Volume 5, Issue 1, July 1997
In this issue:
Freiherr Drais von Sauerbronn would surely be proud if he could know about the boom his invention is currently experiencing. In 1817 he pushed his wooden bicycle, with his feet, the 20km distance from Mannheim to Heidelberg, and proved that his 'draisine' was faster than the German mail coach, pulled by horses.
Leisure boom in the North...
180 years later he would find on sunny weekends hundreds of cyclists riding in the German countryside. In European cities, bicycle shops are flourishing everywhere, offering mountain, touring, city, family or racing bikes. The demand has led to technical improvements, elevating bicycle technology beyond the wildest dreams of cyclists of the past: effective cantilever brakes, halogen lamps, 21-gears, and extremely light alloy or carbon fibre frames.
Riding bikes is fashionable in the North not only because of the 'environmental limits to motorization', but also because exercise is good for you. However the bicycle boom has entailed increasing conflicts between cyclists, motorists and pedestrians, particularly in the cities. Planners react only slowly by improving the bicycle infrastructure. The predominant use of the bike for leisure trips, except in countries like Denmark and the Netherlands, puts it at the bottom of planning priorities.
Negative attitudes in the South...
The leisure cycling boom in the North contrasts sharply with the situation in much of the South, where bicycle ownership has stagnated or even declined during the last decade. Even in bicycle-friendly countries like China, prospering cities are planning to restrict bicycle use in order to make space for cars.
Planners and decision makers often regard cycles as leisure devices or luxury items and therefore charge high import taxes for them. Transport planners often regard cycles as marginal, backward and unable to solve transport problems.
Only a few countries actually produce cycles, but most have assembly plants, which have to import expensive parts. The economic decline of many countries has made imports more expensive, while the income of the rural population has stagnated. In Makete, Tanzania, rural households would have to spend their annual income from sales at market to purchase a bicycle. Without access to small-scale credit the chances of owning a bicycle are small.
...but the prospects are good!
Bicycles and bicycle-based transport play a much larger role in the transport systems of Asia than they do in Africa. India and China are the largest producers of bicycles in the world. The potential benefits of bicycles for low-income houses in enormous: bikes can carry 3-4 times the headload and easily triple the speed of a human being. In Makete, Tanzania, households owning a bicycle produce 50 per cent more than other farmers; they spend less time on transport activities and undertake many more trips outside their village. The benefits would be even greater if women as well as men could own and use bicycles –not just in Makete.
Bicycles can themselves be an important means of income generation. Two articles in this issue describe how entrepreneurs in small towns in Peru and Kenya are making a living by offering bicycle-based transport services for people and goods. The pictures of bicycle trailers being used in Sri Lanka speak for themselves.
There has been much research over the past decade on the existing and preferred use of bikes, on planning and gender issues. The last has revealed that culture often constrains women's access to and use of bicycles. The article from Tamil Nadu, India, shows how these constraints can be spectacularly overcome: over 100 000 women have been trained to ride bikes and are now able to save time and energy on domestic transport (see page 5).
Technical research has also led to refinements which make bicycles better able to meet the particular needs of rural households in the South. Bicycle frames have been extended and carriers strengthened to increase loading capacities; cycle trailers and panniers developed, and even a bicycle ambulance (see page 6).
Freiherr Drais would surely be especially proud if he could know of these developments, and that his 'draisine' is daily carrying billions of Chinese people to their places of work, where they are collectively creating one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Niklas Sieber
For this issue, the NFG news follows the form of brief reports about the activities, progress, and first steps for the newer groups, as they were presented at the Advisory Committe meeting in London in April (for more on this meeting see Secretariat Update on page 8).
A core group of IFRTD members interested in forming a NFG has met. A paper will be written, describing the major problems affecting rural transport in Burkina Faso, and following on from this, it is planned that a national workshop on rural transport will be held.
Contact: Dr Sirpe Gnanderman, CEDRES, Universite de Ougadougou, Burkino Faso. Fax: +226 31 2686.
The Kenya NGF was able to report a successful year to the meeting of the Advisory Committee in London in April.
