How many Australians participate in mountain biking?

In July, Nao Kamakura joined Bicycles Create Change as Research Assistant. Nao is investigating rates of participation in mountain biking, with a particular focus on rates of female participation. Below is Nao’s first post for BCC where she shares a few preliminary findings and thoughts.

How many Australians participate in mountain biking as a sport?

Brisbane City Council claims that “Mountain biking is one of the fastest growing recreational activities”.

But, how many people actually participate in mountain biking as a sport?

According to 2016 data from the Australian Government Australian Sports Commission, cycling is the 5th most popular sport in Australian for women (over 15 years) old and its total number of participants was 85,5231.

The total female population (for all ages) in Australia is 12.2 billion in 2016. Therefore, statistically, 7% of Australian women ride bicycles! This number includes both road cyclists and mountain bikers.

To participate in mountain bike competitions, riders need to register with Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA), which is the peak national organisation for mountain biking.

MTBA covers a number of off-road biking styles, including cross country, downhill, observed trials, cross-country marathon and cyclocross. Currently, MTBA has over 15,000 members and 175 affiliated clubs nationwide.

The number of female MTBA members in 2017 was 2,481 – and this gives provides our initial baseline for female participation and interest in the sport of mountain biking. However, these membership rates do not adequately signify actual participation rates.

Although MTBA registration offers membership in categories such as: race, non-riding, recreation, public liability, value-add, free trial, family and day licenses – it is important to keep in mind that are still a number of riders who are/have not registered with MTBA who mountain bike – and that their participation would not be represented in these rates.

Many riders are registered, but not all MTBers participate in competitions. In particular, these numbers do not include the account for many riders who enjoy mountain bike without participating in competitions.

The approach, definition and classification of mountain biking vary significantly between the individual states and territories. Such differences impact how data is analysed, where funding is allocated and how the sport is viewed (and represented) by each state’s governing body. This is an area that will be of concerted interest for the project I am working on.

Interestingly, Western Australia is the only state that has clear statistics on mountain bikers. The WA government published the WA Mountain Bike Strategy 2015-2020 to encourage more people to engage in mountain biking. The report clearly states that the number of women who mountain bike is 14,400.

However again, these results do not mean that each of those 14,400 riders engages with MTBA as a sport, but it does list that the top three reasons Western Australians ride mountain bikes is 1) for the outdoor experience, 2) for fitness, and 3) for socialising.

So initial investigations show mixed results about the rates of mountain biking registration and participation.

So far, my research has not yet confirmed the actual number of female mountain bikers in the whole of Australia – the rate is still unconfirmed.

One reason for this is that the definition of mountain biking is ambiguous.

Depending on what you read or what states/territory you are in, mountainbiking can be classified as a sport, as recreation, or as transport. This lack of consistency means that it can be difficult to compare data sets.

It is a challenge and a pleasure to be learning more about mountain biking in Australia – and I look forward to sharing more insights and findings as they arise.

I hope mountain biking is more recognised as a sport in the near future and that rates of participants will increase!

23/08/201824/08/2018

GCCRP Climate Change Symposium – Abstract

While participating in the Looping Masterclass earlier this year in July, Claire Tracey (my wonderful collaborator) suggested we put in an abstract for the GCCRP Climate Change Symposium.

Claire and I have produced a number of environmental/art performance projects over the years like The Wattle Festival ‘s Pop-Up ReCycle Shop (2013), Leki and the Ova (2014) and The Bio Bike: Your Future Thanks You (2018).

Recently, we have been workshopping our newest eco-performance idea.

It was our newest project’s conceptualization and development she thought would be an interesting addition to the GCCRP Climate Change Symposium program.

And of course – she was right!

So we put in an abstract and are presenting at the end of this week!

GCCRP Climate Change Symposium - Abstract. Bicycles Create — Claire and I working on our last eco-performance project ‘The Bio Bike’ for the national Sustainability Living Festival (Melbourne – Feb 2018).

Griffith Climate Change Response Program (GCCRP) Climate Change Symposium.

The GCCRP Climate Change Symposium is a research forum where HDRers and Early Career Researchers from Griffith University share their discoveries, outcomes and innovations.

It is on at Griffith Uni Southbank Friday 24 August 2018, 9 am – 4 pm

The symposium features a range of research presentations that showcase the cross-cutting nature of climate change research.

