News Items | 03-06-2022 | 18:59
At 3rd In June, the Dutch Embassy in Colombo celebrated World Bicycle Day by commending Bike to Work winners for suggestions for practical solutions to stimulate work home cycling in Sri Lanka. The call began earlier this year during a webinar series on sustainable trade and investment between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, in a 70-year bilateral diplomatic relationship available on the embassy’s Facebook page.
World Bicycle Day focuses on the benefits of using a bicycle. It is an affordable, healthy and sustainable means of transportation. Bicycles are cheap and not only contribute to a healthy lifestyle, but also reduce congestion and clean the air. Indeed, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires a sustainable transportation system that promotes economic growth, reduces inequality and strengthens the fight against climate change.
Today, the Netherlands is the world’s leading cycling country. But this was not always the case. The oil crisis of the 1970s led to a shift in thinking, with many Dutch people adopting cycling for their daily activities and commuting (rain, snow, brilliance). This change was underpinned by urban planning to promote safer roads, parking facilities and incentive schemes for cyclists.
In Sri Lanka, there is also growing interest in the benefits of cycling. Therefore, following previous efforts to promote sustainable mobility in Sri Lanka, on the occasion of World Bicycle Day, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has set up a group of Sri Lankan stakeholders working on sustainable mobility in Sri Lanka. The winner of the convened and solicited proposals. Representatives from various government, private sector, and advocacy-led groups such as the Urban Development Agency, Road Development Agency, Automobile Transport Authority, United Nations Development Program-CITRA, Bank of Ceylon, PICKME, UBER, Ride For Life, etc. We talked about the line project. Through the shared examples submitted in the proposal, we exchanged views on how Sri Lanka can promote sustainable mobility. They agreed that the current difficult situation in Sri Lanka could also be a window of opportunity to drive a shift in thinking about sustainable mobility, including Sri Lanka’s cycling and public transport.
The award-winning Bike to Work proposal proposes two Dutch organizations to support the transition to sustainable mobility around the world: the Dutch Cycling Embassy and the Iganga Foundation, and the adoption of cycling as a lifestyle mobility option. Selected with the support of the Ride for Life organization. Sri Lanka. The winner of the proposal call is WISHQUE pvt Ltd, who proposed the development of an open source app solution focused on ease of use and safety, encouraging cycling for use by businesses and organizations. Citizens’ Development Business Finance PLC has already adopted bicycles for work within the organization and was ranked second for solutions and incentives such as concessional financing schemes for purchasing bicycles. Third place is Ecoware, Save a Life, Green Life Generation, Gampaha Wickramarachchi University – shared by the Faculty of Indigenous Social Sciences and Business Administration to support further development of proposed solutions focused on community-focused mobility solutions. All awarded consultant time to do. It combines waste management, entrepreneurship, advocacy for sustainable mobility solutions and cycling.
Contact Ride for Life Sri Lanka (rideforlifesrilanka@gmail.com) or the Embassy (col@minbuza.nl) to participate in and learn more about Sustainable Mobility in Sri Lanka.