The Group now has broad-based membership including government officials, academics, ILO/ASIST and NGOs such as ITDG and KENDAT. Highlights of the past year have included the Workshop held last September (see full report in Forum News 4.3), and the 'sponsorship' of a project run jointly by IT Kenya and the Kisumu Innovation Centre. The project works with Jua Kali artisans to produce and promote different intermediate forms of transport. About 2000 people visited the exhibitions held as part of the project. The main demand has been for bicycle ambulances to be used by health centres for AIDS patients.
The NFGs lobby for the inclusion of rural transport issues in the 8th National Development Plan has also been successful. There are eight pages in the Plan devoted to these issues. One of the suggestions is to get the activities of the NFG included in the public investment register so that it can have access to external resources.
The Group has also formed links with Uganda and Tanzania, in the form of the University of Dar Es Salaam.
Contact: David Nalo, Sr. Economist, Office of the President, PO Box 51163, Nairobi, Kenya. Fax: +254 2 217-452, 219-365.
The NFG has been concentrating on recruiting new members, and forming links with universities to promote the IRAP process, and other transport issues. The first is linked with the second, as delivering information to the universities will help in the recruitment process and assist in making the identity of the NFG distinct from the well-established IRAP process itself.That process ends this year, but the NFG is taking steps to ensure its sustainability beyond the end of the IRAP period. The Forum Group has formulated research programmes with some universities, and an office in the IRAP bureau has been established. The NFG believes it will further be assisted in its aims by carrying out projects with other donors and agencies, and has asked for support in its task of raising the profile of the Group in the country.
Contact: Nori Palarca, Room 210A, Pacific Place Condominium, Emerald Avenue, Ortigas Centre, Pasig City, Philippines. Fax: +632 812-6143/7611
At the Advisory Committee meeting, a report was presented by Tatenda Mbara on the first activities of the infant Zimbabwe NFG, which has met twice so far.
In the last six months, the core Group (members from government ministries, universities, ITDG and the ILO) has met twice, trying to set up practical operating conditions for the NFG. A concept paper was discussed at a meeting in January, and a seminar was held in February to discuss the results of a study of rural transport conditions in three areas. Mr Lusare from PIRTP (Malawi) was also present, which enabled useful discussion to take place.
Progress has also come in the form of The University of Zimbabwe running a rural transport module in its curriculum from September. It was reported that ILO/ASIST had been most supportive of the NFG during its organizing period, and progress is set to continue.
Contact: Tatenda Mbara, Lecturer, Dept. of Rural and Urban Planning, University of Zimbabwe, PO Box MP 167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe. Fax: +263 4 333-407/335-249.
The Bangladesh NFG is also in its infancy, and has been working on the development of a constitution and legal framework for the Group, and guidelines for the NFG have now been drafted.
There have been three meetings already, but it has proved difficult to gather together people from NGOs, private sector and the government.
Future activities will include the finalization of the guidelines, identification of research projects and the organization of a seminar on rural transport issues. The Group would like to receive contact details from more experts in rural transport, as well as assistance in raising funds for the NFG's activities.
Contact: Q I Siddique, Chief Engineer, Local Government Engineering Dept., LGED Bhabau, Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka 1207. Fax: +880 813144e-mail: ce@iged.bdmail.net
The Forum Group has been concentrating on developing and adopting a constitution.
SLFRTD is currently engaged in two main activities: the Community Bus Service Project and planning the regional seminar on creating an enabling environment for IMTs. In the Community Bus Project, the main stakeholders are the SLFRTD, the community itself and the Provincial Council. The community has already upgraded 4.5km of footpath into an all-weather road, by mobilizing their own resources and others from local development agencies. The next stage is to purchase a bus. The community has already raised one third of the cost through running a lottery.
The regional seminar is being planned for March 1998, and SLFRTD is fundraising currently, and has asked for Secretariat support in this, and in identifying key experts/actors in the field of rural transport who could further assist.
Contact: Mandrie Sahabandu, Manager, Planning and Research, National Transport Commission, 241 Park Road, Colombo 5, Sri Lanka. Fax: +941 503-725. E-mail: itdg@sri.lanka.net
Trailing glory: rural transport progress in Sri Lanka
IT Sri Lanka introduced the cycle trailer to a few villages in 1990, hoping that it would minimize the transport problems prevalent in rural areas. The two-wheeled iron cart that can be attached to a bicycle easily, has helped villagers in many ways. Some of these ways are: for short distance travel; transport of water, firewood and provisions for homes; transport of small quantities of harvested or raw materials for income-generating work, and transporting passengers, especially in emergencies. In order to make cycle trailers readily available, every effort has been taken to keep the cost as low as possible.