The five key research themes are:

Climate change impacts
Climate change and food security
Community engagement in climate change adaptation
Climate change policy and theory
Climate change and health

Our Symposium Abstract

Here is the abstract for the session Claire and I will be presenting:

Furthering climate change discourse and action through performative works

Presenters: Claire Tracey and Nina Ginsberg

Collaborators Claire Tracey (Visual Arts) and Nina Ginsberg (Education) use performance and audience engagement to communicate environmental issues. Through community art engagement, they aim to connect with local communities on an immediate level, furthering climate change discourse and action through performative works. Their work links Climate Change and Environment Science themes with performance, design and community- art interaction.

This research explores the intersection of climate change research and artistic interpretations of how to convey complex environmental issues to communities in a proactive and engaging manner. Their work seeks to increase community awareness about climate change issues in ways that are novel, participatory and educational. Their projects are informed by feedback from the engagement of the project itself, creating a direct relationship between the action and the sustainable and environmental issues that affect our immediate society.

The result of each performance interaction is offered with an open spirit- with the reception by the public to be determined in the moment as a collaborative process.

This session will outline a number of climate change projects we have undertaken to explain how theory and practice are enacted, using archetypes such as a feminine ecological shadow warrior, whose presence echoes of hope and perseverance derived from historical ideas of female protection, nurture, power and subversion.

About GCCRP

The Griffith Climate Change Response Program has been leading Griffith University’s research into climate change adaptation and mitigation since 2007.

GCCRP leads Griffith University’s research into climate change adaptation and mitigation.

As climate change issues cut across many fields of study its research projects are transdisciplinary. The program brings together the wealth of Griffith research expertise from across the University, enabling climate change problems to be addressed in a comprehensive manner.

GCCRP has successfully developed a number of strategic domestic, regional and international partnerships in the area of climate change adaptation and attracted significant external research funds.

The result is a growing portfolio of research and applied research projects where GCCRP works in collaboration with other research institutions, governments, international bodies, NGOs and communities to effectively understand, plan and respond to the adverse effects of a rapidly changing climate.

GCCRP now has a strong platform from which Griffith University’s research and expertise can influence the climate change policies, plans and actions required for effective adaptation and mitigation.

I’m excited to be part of this discussion!

I’ll let you know how Claire and I go!

14/08/201816/08/2018

On ya bike for World Elephant Day 2018!

How easily we forget or disregard that which is not part of our immediate daily experience….like the plight of elephants.

Elephant populations have declined by 62% over the last decade, with 24,000 Elephants poached last year in Africa alone.

Sunday (August 12th) was World Elephant Day 2018.

To celebrate the majestic elephant – and as a reminder that just because we don’t see them every day – much still needs to be done for those elephants still left.

So, here are a few ways that cyclists are progressing elephant conservation, both off and on the bike.

Ride a bike, not an elephant – Khatsahlano Street Party

One way to show support off the bike is by wearing a t-shirt like one of these below, which comes from annual Khatsahlano Street Party.

This event had local bands, artisans, food trucks, and giveaways. The T-shirt featured here was a key part of the event fundraising campaign to protect elephants from the unethical tourism industry. 100% of the net profit of these T-shirts went to free an abused elephant to a sanctuary in Asia.

Bike for Elephants 2018

‘Bike for Elephants’ is a 2-day charity bike tour arranged as part of the Dutch group Bring the elephant back home group. This bike ride is in eastern Thailand and the cost of participation goes towards innovative wild elephant conservation projects. This ride is promoted as an adventure and fun biking trip through the mountains and plantations and through forests in Chantaburi Province.

Cost includes safety instructions, a t-shirt, overnight stay, mountain bike rental, helmet, all meals and drinks. Also included are opportunities to meet the research team, see live elephants and new conservation techniques (like the beehive fences) in action and being part of an experience that is a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

So what’s all the fuss?

Elephants are amazing creatures.

Green Global Travel’s website is focused on drawing attention to the challenge elephants face – and goes on to state that:

In the early 1900s African Elephant populations were estimated to be in the millions, while there were around 100,000 Asian Elephants. According to World Wildlife Fund, today there are around 700,000 African Elephants in the wild, and just 32,000 Asian Elephants.
In 1989, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) banned the international ivory trade. Yet poaching for ivory has been steadily increasing, with 800,000 African elephants killed over the last three decades.
In addition to poaching, habitat loss and conflict with human populations are key threats facing Elephant populations. Climate change projections suggest key Elephant habitat will become hotter and drier, so poor foraging conditions may threaten the survival of more calfs in the future.

So sometime this week, take at least one small step to support elephant rescue and conservation – and show the world that cyclists are connected and care about our world – both on and off the bike.

Click here for an extensive list of links, places and ways you can help elephants.

