With help from Copenhagen, Cairo makes room for bicyclists
In partnership with the Cairo government, the United Nations and the Danish Embassy, a civil society organization hopes to cut down on traffic and encourage healthier lifestyles with bicycle-friendly infrastructure.
Residents of Heliopolis, an upscale suburb of Cairo, woke up to the passage of 200 cyclists pedaling through on May 11.
The cycling tour celebrates the beginning of an urban project to get residents of Cairo to drive less and employ more environmentally-friendly transportation. Called Sekketak Khadra (Your Road is Green), the initiative aims to integrate cycling into Egyptians' daily lives, as it had been in the 1950s and 60s.
The initiative is the result of a cooperation protocol signed last March, between Cairo Governor Atef Abdel-Hamid, United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN Habitat), the Danish Embassy in Cairo and Green Arm, a civil society organization formed to address the challenges of urban Egypt.
Since then, the parties have conducted a study to select strategic locations for 100 bicycle racks in Heliopolis and downtown Cairo. Some of them are already designed and installed. The remaining racks will be completed by the end of May.