But the trailers are used daily for numerous activities, and the users come up with requests to suit their needs. These modifications have included requests for an easier-to-use wheel (angle section spokes welded at rim and hub buckle too easily on potholed roads), changes in frame shape, a better brake system for the trailer and an improved hitch mechanism –a bicycle inner tube wrapped tightly into a ball– a rattle-free hitch, with the original steel ball hitch still preferred by some. The new wheels, brake system and a stand have improved the efficiency of the trailer, but they have also increased the production cost of the trailer by approximately Rs1500. The prices of raw materials have also risen.
Trying to keep the trailer within manageable price limits, technology development must essentially focus on low cost, simple developments. Therefore, continuing research and development is necessary. This is a challenge that all development of appropriate technology must face: it must suit both the needs and the purse of the user.
An important development has been a smaller bicycle trailer for use by women. In April 1996, the traditional new year festival 'Aluth Avurudda' was celebrated in Suriyawewa with the usual festivities, and with the introduction of bicycle trailer races, not just for men, but most unusually, women too. The idea, from GIDES (Giruwapattu Community Development Square) and supported by village societies and IT Sri Lanka, was to create better awareness of rural transport options, which it certainly did.
After the successful men's race, the talk was all about the technology, durability, potential use and so on. The women's race created much more of a stir, and not a little opposition and ridicule. However, when the five competitors (only one of whom had ridden a trailer before) rode their trailers with ease and at a speed equal to the men, the sneering turned to cheering.
The popularity of the trailers with both women and men continues to grow, and with IT Sri Lanka helping continually to train small-scale manufacturers to make the trailers, and users feeding back their ideas for improvements, these trailers are set to run and run.
Contact: Rural Transport Team, IT Sri Lanka. Fax: +94 856188. E-mail: itsrilan@sri.lanka.net
Ouagadougou: bicycles have a long way to go...
There is currently an investigation being carried out in Ouagadougou by a Franco-Burkina team (comprising LET, INRETS and CEDRES) into the use of non-motorized transport (mainly bicycles), in urban Burkina Faso. Its main objective is to identify constraints to bicycle use in Ouagadougou city, and the means to overcome them.
The main questions addressed include:
In Ouagadougou, most users of bicycles are students, followed by informal sector workers, then people from rural areas.
The bicycle it seems is viewed as an interim step on the road to using other modes of transport, particularly two-wheeled motorized vehicles. Many find bicycles tiring to use, causing slowness which is felt to increase the likelihood of accidents. There is also prejudice against using bicycles more widely as it is 'demeaning' i.e. there are associations with poverty. This view is held more strongly by women than men.
In Ouagadougou, if you start off owning a bicycle, you expect to progress one day to owning a car. Compared with other modes of transport the bicycle suffers with a negative image, even among poorer people, who use a bus in preference to a bike whenever they can. The only perceived advantage of the bicycle is its low purchase and maintenance costs.
The investigation has discovered that as well as social and cultural factors, there are political constraints to increased bicycle use. As far as the ruling politicians are concerned, their subjective views of how the capital should be carry more weight than any economic or functional criteria.
There are a number of stategies which could be used to popularize the bicycle, including building up a network of cycle tracks, promoting the bicycle's image with poorer people in particular, practically administering existing bicycle use, and addressing its 'image problems' generally.
Contact: Dr. Sirpe Gnanderman, CEDRES, Universite de Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.Fax: +226 31 2688
Two international conferences on bicycles have recently been staged successfully, one in Cuba and one in Australia. Our woman in Havana was Ana Bravo who supplied this report. Ranjith de Silva of IT Sri Lanka sends his thoughts from the 'Velo Australis' conference, where his presentation was on the theme of 'Development perspectives on bicycle-based transport'.
Bicycles: an option for the 21st Century'
The aim of this conference was to exchange experiences in the use of cycles as a means of tansport. Sixty-five per cent of the presentations were from Cuba itself; an indication of the dramatic increase in the use of bikes in Cuba during the 'special period' –the name given by Cubans to the US blockade– because of the scarcity of fuel. Motorized transport does exist, but mainly for public transport.