And next time you’re riding with cycling buddies, here’s a few other interesting elephant facts you can share…

Elephants are incapable of jumping, but these massive mammals can run at a maximum speed of 25 miles (40 km) per hour.
Elephants, like people, have a ‘prefered side’ of using their tusks: Some are “lefties,” others are “righties.” They’ll favor that tusk when fighting other Elephants, picking things up, or stripping leaves and bark off trees. Because of constant usage, their preferred tusk gets shorter over time.
The elephant’s trunk (called a proboscis) contains 16 muscles.
Elephants have incredibly poor digestion, with only 50% efficiency. As a result, they release an incredible amount of gas (methane) and produce around 250 pounds of manure a day!
Elephant skin is over an inch thick. But because it’s loaded with nerve endings, their skin is also highly sensitive. Elephants from the same herd will often use touch to greet each other, either wrapping their trunks around each other or giving each other friendly “hello” taps on the body.

31/07/201821/08/2018

Estimating the Cycling Economy in Europe

Many of us who ride know the inherent positive health, economic and environmental benefits of biking.

But it is always reassuring to have the hard facts to back it up at the next dinner party you go to…so here is some ripper data from the EU you can wave under the noses of any annoying your non-riders who pooh-pooh cycling’s economic contributions to society.

Estimating the Cycling Economy in Europe

A report entitled The Cycling Economy in Europe was produced in 2013 by the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF).

The ECF is a preeminent cycling advocacy group, whose work centres around progressing cycling via a range of themes including economic, policy, tourism, health and environment, technology and safety and infrastructure to name a few.

This report is interesting because from what it looks like, it was the first European attempt (definitely ECF’s first calculation) to monetise the internal and external benefits that come cycling in the EU-27 (EU 2007-2013 when it had 27 member states).

Download the report here: ECF Economic Benefits of cycling in EU-27.pdf

This report was based on:

Health benefits of cycling
Congestion-easing due to cycle use
Fuel savings due to cycle use
Reduced CO2 emissions due to cycle use
Reduced air pollution due to cycle use
Reduced noise pollution due to cycle use.

The ECF calculates the annual economic benefit of cycling in the EU-27 to be at least € 205 bn.

Report Highlights

Here are a few highlights from the report as outlined in a presentation by Chloe Mispelon (ECF):

Current economic benefits of cycling are huge (over 500 billion € for the EU 28, more than 1000€ per inhabitant each year)
The economic potential is important as cycling modal share today is way below its mid XXth century levels in most EU countries.
Cycling economic benefits are spread over a wide range of fields making the case for cross-sectoral strategies on cycling at local, national or EU level
Lack of data prevents research to explore many other cycling related economic benefits

This report is ECF’s second calculation of the internal and external benefits of cycling linked to the current level of cycling in the EU-28. It is an extended and updated version of the first report published in 2013. The calculations have been updated with the latest available figures; in some cases, the methodologies for calculating the benefits have been refined taking into account the feedback received; and more benefits have been added in a systematic way.

So what are the estimates?

Summing up the calculated and estimated benefits of cycling in all these sectors, ECF arrives at the following aggregate figures:

The present report clearly shows that the benefits of cycling occur not only in specific, isolated fields like transport or environmental policy, but in many other areas where the EU has competences as well, like industrial policy, employment, health and social policy.

An integrated EU cycling strategy that includes these fields and considers cycling in all relevant policy areas will therefore enable the whole EU to reap these benefits in the future, including the countries which currently have low rates of cycling.

In some areas, ECF identified benefits of cycling but were not able to give any calculation or estimation yet.

More qualitative and quantitative research is needed in those fields to quantify these benefit.

The aim of this report is therefore also to encourage further research on the subject in order to draw a more precise picture of the economic benefits of cycling in the future.

All images and data in this post come from ECF or the ECF”s Economic Benefits of Cycling in EU-27 Report.

27/07/201830/07/2018

Bernard’s exploration of bicycles = Twende Social Innovation Center

A big thanks to Papa Al for passing on this inspiring story to share! NG.

There can be few better examples of where bicycles create more positive community change than through the bicycle work of Bernard Kiawia.

Bernard Kiwia started out as a bike mechanic in his home country of Tanzania.

While repairing bicycles, he began applying his skills to use pedal power to create products and tools that directly improve to the lives of people in his community.

In 2011, Bernard made a bicycle-powered cellphone charger (see below).

Since then, he has continued to invent.

Now, Bernard is called “the father of rural innovation” in Tanzania.

Bernard is now a well-respected social entrepreneur – and bikes still feature prominently in many of his new inventions.

His current work is now focused on applying his (and other people’s) mechanical and technical skills towards addressing manual labour and technology issues in his area.

