BCC seeks to revive cycling culture

THE City of Bulawayo wants residents to embrace cycling as a lifestyle to promote healthy living while also helping decongesting the city and reducing carbon emissions in line with the smart city concept.

The local authority views cycling as an economic enabler that is largely tied to tourism.

According to council, cycling is in line with its vision of becoming a transformative and smart city by 2024 and the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).

Yesterday, the city council management held a consultative meeting with residents to unpack what the local authority aims to achieve by promoting cycling in the city.

The poorly attended meeting at the Large City Hall was supposed to incorporate views from players in the transport sector.

In the past, most residents used bicycles to and from work as a mode of transport, but that culture has faded as more people started buying cars. Even cycle tracks were left unattended following the dearth of cycling.

While in the past men were the ones who cycled to work, under the new thrust, council is also encouraging women to embrace the cycling culture to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Speaking during the consultation meeting, acting Town Clerk Mrs Sikhangele Zhou said council wants to revive the cycling culture in line with global trends.

While in Zimbabwe cycling is associated with poverty, developed countries such as Spain actually encourage their citizens to either cycle or walk to work.

“As a city we know we have a tradition of cycling. In the olden days we used to see 6th Avenue Extension into Luveve Road and Khami Road, teeming with people cycling to work. We know that people are used to cycling, but that culture of cycling had sort of died,” said Mrs Zhou.

She said council wants to promote and revive the habit of cycling among residents.

“Our cars can pollute the environment as the number of cars increase through carbon emissions. For our health benefit, I think the medical profession can agree with us that if done properly it can be of immense health benefit,” said Mrs Zhou.

She said council is working rehabilitating cycling tracks.

“So as a city we will try and revamp cycling tracks. We want all stakeholders to come on board so that as we promote this way of life,” she said.

e council intends to officially launch the cycling culture next Wednesday.

Bulawayo City Council ( BCC) business development officer Mr Kholisani Moyo said cycling is linked to the world economy.

“In our thinking we wanted to link cycling to tourism. For instance, if a visitor wants to visit a heritage site they can cycle. We also have a wishing well outside City Hall, which is also a monument,” he said.

“We want visitors to visit that well. There is Inxwala site, The Hanging tree, National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe, Exchange Building, the Post Office is also a heritage building as well as Joshua Nkomo Statue.”

Mr Moyo said cycling is a low-cost transport mode for citizens. He said a bicycle industry can also be created in the city taking advantage of new revenue streams.

“What they are doing now is just assembling so we want to develop an industry and once you have developed an industry you are generating employment and fulfilling Sustainable Development Goal number eight which speaks to economic growth and development,” he said. — @nqotshili towards

He said Government is also applying heritagebased education by using local resources to develop the country.

“In the Second Republic Zimbabwe has learnt to take ownership of its programmes. Take for instance, the construction of universities innovation hubs and so forth. We have used our own technical people at universities as well as apprentices in the industrial training and trade testing department to construct our universities,” he said.

Prof Murwira said the higher and tertiary education sector has been able to respond to national problems with universities establishing factories.

He said universities were able to produce sanitisers in response to Covid-19 thereby reducing the import bill. Prof Murwira said one of Zimbabwe’s biggest assets is its human capital which has been able to apply skills for transformative development.

He said Government has been able to cut costs through contracting local companies.

“Take an example of the Beitbridge-Chirundu Road and see how self-belief and leadership of His Excellency, the President Dr E D Mnangagwa came to the fore. He just said we will construct these roads on our own,” said Prof Murwira.

“When we were quoted by a certain foreign company, they had quoted something like US$2 billion, but we were able to construct this road with less than US$1 billion. So, this country has learnt to believe it itself.” The minister said despite illegal sanctions, Zimbabwe has rediscovered itself in terms of self-sustenance.

Prof Murwira said there has been a mindset change on how Zimbabwe responds to national challenges.

“We had a complete change of development philosophy and the implementation model of innovation, industrialisation, teaching research and community services that is espoused in Heritage Based Education 5.0,” he said.

“You will see what we have been able to do with wheat in agriculture production. You might have seen that all universities are having agro-innovation and industrial parks. We are looking for things that matter in this country.”

Prof Murwira said Zimbabwe is proving to the world that it is the master of its destiny.

“We have said we will work with all those friendly countries that are willing to work with us. In fact, that is why His Excellency said we are a friend to all and an enemy to none. These are the philosophies that have made a difference in terms of the direction that this country is going,” he said.

Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Permanent Secretary Mr Paul Nyoni said Government should be commended for stepping in and ensuring that the development trajectory is maintained even in the face of adversity.

“Government had to step in where it would ordinarily access lines of credit from international financial institutions to make sure that lives are improved. We have the Beitbridge-Chirundu Road, ERRP 2, Lake Gwayi-Shangani, Covid-19 response and a lot of other projects that Government is selffunding,” he said.

“If lines of credit were available, it would be great, but they are not there and the Government cannot stop.” He said at community level Government is financing the drilling of boreholes in all 35 000 villages in the country.

Mr Nyoni urged citizens to complement Government efforts by investing in the country.