Bicycles in Havana have increased from 30 000 to 60 000 in two years; an indicator of Cubans' efforts to address the problems of using motorized transport. Traffic regulations in the city have been reviewed to take bicycles into account fully. Bicycle lanes and dedicated trackways, separate from the road, have been built in the last months, and a 'ciclobus', which carries bicycles and riders from one end of a tunnel to the other, has been provided, to prevent accidents within the tunnel.
The conference highlighted that the introduction of cycles in Cuban cities is an economical and environmentally sustainable response to the energy crisis in the country.
There was news from other countries, two specifically related to rural transport (Kenya and Sri Lanka) and one to gender (the World Bank in Africa). There were presentations on progress with urban bicycling schemes from Latin America (Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua and Peru –see this newsletter).
As a result of the conference, a discussion list on cycling issues has been set up on the internet; see below for contact details. The papers presented at the conference will be published on the internet, as part of the discussion list. Mr Claudio Valeze, from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile is in charge of initial arrangements for this.
Contact: majordomo@ing.puc.cl
The conference had four main themes: changing values and attitudes; healthy cities and healthy people; the role of the bicycle in economic development, and information on computers (the Internet) as a means of communication and information sharing.
All presentations by contributors were about creating 'cycle-friendly environments. There were panel discussions regarding the particular problems in Northern cities, where pollution from motorized traffic is a major problem. There may be lessons here for developing countries (where pollution in many cities is even worse), in terms of cycle lanes and dedicated trackways being constructed from now on, as they are belatedly in Northern cities at a very costly rate.
Ranjith de Silva of IT Sri Lanka reported much interest in the use of the bicycle trailer, as pioneered in Sri Lanka (see page 3). Many of those enquiring, bearing in mind the majority at this conference was from 'developed' countries, could not believe that the bicycle plus trailer can be used in rural Sri Lanka as a family vehicle, domestic help and as the basis or means for income-earning activities.
Women have perhaps the most to gain from successful transport interventions, especially when they are linked with other forms of development, such as health care or literacy. This article describes how women on bicycles in Tamil Nadu, India, have led the way, showing –with style!– how bikes can play a central part in rural development.
Learn to ride the cycle, sister,
Set in motion the wheel of life sister.
Cars, ships and planes are now piloted by women,
Those days are gone when the drivers were only men.
So learn to ride the cycle quickly,
And begin a new story.
The strains of this new song could be heard in the early 1990s in the remote villages of Puddukottai District in Tamil Nadu. Gradually, several rural women riding cycles come into view, a rather unusual sight. What has happened here?
What was in fact happening was the originally unforeseen by-product of a literacy campaign targeting women. To the four aspects of literacy, numeracy, functionality and awareness initially identified by the National Literacy Mission in New Delhi, a fifth one was added: mobility. This was the brainchild of the then District Collector (top district-level bureaucrat/decision-maker), named Sheela Rani Chunkath. Her original idea, in the latter part of 1991, was not only to train female activists so that the literacy campaign would reach women in remote rural areas, but also to include mobility as an integral component of the literacy drive. This was based on the understanding that lack of mobility among women played a great role in shaping their consciousness, their self-esteem, in undermining their confidence. Sheela Rani Chunkath pushed the banks to advance loans for the purchase of cycles, and got each to accept specific responsibilities for promoting the programme, as well as giving the scheme enormous personal attention herself, the most important official in the district. When officially adopted by the literacy campaign, cycling for women gained popularity rapidly.
Under the scheme, groups of women organized under a rural development programme and were initiated into cycling as a practical, business skill, to help with their income generating activities. If you're a woman selling agricultural or other produce within a group of villages, the bicycle cuts down on time wasted in waiting for buses, particularly on poorly connected routes. Secondly, it gives you much more time to concentrate on selling your produce, while increasing the area you hope to cover. It can even increase your leisure time, too, should you choose. Small producers who used to wait for buses were often dependent on fathers, brothers, husbands or sons even to reach the bus stop. They could therefore only cover a limited number of villages.
Women learned how to cycle from all those who already had cycles in the village (mostly men), who were asked to spend a few hours each day teaching the women. Men who helped were given recognition for contributing to the process of development and change. This helped break barriers of age, caste and class, and built a sense of unity and solidarity in the village communities. Women themselves also pooled money to hire bicycles once or twice a week, to help each other learn. Schoolgirls taught their mothers, training camps were organized, competitions conducted and prizes given. A cycling tour by eleven young girls all across the district motivated many women to learn cycling. As cycling spread, women were no longer the butt of male jokes: there were just too many of them and the sight became commonplace. 50 000 women in the district learned to cycle in one year.
