For more than a decade, thanks in particular to Tour du Rwanda, cycling has become one of the most popular sports in the country. It is attracting more and more young people, true champions in the making, who identify with Team Rwanda. Foreign tourists also travel in to experience the land of a thousand hills. ALSO READ: Rwanda wins bid to host 2025 World Cycling Championships On weekends, cyclists meet to ride a few dozen kilometres around Kigali, and on car-free days, families take their bikes out to enjoy the traffic-free roads. Long before the development of these activities, bicycles were the most popular means of transport carrying agricultural produce, water cans, charcoal, and so on. They are also used to get around more quickly, either privately or commercially (as a taxi bike). Unsurprisingly, cycling is most common in Eastern Province, where the topography is less challenging. According to the most recent census (2022), 23.6% of households in this province own a bicycle, compared to just 2.4% in the west, 6.8% in the north and 9.5% in the south. ALSO READ: Kigali Rides: A cycling initiative to promote adventure, healthy lifestyle In Kigali, where only 6.5% of households own a bicycle, cycling is far from negligible. According to the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), on the busiest roads - those leading to Nyabugogo - more than 1,500 cyclists use NR3 and NR2 between 7 and 8 am. Much of this traffic consists of goods transport and bicycle taxis. Additionally, across the city, more and more people are commuting by bike. Equipped with lighter bikes with gears that make it easier to climb hills, they have chosen the bicycle over the bus – the latter being marked by long wait times, - and over moto taxis, which are more expensive and yet, less safe. ALSO READ: Key factors for the success of public transport reform in Kigali These already existing opportunities for cycling need to be exploited even more. As in other cities around the world seeking to establish a sustainable urban mobility system, cycling should be massively encouraged, as it helps to achieve a number of public policy objectives: it reduces the pressure on congested public transport systems, provides a daily healthy physical activity, contributes to achieving cleaner air, reduces the weight of fuel in the trade balance, limits GHG emissions and, last but not least, it makes the city more liveable. All over the world, the development of cycling as a means of daily transport is becoming synonymous with modernity. How can Kigali be made more bicycle-friendly? There are five main barriers to cycling in Kigali: terrain, traffic, price, gender inequality and mindset. But all of them can be mitigated by appropriate cycling policies. The terrain is of course a big problem! First, trips can be optimised to avoid climbing hills, and second, the electrically-assisted bicycle, which is developing rapidly in other parts of the world, makes cycling possible with much less physical effort. Traffic is a threat to cyclists. They are clearly vulnerable in the maze of motorised vehicles. That's why cycling facilities are being built around the world to make it safer. The price of a good bicycle (or electrically-assisted bicycle) is a major issue for people of modest means. Financial mechanisms to facilitate access to electrically-assisted or quality bicycles have to be developed. Moreso, there are glaring gender inequalities when it comes to cycling. The vast majority of women in Kigali do not know how to ride a bike. Cycling should be taught from an early age to girls, as much as boys. Finally, mindset is perhaps the biggest obstacle. Everyone dreams of owning a car, and cycling is seen as the poor man's mode of transport... But in rich countries, it's the richest people who use it most on a daily basis! Quite simply, if everyone has a car, there's no space left to move around, and the only way to enjoy freedom of movement is by bike... Do we need to experience a gridlock situation, resulting from high motorisation rates, to understand this? What legacy will the World Cycling Championships leave in Kigali? In September 2025, Rwanda will host the UCI Road World Championships. It will be the biggest sporting event ever held in the country. For one week, from September 21 to 28, the best athletes on the planet will have Rwanda's roads as their playground. But beyond the image that Rwanda will present to the rest of the world and the economic spin-offs, what will be the legacy of this event for the people of Kigali? To make this an unforgettable event for Rwandan cyclists, here are three concrete proposals: Develop a network of cycle lanes: On busy roads with little relief, cycle lanes can be quickly built to separate cyclists from motorised traffic. This both eases the flow of bus and car traffic and improves road safety. Launch a cycling education programme in schools: In a country where gender equality is at the heart of public policy, it makes no sense for young girls to not have access to bicycles. Running a campaign to raise awareness on the need for safety for cyclists: in the same way that authorities have made it possible for pedestrians to cross the road without risk, it is possible to protect cyclists in the coming year and beyond. The author is the Director of International Operations at Transitec Consulting Engineers, an independent engineering consultancy firm, specialized in mobility.