Bernard's exploration of bicycles = Twende Social Innovation Center. Bicycles Create Change.com 27th July 2018. — Source: GCS: Episode 2 – Bike-Powered Cellphone Charger – Bernard Kiwia (Screenshot)

Bernard says:

What we want to show people is they have skills to make their own technology that they can afford, they can repair, they can find the spare parts that they need

With local people, their income is always small and the kind of machines you can buy in the shop are not made for these local people because they’re expensive. That’s why I’m focusing on local.

I create technologies because I realise it’s something that can help my family and the community.

Twende – Accelerating Social Innovation

Bernard established Twende, which is a community inventor’s workshop. Twende is a creative workspace for people to come and use tools, problem solve ideas and experiment with making prototypes.

In this way, Twende functions similarly to a Men’s Shed, as it is an open workspace that has tools, resources and people there to support projects.

It also runs three workshop streams

1. Creative Capacity Workshop -entry-level workshops for any level.

Affordable Flashlight (~6 hours)
Automatic Switch (~7 hours)
Solar-Powered Phone Charger (~10 hours)

2. Built It Workshops – mechanically-focused workshops which include:

Spirit Stove (~3 hours)
Bottle Opener (~2 hours)
Electronics Workshop for secondary schools
A few of the Build Its Workshops are also integrated into some schools electronics curriculum.

3. Advanced Offerings – requires some advanced skills and tools (like welding)

Drip Irrigation
Bicycle-Powered Maize Sheller

So far, over 800 local innovators have used Twende, of which most are secondary school students, small-holder farmers, women, and microentrepreneurs.

Bicycles are ubiquitous and versatile (especially as a means to produce energy-efficient power) so it is not surprising that they feature in many of Twende’s inventions.

The Twende innovation hub was established as a space to “collaborate with students and community members in Tanzania to identify their challenges and design & create their own solutions to their problems will contribute to a world with improved access to technologies that improve people’s lives, a stronger local economy, and a nation of innovators and problem-solvers.”

Hence, Twede teaches people how to create technologies that:

address their own needs.
utilize locally available materials,
are inexpensive and affordable,
are able to be repaired locally.
are designed with (not just for) communities & partners
…and they make some of their own inventions for use and sale as well

Twende is such an important grassroots social venture.

It fosters creative ingenuity, recycling, upskilling, empowers local skills, is cost-effective and addresses locally-identified issues – as well as providing a welcoming space for people to test mechanical and technical ideas that have an immediate positive impact.

And all this grew out of one man’s exploration of how a bike could make work and life better – awesome!

BBC News 1 images inlucded are still from the BBC video: Bernard Kiwia: Tanzania’s bicycle mechanic turned inventor.

23/07/201824/07/2018

Achieving a Major Bike Mode Shift in Vancouver – Dale Bracewell

Nina Ginsberg and Dale Bracewell (Manager of Transportation Planning. City of Vancouver, Canada).

Recently I attended a very interesting event hosted by BikePedTrans. It was a presentation by Dale Bracewell, Manager of Transportation Planning for the City of Vancouver.

For many years now, Vancouver, Melbourne and Vienna have been jostling for the top positions in the top 5 ‘World’s Most Livable City’ rankings.

Vancouver has a particular sustainable and social interaction angle for its urban improvements that has created incredible positive change towards biking and active transportation – to a point where Vancouver is an exemplary urban cycling role model almost without rival.

As a bike enthusiast, this is very exciting! I wanted to hear more!

So here’s a quick overview of Dale’s session. It was called ‘From a Trickle to a Stream: Achieving a Major Bike Mode Shift in Canada’.

Ambitious Plans: Achieving a Major Bike Mode Shift in Vancouver

In 1997, Vancouver’s Transportation Plan identified there would be no increase in road capacity for cars and that walking, cycling and transit would be prioritised.

It also set an active travel mode share target of 40% to be achieved by 2008.

Significant progress has since been achieved and the plan was updated in 2012 that increased the targets even more – to 66% of all travel to be via walking bike or PT transit by 2040.

Remarkably, Vancouver achieved these goals well ahead of time – whereby 50% of travel set for 2020 was actually achieved by 2015.

Implementation of an impressive protected bike lane network and an Active Transportation Promotion & Enabling Plan saw daily cycling trips in Vancouver increase to over 50% from 2013 to 2016.

Vancouver’s vision is to support happy and health living by inspiring and enabling people of all ages and abilities to walk or cycle as their prefered way of getting around Vancouver.

Vancouver’s mission is to be leaders and partners in creating and promoting a world-class Active Transporation network in Vancouver.

Vancouver is looking beyond transport and mobility as the foundation for their Active Transportation policy. Their focus addresses and prioritises other eco-socio-cultural dimensions of urban living, to include health, safety, accessibility, economy, public life, environment and resiliency.

