Amaechi’s bicycle riding project
By . | Publish Date: Sep 11 2017 2:00AM
The National Council on Transportation (NCT) recently approved the commencement of ‘bicycle riding’ project in Abuja. This was disclosed by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, at the end of the 15th NCT meeting which held recently in Sokoto. Amaechi said the re-introduction of bicycles as a means of transportation in Abuja as it would reduce congestion and also improve the health of riders.
Amaechi explained that “the project would be a pilot scheme in the FCT because Abuja is the only city (in the country) that has the facility for bicycle riding”. He also stated that other states that wish to adopt the scheme must first provide bicycle riding facility. This, according to him, is to forestall accidents on our roads. The minister further clarified that bicycle lane must be separated from main roads because some motorists are impatient.
Population growth and urbanization are two of the most important demographic factors that make bicycle riding an important means of transportation in modern cities. Using bicycles as a means of transportation has its own gains. It is suited for countries that have challenges of climate change and depleting oil market. It is a simple means of transportation that is easy to build and repair. Unlike automobiles, bicycles do not pollute the atmosphere or take up much space in dense city environments. Besides, bicycles also provides physical exercise for a population that eats a lot but engages in little exercises.
Chief Amaechi’s bicycle riding project basically targets health and roads decongestion. In Nigeria, bicycle riding, for now, is a consequence of other factors. Except for the small percentage of Nigerians (mostly the elite) who ride bicycle for physical fitness, many of the few bicycle riders in in the country today do so because they don’t have the option of riding a car. For this group, bicycle riding is a necessity, not a matter of choice.
Granted that the minister was right when he said bicycle riding would reduce congestion on main roads, he did not give details of how the bicycles would be provided. This prompts some pertinent questions that include: Are the bicycles going to be manufactured in Nigeria or shall be imported (from China)? We caution the ministry to make details of this project public so that it does not add up to putting more pressure on the naira only to boost the economy of other countries, all to the detriment of Nigeria’s steel industry.
The most critical challenge to this project is its faulty premise upon which its implementation is hinged. The minister’s claim that “Abuja is the only city that has facility for bicycle riding” is practically not true. Aside of the expressways, Abuja roads have service lanes (for busses) and pedestrian pavements. Amaechi’s premise for this project runs contrary to a statement by a Federal Road Safety Corps’ official, Bisi Kazeem.
It says: “During a study, which FRSC carried out with officials of the FCTA (Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), we found out that all roads and streets have provisions for bicycle lanes in the design, but at the point of construction the lanes were either ignored, merged with pedestrian walkways, making the walkways too wide, or were turned into green areas…So, a key concern is the need for re-engineering of intersections and traffic lights to provide for cyclists.
If this is the case, then government has to return to the drawing board before even implementing the project in Abuja. We call on government to concentrate on the intra-city light rail project, which has the potential of reducing congestion on our highways. We advise Amaechi to collaborate with the minister of FCT and support the actualization of the December deadline set for the light rail system to begin operations in Abuja. We believe that light rail system, not bicycles without their own lane, will decongest the roads.
Source:https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/amaechi-s-bicycle-riding-project.html
The National Council on Transportation (NCT) recently approved the commencement of ‘bicycle riding’ project in Abuja. This was disclosed by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, at the end of the 15th NCT meeting which held recently in Sokoto. Amaechi said the re-introduction of bicycles as a means of transportation in Abuja as it would reduce congestion and also improve the health of riders.
Amaechi explained that “the project would be a pilot scheme in the FCT because Abuja is the only city (in the country) that has the facility for bicycle riding”. He also stated that other states that wish to adopt the scheme must first provide bicycle riding facility. This, according to him, is to forestall accidents on our roads. The minister further clarified that bicycle lane must be separated from main roads because some motorists are impatient.
Population growth and urbanization are two of the most important demographic factors that make bicycle riding an important means of transportation in modern cities. Using bicycles as a means of transportation has its own gains. It is suited for countries that have challenges of climate change and depleting oil market. It is a simple means of transportation that is easy to build and repair. Unlike automobiles, bicycles do not pollute the atmosphere or take up much space in dense city environments. Besides, bicycles also provides physical exercise for a population that eats a lot but engages in little exercises.
Chief Amaechi’s bicycle riding project basically targets health and roads decongestion. In Nigeria, bicycle riding, for now, is a consequence of other factors. Except for the small percentage of Nigerians (mostly the elite) who ride bicycle for physical fitness, many of the few bicycle riders in in the country today do so because they don’t have the option of riding a car. For this group, bicycle riding is a necessity, not a matter of choice.
Granted that the minister was right when he said bicycle riding would reduce congestion on main roads, he did not give details of how the bicycles would be provided. This prompts some pertinent questions that include: Are the bicycles going to be manufactured in Nigeria or shall be imported (from China)? We caution the ministry to make details of this project public so that it does not add up to putting more pressure on the naira only to boost the economy of other countries, all to the detriment of Nigeria’s steel industry.
The most critical challenge to this project is its faulty premise upon which its implementation is hinged. The minister’s claim that “Abuja is the only city that has facility for bicycle riding” is practically not true. Aside of the expressways, Abuja roads have service lanes (for busses) and pedestrian pavements. Amaechi’s premise for this project runs contrary to a statement by a Federal Road Safety Corps’ official, Bisi Kazeem.
It says: “During a study, which FRSC carried out with officials of the FCTA (Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), we found out that all roads and streets have provisions for bicycle lanes in the design, but at the point of construction the lanes were either ignored, merged with pedestrian walkways, making the walkways too wide, or were turned into green areas…So, a key concern is the need for re-engineering of intersections and traffic lights to provide for cyclists.
If this is the case, then government has to return to the drawing board before even implementing the project in Abuja. We call on government to concentrate on the intra-city light rail project, which has the potential of reducing congestion on our highways. We advise Amaechi to collaborate with the minister of FCT and support the actualization of the December deadline set for the light rail system to begin operations in Abuja. We believe that light rail system, not bicycles without their own lane, will decongest the roads.
Source:https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/amaechi-s-bicycle-riding-project.html
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