Stakeholders canvass cycling policy to address safety concerns

Stakeholders in the transport and cycling sector have called for a policy to address safety concerns in the country.

They made the call at a two-day capacity building workshop on safer roads for pedestrians and cyclists in Nigeria organised by Ochenuell Mobility with the theme “Walking and Cycling as a Tool for Unlocking Sustainable Mobility and Development in Nigerian Cities.”

In his remarks, Engr John Emmanuel, CEO of Ochenuel Mobility and project manager for Safer Roads for Pedestrians and Cyclists in Nigeria, noted that many Nigerians do not deploy cycling as a means of transportation as a result of safety concerns.

He said, “The workshop is a collaboration between seven organisations which is funded by United Nations Road Safety Trust Fund and UN habitat. Cycling, as it is, has not received the desired attention in Nigeria because people hardly use it in the country and some of the reasons include lack of infrastructure, public knowledge as well as insecurity.

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“Due to these factors, people feel a bit unsafe to ride bicycles except in safe areas like inside estates and barracks. Consequently, we have started our advocacy programmes and will be presenting a draft National Cycling policy to stakeholders in the course of the programme, and we will receive additional input which we will present as a second draft during a larger stakeholders’ meeting with the Minister of Transportation on June 3.”

Also, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation who was represented by Mrs Akhidenor Cynthia, Deputy Director of Road Transport and Mass Transit Administration, said the workshop provided the needed platform to build capacity and strengthen collaborations towards walking and cycling development in Nigeria to pave the way for lasting change in our urban transport system.

Also speaking, A. B. Datzama, Assistant Corps Marshall, Policy Research and Statistics of the Federal Road Safety Corps, said, “The Corps in its 2021 to 2030 strategy is developing an infrastructure for non-motorised transport, especially walking and cycling.”