Vancouver has 5 Key Cycling Directions:

Upgrade and expand the bike network with routes that are comfortable and convenient
Improve integration with other modes, including via public bike share
Provide secure and abundant paring and end-of-trip facilities
Focus on education and safety
Promote cycling as an everyday option

The implementation principles for Vancouver’s Active Transportation Promotion & Enabling Plan are:

Think Big Picture
Be Opportunistic
Work Together
Invest Wisely
Innovate
Learn and Adapt

Data and Monitoring is key to everything!

Monitoring is key to tracking changes, recording data and observing trends. It is also imperative as evidence to prove positive changes and to encourage (stubborn?) politicians and administrators to act on increasing active transportation.

Vancouver’s monitoring program is impressive. Dale said a number of times that ‘you need to love the data!’. For example, evidence on the time spent sitting and being sedentary can be used to demonstrate causal impacts on health and physical activity outcomes. Dale also stressed the importance of female participation rates as an indicator of achievement of all ages design. Collect data and use it as evidence of success and to justify future initiatives.

What were some of the most interesting ideas?

Dale’s presentation was filled with interesting facts, ideas, learnings, suggestions and insights about Vancouver’s 2040 Transport Plan for biking. There was so much that was interesting, more than I can share here (contact Dale for more!). A quick review of some of the most interesting ideas include:

All ages and all abilities design – the end goal is for all Vancouver cycling infrastructure to all AAA standard. What a great idea!

Must have solid policy backing. Policy needs to recognise and drive issues that are broader than just mobility, for example, safety, health, accessibility, housing affordability, liveability and environment.
High-frequency mass transit is critical in shifting more locals towards using active transportation modes and away from private vehicles. To achieve this, having a minimum grid, forward-thinking strategic decision making and close consultations with stakeholders were key to building interest and momentum.
This presentation was the first time I heard the term ‘conversational bike lanes’ as a way to describe the width of a bike lane. This is used to describe how some bike lanes need to be wider in some places where two bike riders can ride alongside each other (to chat conversationally) as well as having room for one rider coming in the opposite direction (as opposed to just one bike width going both directions). What a lovely ‘social’ way of understanding bike lane usability.

It was inspiring to hear from Dale what could be achieved with political will and a clear strategic vision. What a brilliant model for other cities – a bikable city is achievable.

I am sure I was not the only one in the audience thinking why/how Brisbane could get to this same kind of state.

A trip to Vancouver anyone?

Achieving a Major Bike Mode Shift in Vancouver - Dale Bracewell's Presentation. Bicycles Create Change.com July 23rd 2018 — Twitter: @Dale_Bracewell

All images my own and/or from Dale Bracewell’s PPT presentation.

18/07/201819/07/2018

Nelson Mandela – 100 years

Today is Nelson Mandela’s centenary commemoration.

If he was alive today, it would be a very Happy 100th Birthday.

Nelson (Madiba) Rolihlahla Mandela was born July 18th 1918 and died aged 95, five years ago on December 5th 2013.

Internationally, Nelson Mandela was well-respected and admired for his courage, honesty and integrity.

He was a family man, a lawyer, a politician – and most memorably (and as best expressed in the immortal words of Rage Against the Machine), he was a ‘Renegade of Funk‘, whose philosophy and action unequivocally changed the course of history.

Equality, human rights, education and freedom were key fundamental principles that underpinned Mandela’s work.

Mandela was an incredibly eloquent man – and has left us with a bounty of inspirational and humbling quotes like:

“The purpose of freedom is to create it for others.”

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

“As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.”

Freedom Ride

The Freedom Ride was a social everyone-is-welcome 35kms bike ride that celebrates the spirit and legacy of Nelson Mandela – as well as to raise awareness about cycle safety, and bicycles as a form of transport and recreation.

The first Freedom Ride was held in 2013 and from what I can see online, it had a good turn out for a few years. The original route linked together the communities of Johannesburg and Soweto, which were historically divided by apartheid.

So I went online to see what was happening for this year.

There are many Freedom Rides online, but they are for other issues, like human trafficking, homelessness and abandoned animals. Some are on bikes, some are on motorbikes, but none were ones I was looking for.

It seems that there were no commemorative 2018 Freedom Rides in South Africa. However, I did find some other Mandela inspired bike events like The Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash (KwaZulu-Natal, RSA) and the Cycling South Africa’s Cycle Jozi Week, which included Freedom ride in their program. But these were all from 2016 – I couldn’t find any event listing for 2018.

