Cape Town - A donation of bicycles to Ned Doman High School in Athlone will greatly assist in teaching learners how to cycle and expand and enhance the culture of cycling in the community.
Ned Doman principal Gwynne Philander said the donation of 20 bicycles by the Provincial Mobility Department would upskill learners.
Mobility MEC Daylin Mitchell attended the handover of bicycles with supporting partners at the school on Tuesday.
Philander said: “Our students come from environments and communities that don’t have the resources to invest in bicycles and, coincidentally, mostly girls are neglected when the opportunity to learn to cycle tends to happen.
“When a family does not have money for food or shelter, the last thing they’re going to consider is buying a bicycle.
“And yet bicycles are a way in which people can be mobile and move around.”
The bicycles will remain at the school and learners will be taught how to cycle on the premises in order to benefit as many learners as possible.
The school would then consider taking groups of learners to cycle outside the premises, to apply the skills taught at the school, on the roads.
The donation formed part of the Provincial Sustainable Transport Programme (PSTP) of the Department of Transport and Public Works, and in collaboration with the Bicycling Empowerment Network (BEN), Qhubeka and Pedal Power Association.
So far, 2 000 bicycles have been distributed since the programme’s inception in November 2019.
The PSTP’s provincial bicycle distribution was started after it was found that non-motorised transport was the most accessible mobility option to access basic services and opportunities, particularly in under-resourced communities, Mitchell said in a statement.
“As government, we need to pay special attention when we design our communities and invest in infrastructure, so as to promote non-motorised transport like bicycles and build more bicycle lanes.
“Cycling is a low-carbon and affordable mode of transport. Programmes like this help to improve safety and dignity, reduce the cost of travel and increase access to jobs, education and other services.”