Women once had to rush home early to tend their children and fetch water. Now, in Puddukottai District, along some remote road, you can see a young mother, child on the bar, produce on the carrier, two, perhaps even three pots of water hung across the back, cycling towards work or home, combining different tasks with nonchalance.
But in the words of a Bombay based journalist, P. Sainath: 'It would be wrong to emphasise the economic aspect to the exclusion of the sense of independence and self-respect [achieved by women cyclists]. One woman who hires a bicycle every evening said: 'What money do I make from cycling? I lose money. I can't afford a bicycle. Yet, I hire one every evening just to feel that goodness, that independence'. It is difficult for people to understand how important this is for rural women. It's a Himalayan achievement for them, like flying an aeroplane. People may laugh. Only women know how important it is'.
This article has been adapted from two existing articles by Nitya Rao, based on personal experience in Puddukottai in 1992-3, and P. Sainath writing in Humanscape, July 1995. Our thanks to them both.
Tricycles in the Peruvian Puna
A flat city at sea level, mild weather and no rain, might seem to be the description of the perfect place for bicycle transport. Lima, the capital of Peru, despite such wonderful conditions, is not. The main reason is the rather risky environment in which cyclists have to travel; increasing motorized traffic congestion and subsequent occupation of public space, and speedy environmental degradation and pollution. These circumstances are not conducive to the sustainable development of bicycle transport in the city.
In Juliaca city, however, near the border with Bolivia and close to Lake Titicaca, the opposite conditions prevail. But being three thousand metres above sea level, with scarce oxygen, frequent showers and steeply undulating streets doesn't prevent 15 000 'tricyclists' from carrying out their daily activities. Transporting goods or people, they constitute the backbone of the transport system on the high plateau, in the expanding urban zone of some 150 000 inhabitants.
Both cities have in common the lack of a transport policy that includes and promotes the use of non-motorized vehicles as a way to gain a livelihood for individuals and encourage local economies. In the case of Juliaca, the tricycles are both a permanent and seasonal (sowing and harvesting) source of jobs for peasants, but the municipality does not promote any improvement of the conditions in which the tricycles operate. On the contrary, they are regarded as an urban nuisance.
In this context, CICLORED, a recently formed Peruvian NGO, is encouraging research into and action on alternative transport schemes, with the aim of giving cyclists and pedestrians a real space among the existing diversity of methods of transport.
Contact: Carlos Cordero, Director, CICLORED. Advice and Training Centre on Transport and Environment. Ocharan 444 Dpto. 403, Lima 18, Peru. E-mail: ccordero@amauta.rcp.net.pe
Bike Aid 1997 'Pedaling for the Planet: Promoting Sustainable Transportation'
Bike-Aid is an annual US cross country bicycle ride which raises funds and educates students, decision-makers etc. about grassroots development issues around the world. In its twelve year history, Bike-Aid has raised over $1.3 million for community development projects and education.
This summer, Bike-Aid participants will cycle over 3,600 miles across the US, demonstating the potential of the bicycle as a means of transport. Cyclists will each meet with different groups working on transportation, environmental and social justice issues, to share knowledge and learn from the experiences of others. It is also a great way to see the country, live in a 'community on wheels', challenge yourself physically and have fun!
Contact: Overseas Development Network (ODN). Tel: +1 415 431-4204 or +1 415 431-4408. Fax: +1 415 431-5953. E-mail: odn@igc.org Website: www.igc.apc.org/odn
AITD launches a global network of non-motorized transport
India, like many other Asian and African countries still has a traditional, non-motorized transport (NMT) sector. While a lot of costly infrastructural facilities have been developed for motorized transport, rural people still depend largely on NMT, as most transport activity takes place off highways. NMT modes are prominent in the urban scene too, particularly for short trips on congested areas and narrow roads, and for access to motorized public transport.
The Asian Institute of Transport Development (AITD), New Delhi, commissioned a study on the current status of NMT in India, and has published a report of the findings entitled 'Non-motorized transport in India: current status and policy issues'.