I wondered if this had anything to do with the unfortunate 2014 official event t-shirt fiasco.

In 2014, the event T-shirt had one of Mandela’s famous quotes on the back. However, 5,000 of the official T-shirts had a serious misprint/typo: the word “freedom” it was instead “freedoom’.

Oh dear.

This meant 5,000 of the T-shirts (see below) read:

“The purpose of freedoom is to create it for others.”

I am pretty sure that oxymoron is NOT what Mandela meant.

But I doubt a typo is why there is no 2018 Freedom Ride.

Freedom Ride aside, today is the day to celebrate Nelson Mandela.

I am going on my own Commemorative Mandela Freedom Bike Ride!

For my ride, I will be pausing and reflecting on the legacy, courage and change that Mandela stood for and achieved.

I will be thinking about Mandela’s principles, hopes and actions and how I can use them to create more positive change in the world – one ride, one day, and/or one action at a time.

I see it as our global challenge to continue what Mandela started.

Happy 100th Madiba!

01/07/201810/07/2018

The Afghani teacher who bicycles books to rural villages

Image: From Now This/The Daily Motion (video still) — Image: Global Giving

Education in rural Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, only 28% of the entire Afghan population 15 years and older is literate and poverty has risen from 36 to 39%.

In Afghanistan, many children do not go to school. Literacy and school are especially limited in the rural areas, where distance and a lack of access and resources mean that education is unrealistic for many families who live in villages where the closest school is 3 hours away.

Education is paramount to reducing poverty and increasing quality of life.

One local, Saber Hosseini is trying to rectify this.

Every weekend, Saber loads up his ‘bicycle library’ and travels to six surrounding rural villages to share his library so that the locals (who have no access to books) can learn to read and have an opportunity to read.

Saber is a schoolteacher in Bamiyan in central Afghanistan. Bamiyan is one of the poorest provinces in Afghanistan, which continues to be hamstrung by conflict, poverty and instability.

Adding to this, Afghanistan has a mountainous geography and vast tracks of barren land, which make travel to school impossible. Even if travel was possible, so many schools were destroyed and education was so severely restricted, that rural children from remote villages were forced to drop out.

The Afghani teacher who bicycles books to rural villages

Saber has been riding his bicycle library since 2016. Saber bought his first 200 books with fundraising support from his friends and local literary circles.

Saber had to travel to the Iranian border to buy most of the books as previously, most publications, literature and books were essentially forbidden.

Over the years, Saber has been supported by friends and local volunteers – as well as people overseas. Now his library has 3,500 books and Saber has since been able to open the first ever public library in Bamiyan.

Reports are that literacy rates in the area are rising as a direct result of Saber’s bicycle library.

At the start, the books were simple, but now, more advanced titles have been added as local reading rates have improved.

The library is now so accepted and popular within these communities, that adults are coming to use the library and are borrowing advanced level children’s books.

Saber uses the opportunity to talk to the locals about peace, avoiding drugs, and being more understanding of different people’s beliefs, lifestyles, culture and choices.

The following story about Saber is from the Global Citizen: One time, Saber spoke to children about guns, and used the slogan:

“Say no to guns, Say yes to books.”

The next time he returned to the same village, the children collected all of their toy guns and handed them over to Saber.

This was a heartwarming gesture, but the kids wanted to bargain: they would forfeit their guns if they could be the first village in the next round of book deliveries so that they could get the first pick.

Saber has brought joy to many communities, but there are costs to his endeavor. He has received many threats and many have opposed his caring works.

Even still, Saber continues to make room for the opportunity to learn. A library is more than just a pile of books, it is also a community of individuals willing to learn and discuss and grow

“When I hand the books out to them, I can see their excitement and joy,” Hosseini said. “It is the joy of being able to learn. I am also inspired.”

Below is a video about Saber’s bicycle library.

High Stakes: Girls’ Education in Afghanistan

Saber’s efforts are particularly important given that illiteracy is a major issue in rural Afghanistan.

A recent Joint NGO Briefing Report of Girls Education in Afghanistan entitled High Stakes: Girls’ Education in Afghanistan reports that female education has faced significant obstacles in Afghanistan, yet there have been enormous gains since 2001. Under the Taliban, the majority of girls’ schools were closed and gross enrollment fell from 32% to just 6.4%.

The report also states that:

Female students have high aspirations for their educational achievement.
Many schools do not have the infrastructure needed to provide a quality education.
Poverty was seen as the single biggest obstacle to girls’ access to education. Poverty as a major barrier to girls attending school.
Poverty is also linked to early or forced marriage, which is an additional major obstacle to girls’ education.
The number of available female teachers is insufficient to meet demand.
Availability of education is insufficient to meet demand.
Distance, along with attendance in mixed classes or interaction with male teachers, becomes increasingly problematic as girls approach adolescence, when cultural norms regulating their behaviour become more restrictive.
Decision-making around whether or not girls go to school, and for how long, is complex and extremely varied from province to province and even household to household.

