CAIRO - Public transportation in Cairo is certainly challenging for locals and foreigners alike. Indeed, the challenge has become bigger since the revolution. Microbuses are out of the question for many commuters; their drivers drive recklessly and with impunity, as a result of which they and their passengers often come to grief. A group of Egyptians have come up with a way to reduce the terrible traffic jams in the nation's streets. Their cheap, environment-friendly solution is for people to use bicycles. In 2007, they established a group called 'Cycle Egypt'. "We are correcting misconceptions most Egyptians have about cycling. They think it's just for young men or the poor who cannot afford to buy a car. It never occurs to them that women are quite capable of riding bicycles too," says Ahmed Ismail, a coach with the Egyptian Motorcycle Federation. Cycle Egypt is the first cycling club to be supervised by Egyptian Motorcycle Federation, under the patronage of the National Council for Sports. Cycle Egypt has three branches in Egypt ��" in Cairo, Alexandria and Mansoura in the Nile Delta. The Cairo branch has five sections in Heliopolis, Zamalek, Maadi, el-Rehab City and el-Tagammu el-Khames. The group encourage people of every age and from every social stratum to start pedalling, in order to reduce pollution and protect the environment. Every Friday, they ride to a different touristic area. They meet at 7:30am in a specified place, with participants using their own bikes or hiring them from Cycle Egypt. They then set off at 8:30am and return at 11am. During their rides, they try to raise public awareness of environmental issues. Recently, they got approval from the Cairo Governor and the National Sports Council for the creation of 1m-wide cycling lanes in el-Korba Street, Heliopolis. "We have placed tin cans in the street to demarcate the lanes. Local people have actually been helping us. I hope in the near future that every major street in Egypt will have such cycling lanes," Ismail says. Cycle Egypt's Friday rides, especially since the revolution, have also been focusing on attracting tourists and foreigners in Egypt. They invite tourists to go on short, touristic, sightseeing rides with them for free, as an eco-friendly alternative to using taxis and public transport. "The rides are always accompanied by an ambulance and a police car to ensure their safety. "Our latest idea is to launch the first bicycle taxi in Egypt, in co-operation with the Ministry of Transport, early next year," he adds. Cycle Egypt group have a fan page on the social network site Facebook, with about 14,600 members. They post their Friday rides and the destinations and meeting points, also explaining where participants can hire bikes and the cost. The page also allows Cycle Egypt to get feedback about the weekly rides; the group answer the fans' questions about things like the best kind of bike to use. They also offer courses for teaching people to cycle. "I would like to see most people in the streets using bicycles. This would change our lives for the better," comments a fan called Roni Shawqi. On December 25, Cycle Egypt will organise 'The Bicycle Day', in which about 800 bicyclists are expected to participate. A number of awareness programmes will be held on this day. For more information about Cycle Egypt, please log onto: http://www.cycle-egypt.com/
