10.06.2022
A two-wheeled transition to sustainable transport
Using bicycles to achieve climate targets: GIZ is encouraging bicycle use through its projects, supporting people, the environment and the economy in the process.
Bicycles do not emit CO2, they save resources and on average they cost just five per cent of the price of a car, making them one of the greatest inventions for the future of locomotion. And they are more important now than ever before, because limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees will require a broad-based shift away from the kinds of transport that consume lots of fuel.
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is committed to encouraging sustainable mobility around the world. As part of the global Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI), for example, GIZ and 10 other partners support innovative transport projects worldwide and advise policy-makers on finding climate-friendly solutions for urban transport. The initiative promotes modernisation to establish sustainable urban mobility infrastructure. In Cuenca in Ecuador, for instance, 30 additional kilometres of safe bike lanes have been built, while in the Colombian capital Bogotá, a 25 km bicycle highway is being constructed with GIZ’s support.
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Bicycles as a driver of tourism
Bicycles are not only a good means of urban transport, however. They can also support the economy, as demonstrated by a project in Rwanda, where tourism is an important economic sector. Together with the Rwanda Cycling Federation, GIZ is using GPS to map cycling and hiking trails and make them easier to navigate. At the same time, an amateur bike race held alongside the professional Tour du Rwanda attracts additional tourists into the country.
Bicycles also have an important role to play in completely different areas, for instance in the health sector. In rural regions of large African countries, such as Zambia, bikes are an efficient means of transport. For this reason, GIZ and its partners have provided more than 8,000 bicycles for local trainers in six districts. This has made it easier for them to reach many more households and advise pregnant women and families on various issues such as health, nutrition and hygiene.