https://reasonstobecheerful.world/bicycle-mayors-bike-friendly-cities/
"When Maren Ahlers started cycling around the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa
on her housemate’s yellow bicycle during the pandemic, she was just trying to
avoid the cramped public transportation. But once she started inviting the
handful of other cyclists she saw around for Sunday group rides, the idea
quickly caught on, says Ahlers, who is originally from Germany: “Back then it
was only three, four people. But now, sometimes there’s 70 of us.”
One thing led to another: Noticing that no other women were joining the group
rides, Ahlers started offering free cycling classes for women in 2022, and
invited all the cyclists she knew in the city to the first cohort’s graduation.
When over 80 people showed up, she joined forces with half a dozen other
cycling groups to bring the global cycling event Critical Mass to their city.
Now, over a hundred women have learned to ride with another hundred on the
waitlist, and Ahlers has founded Egre Menged Impact to support the growing
community of cyclists — which counts well over 450 members in her organization
alone — through community-based projects.
But there’s a problem with being the trailblazer in your city — there aren’t
many people to turn to for advice and support. That’s why Ahlers became the
Bicycle Mayor of Addis Ababa, joining a network of over 150 cycling activists
in 34 countries worldwide: “Egre Menged Impact is known for doing things
locally, perhaps Africa-wide, but the network also expands our reach towards
Europe and the U.S.”
The Bicycle Mayor Network was launched in 2016 by Amsterdam-based NGO BYCS
(pronounced “bikes”), which supports grassroots cycling initiatives around the
world. The Mayors, selected for their engagement with the local cycling
community, serve as the face and voice of cycling in their cities and bridge
the gap between communities and local governments. “It started with this desire
of connecting people, giving them this authority to be able to advocate for
sustainable mobility,” says Michela Chamonal, the network’s coordinator. “A lot
of people want to do something, but very often they’re isolated or they don’t
have the means to do it.”"
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