AITD wishes to document and commission studies on the status of NMT in other developing countries also. o this end, AITD has established a network on non-motorized transport. Those who are interested in joining the network should contact:
Co-ordinator, Network on NMT, Care Director, Asian Institute of Transport Development, Apt. E-5, Qutab Hotel, Saheed Jeet Singh Marg, New Delhi, 110016, India. Tel: +91 11 685-6117. Fax: +91 11 685-6113. e-mail: klt%aitin@globemail.com
A participatory study conducted by the Intermediate Technology Rural Transport Programme (RTP) in Kenya in July 1995 looked at issues related to accessibility and methods of transport in Ndhiwa (an area with poor road infrastructure and access problems), and particularly issues relating the difficulties of transporting of sick people to health institutions. The study found that patients are brought to hospitals on wheelbarrows, bicycles or by being carried.
On the basis of these findings, a project is now under way. One of its main aims is to test the management and use of a bicycle ambulance and to test its usefulness. By piloting the use of bicycle ambulances, the RTP will establish the value of the technology itself, and also how it can be best introduced and managed.
A bicycle ambulance is a two-wheeled handcart which can be either pushed, or pulled as a trailer by the bicycle. It is made from metal bars and can hold one person lying down. A metal framework on top allows for a protective cover.
A cycle ambulance was lent to various health institutions for one year, on the basis that they are responsible for management and all maintenance costs. They must also monitor its use and usefulness. The cost of each ambulance is Ksh 5000 (US $87). It is envisaged that they will be leased out on a 'hire/acquire' scheme.
The trailer is used for transporting patients typically around 4-8 kilometres. Some limitations have been identified, namely that it cannot be used in the rainy season when the roads are very muddy, and the tyres are often punctured, so it is necessary to carry spares.
The bicycle ambulance is certainly addressing a need aticulated in many communities: a low-cost means of transporting sick people to receive medical care.
Contact: Rural Transport Team, IT Kenya, PO Box 39493, Nairobi, Kenya. Fax: +254 2 445-166. E-mail: it.kenya@commsol.sprint.com
Bicycle expressways are being promoted by Joseph Adler of Toronto, Canada, as the future of cycling in cities.
'The Bicycle Expressway System concept represents an innovative, unique and viable solution for the efficient promotion of cycling on a mass scale, and in direct connection with this for the radical improvement of urban transportation in any city in the world facing traffic congestion and air pollution', states Mr Adler.
Briefly, the basis of this concept is the construction of a network of covered expressways for bicycles only, elevated a 5 metres (15 feet) above the street, level or with downhill slopes only, the uphill sections being taken by escalators. They will therefore be completely separate from other forms of traffic, and accidents and congestion minimized (see illustration).
Mr Adler asserts that 'with this in place, the bicycle will become the safest, cheapest, healthiest and fastest door-to-door means of urban transportation. The return period on the required investment is very short, because the cost of the system including operation and maintenance is very low and cannot be challenged by any other transportation alternative with the same traffic capacity'.
The concept has received support from various development and planning organizations in Canada and elsewhere, and the World Bank has expressed interest.
Anyone interested in learning more about this concept should contact: Mr Joseph Adler, 33 Orchard View Blvd., Suite 1805, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4R 2E9. Tel: +1 416 487-1066. Fax: +1 416 481-7298.
Promotion of bicycles in Nicaragua
Since the second half of the eighties, after their widespread introduction with special deals which made them affordable, bicycles have been promoted as an economic means of transport in Nicaragua.
In June and July 1996 in Leon city, a first bicycle study was carried out, focusing on aspects of their use by citizens; constraints and risks at individual and society level and strategies to make it possible that bicycles, as a part of the everyday life of the city, are taken into account in the process of urban transport planning.
Among the conclusions of the study it has been found that for many inhabitants of Leon, the bicycle is an alternative means of transport, used in response to a a lack of available motorized transport. Despite its important role, for some institutions in Leon, bicycles and cyclists have a negative image and are seen as a 'problem' in a city that has not been prepared to give an adequate response to the increase in their numbers and use.
In spite of various constraints, the study has demonstrated that bicycles are used primarily for work, and that they are both cheaper and faster than public transport. There are good prospects for further development if risks to safety can be minimized. The study also shows that Leon, a compact city without steep hills, is a good environment for bicycles and cycling.
