FCT to serve as a pilot state as FG, stakeholders recommend bicycle riding

The Federal Capital Territory has been chosen to be used as a pilot state for the about to be introduced bicycle riding as national means of transportation.

This ideology emerges once again years after the former Minister of Transportation, the Late Chief Ojo Maduekwe dreamt of bicycle riding as means of transportation, as the National Council on Transportation (NCT) policy in a resolution in Sokoto State, recommended bicycle riding to the Federal Government as a means of transportation for solving the mystery of traffic jam in the country.

Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, disclosed this to the media, shortly after presiding over the resolution committee of the 15th National Council on Transportation recently.

The Abuja Times recalls that this is not the first time Minister of Transportation has had such dreams. The Late Chief Ojo Maduekwe as the former Minister of Transportation during his time recommended bicycle riding as the only way of putting pressure off the road in much a populated country like Nigeria.

According to Amaechi, the stakeholders took the resolution based on research and the experiences of the effectiveness.

“The major resolution is that we are recommending bicycle as possible means of transportation, and do not forget that the body is a policy making body. And we approved that we should do a pilot project on bicycle riding in the FCT because it is the only state with facilities for cycling. Other states would follow suit and construct such facilities before it can be introduced there.

On the reasons for bicycle riding in the 21st century, he said that many countries like China and Japan has since before now introduced it as a National means of transportation.

“One, it is the means of saving the people from accident and two it is another means of reducing pressure on our roads. The facilities are the ones that will protect them on the road because some motorists are not patient with them. If you check all the roads in Abuja, there are lanes for bicycles. The introduction means that anybody who wants to go on bicycle can do so.

“You may ask why bicycle but don’t forget that it is there in China, in UK, Spain and many other countries. The benefit is that it is an investment first and secondly it will help in the exercise and thirdly it will reduce the number of passengers jostling for motor vehicles. It will be within the city not outside the city,” he added.