integrative health approach to keeping city dwellers healthy by encouraging induced exercises such as walking or cycling to work. I know many city dwellers who live within comfortable riding distances from work but opt to drive their cars to work because the present alternative is not safe.
I hail the BRT and bus lane creation as a laudable initiative because improved public transportation is equally a good alternative to keeping less cars on our roads. I have noticed that some people undertake carpooling as way of saving on fuel. Carpooling, for example, is when friends of four or five come together to use one car to work and back. This means four cars off roads to create space and save the environment. This is an indication that many Ghanaians today love the idea of transportation alternatives. I think we should take advantage of this vacuum to promote cycling by creating dedicated lanes for the cyclist especially in the major cities. Mayors of cities in the country should [as a friend frantically puts it:”should-must”] make it a goal to create cities where all people feel safe and secure to walk or cycle. Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) is part of the transport system, and public space is shared between all users, whether motorized or not. Our cities must be committed to increase the number of cyclists and encourage walking by creating a safe and pleasant network of bicycle and pedestrian paths. This will enhance commuters’ greater access to the inner city without the usual emissions. In the future, we could actually move to the next stage of providing cyclists with facilities such as secure bicycle parking, showers, and of course the bike lanes.
In conclusion, let me be the first to admit that my country, Ghana, is a developing country with many infrastructural needs and these “cycling lane talks” may not be an immediate priority. I agree! I even have no such immediate ambitions but let’s all talk about it and think through it. May be, we can take advantage of new road constructions and the expansion of old ones to introduce a couple of bicycle lanes to begin with. I look forward to it in the future. In the meantime, enjoy your cycling in the best way you can but mind you: SAFETY FIRST.
Yaro Kasambata
Public Relations Officer
National Petroleum Authority (NPA)
#11, 5th Circular Road
Cantonments-Accra
[email protected]
Read the original post:
Feature: Where Are The Bicycle Lanes?