From the study results, actions have been agreed to integrate the use of bicycles as a means of transport into municipal planning.
A list of recommendations for the pilot plan is given at the end of the study.
Further details from: Ton Daggers, Abstederdijk 30, 3582 BM Utrecht, The Netherlands. E-mail: daggers@knoware.nl
Co-operating for transport development
ILO co-operation with learning institutions: managing choice and change in Africa and Asia
The following is news of a 'donor agency initiative' which arrived too late for inclusion in our last newsletter on that theme.
In order to introduce concepts of technology choice and management of employment-intensive infrastructure to university civil engineering courses, the ILO is co-operating with selected learning institutions. Many such institutions in developing countries have difficulty with financing new activities, such as the introduction of new learning materials, networking and research, and need external support. For this reason the ILO has begun an inter-regional project funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), which will run for two and a half years until December 1998. This project aims at strengthening the institutions' capacity in the following areas: (i) labour-based infrastructure development and maintenance, and (ii) accessibility planning. The activities sponsored are: the introduction and testing of 'development engineering' learning materials for undergraduate and postgraduate students; translations; research work; seminars; workshops and any other activities suitable within the above areas of study.
As an example, the collaboration between the ILO and the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana (UST) has been running for a few years. There have been three stages in this time. Stages one and two provided for the carrying out of research assignments and fieldwork by students on cost and quality comparisons of equipment and labour-based rehabilitation projects carried out by contract. Stage three, now being undertaken consists of (i) modifying UST's curricula both in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes; (ii) strengthening and broadening the departmental capacity through assigning student projects in the area, seminars, field trips and appropriate co-operation with other African universities, and (iii) collaborating with industry. The collaboration between ILO/POLDEV, UST and the Dept. of Feeder Roads (DFR) Ministry Ghana, has been a prosperous one.
Further information on this programme is available from: Maria Prieto, ILO/POLDEV, Fax: 41 22 799-6489. E-mail: prieto@ilo.org
Training for managing and financing rural transport, 1-11 December 1997
A training programme on managing and financing rural transport is being organized by the TRL in Washington DC, USA in December of this year. It is supported by the World Bank and the Department for International Development (DFID, formerly the ODA). Aimed at senior officials from government ministries and road agencies, the programme is intended to disseminate information on sustainable solutions to the management planning and financing of rural infrastructure and transport services, taking environmental implications into account.
The aim is to encourage the sharing of experience between participants and speakers through discussions and plenary sessions. Presenters will include transport professionals and experts.
The programme will cover both infrastructure and services and include financing and resource mobilization, designated and undesignated roads, the off-road transport burden, institutions, planning and implementation, environmental issues and mitigation plans.
For further information, contact Linda Parsley or Simon Ellis, Overseas Centre, TRL. Tel: +44 1344 770-551/770-552. Fax: +44 1344 770-719.e-mail: lindap@o.trl.co.uk or simone@o.trl.co.uk
Mozambique is ranked as the poorest country in the world. War and drought have created this situation. One of the consequences has been that women, with less access to society's resources, have been disproportionately marginalized. The burden of poverty is literally carried on their heads. One government study showed that women spend 412 hours per day walking to and from daily destinations in order to farm their small plots of land and procure fuel and water.
In recognition of the struggle of African women, ITDP (Institute for Transportation and Development Policy) has gathered resources and provided technical assistance to improve mobility and create employment opportunities, for members of the National Mozambican Association for the Development of Rural Women (AMRU). In a true project partnership, ITDP, AMRU, Pedals for Progress and the US Department of Defense, Office of Humanitarian and Refugee Affairs have co-ordinated a programme whereby 'recycled' bicycles from the US have been procured and imported into Mozambique through specially organized deals. Some wheelchairs were also included, for use by members of AMRU suffering injury caused by landmines.
The bicycles and parts were released by customs in January 1996 and taken to a warehouse rented by AMRU. Members built shelves and bikestands from the containers the bikes were shipped in, organized and equipped the workshop and repaired bicycles; skills which AMRU women contemplate using now to construct bike trailers. Women have also been trained in bicycle repairs and maintenance.
The bikes have been distributed to women in four villages on the outskirts of Chockwe in Gaza province, where previous successful AMRU projects meant that community leaders are supportive of AMRU and therefore more likely to accept the scheme. An extension worker based in Chockwe makes careful decisions regarding those in greatest need of bicycles, and their use and usefulness will be reported back to the project co-ordinator.