The World Bank’s 2017 Poverty Status Update Report on the socioeconomic progress in Afghanistan, indicates that the last 15 years of growth in Afghanistan is now being undermined by a recent rise in insecurity.

Let’s hope Saber keeps riding his bike, sharing books and helping others – and that his commitment inspires others to do the same.

All Images: Now This/The Daily Motion (video still) unless otherwise indicated.

10/06/201817/06/2018

Beat Plastic Pollution – on your bike

Plastic is a systemic global issue. As a local Morton Bay rider, I regularly see first-hand the terrible environmental and sealife impact of plastic pollution in our oceans and waterways.

I hope that cyclists and bike riders are active role models – both on AND off the bike – for their families, teams and communities of individuals who are taking positive steps to address the plastic pollution problem.

What do you do as a bike rider to promote a more sustainable, plastic-free future?

Beat Plastic Pollution on your bike! Bicycles Create Change.com 10th May, 2018 — Garbage covers the beach days after an extended storm hit the shoreline of Zouq Mosbeh, north of Beirut, Lebanon, on January 22, 2018. Environmentalists say the winter storm pushed a wave of trash onto Lebanese shores, stirring outrage over a waste-management crisis that has choked the country since 2015. Image: Hussein Malla- AP

Plastic pollution is a major social and environmental issue.

There is a growing global awareness of the collective action now needed to deal with the amount of plastic that already exists, and greater pressure for people to take more immediate and direct personal and community responsibility to reduce current single-use (and use in general) plastics.

This week was a perfect case in point, with two major international commemorative dates spotlighting the growing worldwide plastic issue.

June 5th was World Environment Day. The theme this year was ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’. For me, the most compelling evidence for World Environment Day came from a series of photos curated by Alan Taylor, (some of which are shown here) which details the disturbing importance, scope and severity of impacts of plastics in various places around the world.

Then, a few days later, on June 8th, it was World Ocean Day. The focus was again was on plastics – but this time on preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for healthier oceans.

Beat Plastic Pollution – on your bike.

So what has plastics got to do with cycling and bike riding?

A few cyclists have really taken this issue to heart

In her article for Adventurers Against Plastic, Helen Taylor showcased a number of athlete/activists who are working to raise awareness and clean up of plastics. Of these, there are two cyclists from London who are combining their creativity, ingenuity and love of cycling to tackle the plastic issue head-on. Here is what Helen said about the two bike-inspired eco-projects:

1. Dave Cornthwaite.

Dave is the founder of London-based social enterprise SayYesMore, has organised a 1,000-mile community relay along England’s rivers and canals, where a different person each day will ride a specially-made aquatic bicycle whilst removing plastic rubbish from waterways.

He aims to remove one million pieces of rubbish in 25 counties engaging youth groups, schools, and local clean-up initiatives along the way and says: “All in all, not one group, individual or project can solve all aspects of the issue, but it takes a communal mindset to instigate change. Using an innovative adventure relay to get more people outside will help with this – ultimately if people don’t walk or paddle along rivers they don’t care about what’s going on there. If they see for themselves bottles and crisp packets floating alongside wildlife, they’re more likely to take action.”

2. Dhruv Boruah.

Dhruv is also using a quirky handmade bamboo waterbike to solve the plastic crisis at the source. As part of his Thames Project, Dhruv has been engaging the public in the issue by using his eye-catching waterbike contraption to collect plastic litter.

Dhruv realises that reactive cleaning isn’t the solution to the problem, but sees the project as an educational process: “Cleaning up is a good way of showing people what’s in the canal, it’s a good way to get people involved, when they come and see what’s in the canal they go back home and think twice – adventure activists need to go in and interact with local communities, engage with them and get them out in their spaces and on the waterways.”

Dhruv has also been lobbying policymakers – environmental charities, London councils and the Mayor of London’s office, the BBC, and large supermarket chains – to encourage them to change their single-use plastic habits, as well as promoting a circular economy.

Such bicycle projects are admirable.

But not all cyclists need to go to such lengths to take action.

I like to think that my fellow cyclists make their own regular and impactful contributions to improving the environment and reduce plastic waste.

This may be making your own power snacks that forge the copious amounts of packaging used in gel packs, to picking up pieces of rubbish during a ride where possible and putting them in the bin at the cafe at the end of a ride. Seemingly small actions like these are not only needed and necessary, but also demonstrate that cyclists are taking definitive action to reduce plastic pollution.

