Durban - It has been more than five years since the eThekwini Municipality introduced the Bicycles for Councillors programme initiated to promote cycling instead of driving around the city.
Greg Albert, owner of Cyclesphere, was an adviser in the programme and said it was first rolled out after the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) held in Durban in 2011.
Members of the municipality’s executive committee (Exco) were given bicycles to use when getting to meetings in the city to reduce carbon emissions, promote cycling and reduce traffic.
“The initiative was a great idea. Cycle lanes were even built around the city, but they were more for recreational cycling rather than for travelling to work,” Albert said.
Further, he said another issue with the programme, and for cyclists in general, was that there was not enough bicycle parking.
“The city tried building stands for bicycles, outside the city hall, but that did not work out,” he said.
He said the parking issue could also arise for cyclists who wanted to tour Durban on bikes because they would have nowhere to park them.
Former eThekwini Mayor James Nxumalo, who welcomed the programme during his tenure in office, said the programme aimed at encouraging the public to ride bicycles instead of driving around the city.
“It was an aim to avoid traffic congestion which I know still affects a lot of people,” Nxumalo said.
He thought the programme should have continued after his departure because it was a “great initiative”.
Albert said the success of the programme could not be measured because there was no system of monitoring put in place.
“Who will monitor whether people are riding their bikes? That was the issue with the programme,” Albert said.
Nigel Gumede, a former Exco member and one of 12 members given bikes, said he still used his.
“I use it more as a form of exercise now, but it is definitely still in use. I even encourage my children to use their bicycles when we go to the beachfront,” Gumede said.
Heinz de Boer, an Exco member and DA councillor, said he felt the programme was not successful.
“Like many of the city’s projects, this one has fallen apart. I still use my bicycle from time to time, but the project did not consider certain things like bad driving. One could get killed on a bicycle,” he said.
Councillor Mdu Nkosi, another Exco member and IFP councillor, said he was not part of Exco at the time and therefore had not received a bicycle, but he had commended the programme.
He said if he had received one, he would be riding it often.
Mthunzi Gumede, the mayor’s spokesperson, said the programme was still continuing but needed to be improved.
“The programme was more than just about promoting cycling - it was in line with things like addressing climate change, transport and reducing traffic. It just needs to be properly planned,” he said.
He added that it was not realistic to expect people to cycle from uMlazi to the city hall because by the time they got to the office they would be exhausted.
“The programme is a great initiative, but we need to look at ways of improving it,” said Gumede.