For more information, contact: Karen Overton, ITDP, 115 West 30th Street, Suite 1205, New York, NY 10001. Fax: +1 212 629-8033. E-mail: mobility@igc.apc.org
Just a few years ago, school dropouts from Siaya in rural Kenya, about 300 miles west of Nairobi, had no real prospects and might even resort to drug trafficking and robbery. Today, the Siaya Bicycle Transporters Association provides an example of how young people can take control of their lives, make a regular income and even save a little.
In cities like Nairobi, London and Paris, bicycles are taken for granted. In Siaya, with a population of 80 000, they are very special, the equivalent of personal cars. They even serve as collateral for loans from neighbours.
The only paved road in the area begins at the shores of Lake Victoria, passes through a little of the Siaya area and then ends abruptly. The more plentiful earth roads are rough, muddy when it rains and dusty when it's hot. The matatu (mini taxis) stick to the paved road, and plying the earth roads takes stamina and youthful energy.
Enter the 'border border', or bicycle taxis, operated by the young jobless of Siaya and so-named because of the Kenya/Uganda border town of Busia where the trade started.
Begun under the chairmanship of a local Jua-Kali ('working in hot sun') bicycle repairer named Omondi Okoth, the Siaya Bicycle Transporters Association now numbers some 200 members.
Eligible members must own a bicycle. He/she then pays a 100Ksh non-refundable registration fee, and undertakes to remit five shillings to the Association every evening', says Okoth. 'With the money collected, we shall be able to advance loans to members to buy more bicycles'. Local politicians and councillors approve of the scheme, under which the youths make as much as 6000Ksh per month. This is a worthwhile sum: a trained primary teacher only takes home 2000 shillings per month.
The bicycle taxis operate in circumstances where the matatus are few and unreliable, and mainly use the paved road. People can wait for up to six hours for transport. The poor conditions of the roads actually helps the cycle taxi operators, some of whom actually hope the government will not spend money on road improvements, thus opening the way for large-scale matatu operators to take away their business. The cycle taxis also ferry produce to market, patients to the hospital and even coffins to burial sites.
This piece is adapted from an article by William Onyango, first appearing in Toward Freedom, February 1997.
We hope you like this double issue of Forum News. Write and tell us!
For us here in the Secretariat in London, the most significant event of the last quarter was (no, not the British election!) the third meeting of the Advisory Committee, held in our offices on April 7 and 8. The meeting resulted in a pledge from our funder, Swiss Development Co-operation, to support the Secretariat for a further two years, and a promise from ITDG to continue to give us a home for this time. We thank them both for their confidence, and look forward to working with Forum members to strengthen the network.
The committee endorsed our work plan for 1997. Some of the expected results from our work this year will be: the publication of a book on networking by Professor Paul Starkey, who is Technical Advisor to our partner network ATNESA; a market study to assess the commercial feasibility of producing a journal on transport and development with IT Publications; a directory of specialists in rural transport; an analysis of where the IRAP process has so far reached (through an expert group meeting); research on gender issues in rural transport and on issues relating to transport and economic development.
We will also continue with Forum News and the web page. Those members who have visited the web page will see that we update it frequently and have now included the newsletter. Please send us any information about new research, events, training programmes etc. that you would like to see on it. If members would like to make links between their web pages and ours, please let Niklas know and he will set up the link from our end. Soon the web page will be in French and Spanish as well.
The Secretariat will continue to support the activities of the National Forum Groups. A fund of US$50 000 has been allocated by the ILO from the SIDA interregional project to be used for NFG activities. We will use the fund to support interaction and networking within the country and with other NFGs, raise the profile of the NFG and produce a shareable output. We hope that NFGs will also be able to raise co-funding for these activities. By the end of 1997 we expect there to be many more national networks: in Burkina Faso, Uganda and Tanzania, and others in Latin America and Asia. We will report on NFG progress in all these areas, and others too.
Our Autumn edition will discuss issues surrounding financing rural transport, so please send in your items for inclusion. You may like to plan even further ahead to our Winter 97/98 issue, which will have community participation in rural transport as its theme. Articles on these, or your news, letters and reports are, as ever, welcome.
Edited by Ros Patching.