A vibrant cycling culture is growing across Egypt

Egypt is an Arab country characterized by its cities that are considered good lands for cycling such as Cairo and Alexandria. Alexandria is known for its sea corniche, which stretches from Qaitbay citadel on the west of Alexandria to Montazah on the east, it is a suitable road for cyclists. Cairo (the capital of Egypt) is known for its Nile corniche and its pyramids area considered the most enjoyable places for cyclists who enjoy the Nile on Nile corniche and the monuments while cycling in pyramids area which is located away from traffic congestion.

Alexandria, Cairo and other cities in Egypt allocated designated bike lanes which promote a vibrant cycling culture across Egypt.

The positive impact of cycling on quality of life, as it is Eco-friendly, good for public health and less noisy through neighborhoods; helped eliminating the wrong concept that cycling is only the transport of lower social classes. Therefore any Egyptian citizen today on a 500 L.E bike is as equally as one in a 1.000.000 L.E car.

What are the factors that contribute to increase cycling in Egypt?

The emergence of Corona-virus has played a role in increasing cycling in Egypt. As it has been keeping most commuters away from public transport, cycling came out as a safe alternative for all people.

It is much easier to comply with social distancing guidelines when you ride a bike out in the open than in an enclosed crowded space such as train or bus.

Recently, the increase of fuel price in Egypt encourages some riders of motorcycles to use bicycles instead as well as public transportation commuters to have their own bikes to avoid paying the increasing fare of public transportation. Although the cyclists afford maintenance expenses but the bike remains the cheaper means of transportation. There are teams and groups on social media teach how to ride a bike.

Are women and girls in Egypt increasingly encouraged to ride bikes?

Yes. Over the past decades in Egypt, girls and women have never dared cycle to their work, school or even their social outing due to a strong stigma was attached to bicycle in Egypt which is perceived as the man’s vehicle. Today this stigma is vanished and the minds are changed.

Female cyclists in Egypt are interested in participating in bike champions and weekly bike marathons, sharing on social media their photos while riding their bikes, telling their stories about good situations they face when they cycle to encourage Egyptian society to accept them. There are many mothers enjoy cycling with their sons and daughters everywhere in Egypt with the support of their husbands.

Egyptian ministry of Youth affairs and sports played a role to encourage women and girls to cycle more by offering them women’s bikes model among other models at a subsidized price through an initiative called” your bike…your health” under the auspices of Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

Furthermore, Cairo governorate is currently launching an interesting project called “Cairo bike”, aims to encourage cycling for both genders and all ages. It offers bikes for rent at a suitable price to be paid electronically. The bikes are distributed on number of stations worked by solar energy and Wi-Fi, supported by cameras and guards. The project’s system is linked to a mobile application while the bikes are supported with GPS to be tracked to prevent them from being stolen.

Cairo bike project doesn’t aim to encourage only women and girls but also encourage the category of people over 60 years old to be engaged in society while using bikes to save their heart, keep their brains healthy, be active and enjoy life.

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