So next time you are out riding, think about one easy step you are comfortable that will help to reduce plastic dependency and that shows cyclists and bike riders actively care for our beautiful environs.

May all your rides be plastic reduced!

All Images sourced from Adventure Uncovered, Canal Boat.com & The Atlantic

21/05/201814/06/2018

Kampala’s proposed cycling lanes: Potholes, sewage and traffic hostility

This guest post is from Maeve Shearlaw, a multimedia journalist who writes for The Guardian. This post highlights the ambitious, yet challenging plans Uganda has to improve roads in the capital city, Kampala, for cyclists. A big thanks to Maeve for sharing her unique insights and experience! NG.

A typical scene from Kampala’s busy streets Photograph: Ronald Kabuubi/AP

Special cycle lanes have been promised and initiatives are trying to get people on two wheels, but enthusiasts admit Uganda’s capital has a long way to go.

Initiate a conversation about cycling in Kampala and it will probably go one of two ways. People either assume you’re talking about boda bodas, the motorbike taxis that snake dangerously through the city’s arteries. Or, understanding you mean a pushbike, they’ll laugh dismissively at the possibility of tackling Uganda’s capital on two wheels.

But according to city authorities, Kampala will soon be welcoming its own bike lane network in the central business district.

Walking and cycling account for 60% of the city’s journeys but the roads don’t accommodate them well. Commuters must contend with potholed-tarmac, open manhole covers, running sewage and dirt roads turning to mud baths when it rains.

Kampala's proposed cycling lanes: Potholes, sewage and traffic hostility. Bicycles Create Change.com 21 May, 2018. — Source: Lambanana

Uganda’s roads are some of the most dangerous in the world: the safety of pedestrians and cyclists is a real concern, and in 2012 the government passed a law to better protect them.

Driving isn’t much fun either. Know as “the jam”, severe traffic is a daily headache for road users. Taxi driver Daniel Thembo says the city can be congested for hours every morning and evening, while “sometimes on Mondays and Fridays it lasts all day”.

http://keywordsuggest.org/gallery/9858.html — Source: Keyword Suggest.com

Amanda Ngabirano, a lecturer in urban planning at Makerere University, puts this down to bad organisation rather than too many cars on the road. “We don’t have many traffic lights,” she says “so we all find ourselves at the same junction at the same time.”

Ngabirano is working with the Kampala Capital City Authority Association (KCCA) on plans for a downtown car-free zone for bicycles, which will start with a pilot on Namiermbe Road, a congested area almost impossible to navigate by car.

They’ve deliberately picked the most “hostile” and “complicated” part of the city to start with: “where the people are, and where there is demand,” she explains. “Once we succeed there we will able to change other places very quickly.” Construction is due to begin in December.

Ngabirano wants Kampala to mirror the other pioneering cycle cities of the world like Bogota in Colombia, which runs car free Sundays, and The Hague in The Netherlands, which started to experiment with specialised bike lanes in the 1980s. “People think the differences [to Kampala] are huge, incomparable, but there are some basic principles that influence the way people move the world over – we are just human,” she says.

Tyres over limbs

But planning is only part of the battle. For Ngabirano “the key intervention is to successfully convince politicians about what cycling could do for Uganda and Ugandans.”

At the moment, most people who use their bikes on the roads are those living in poverty. “When it’s not safe it’s for the person who has no other choice, and the person who has no other choice is poor, you cannot deny that relationship,” says Ngabirano.

“It does not make sense that we prioritise cars with four tyres, but we ignore normal human beings whose legs don’t have spare parts,” she adds, before mentioning climate change, another harbinger of change for the continent: “In Africa we need to get it straight: people first, cars second.”

Ngabirano’s love for cycling led her to be profiled as “babe of the week” by Uganda’s national newspaper, The Observer, which even led with the words “back in the day, it was an eyesore for a woman in Kampala to ride a bicycle”.

She wasn’t offended, she says. As one of the few women regularly cycling in the city she feels it’s a good thing that people take notice.

Yet she does recognise the need to for a special effort to get more women involved, who she says would benefit from the freedom bicycles can offer: “If the family has one car, it is for the man in the house. This makes the woman so dependent,” she explains.

Ngabirano isn’t the only one trying to encourage more cycling in the city: from car-free days, a free bike-sharing scheme at Makerere University for students to ride around campus, to the annual Tour De Kampala, the city is making meaningful strides to encouraging cyclists to take to its roads.

This piece is part of a longer article originally published by Maeve Shearlaw for the Guardian African Network.