Written by Winnie Sambu | CRB Scholarship Program
During this year’s Cycling Research Board two-day conference held at ETH Zurich, researchers, practitioners, and many stakeholders interested in cycling issues were brought together under the above theme.
At this interesting 2-day meeting, I had a great opportunity to network and learn about hot-topic research questions, methods, and findings from a wide variety of research on cycling. One example is a Mobiel 21 workshop on the use of customer journey mapping, often used in marketing, to assess mobility and cyclists’ perceived safety during commutes. Another is a workshop on active mobility convened by Urban Cycling Institute that provided an opportunity for researchers to brainstorm on suitable indicators and methodologies to measure cycling effects on health and wellbeing outcomes.
On my part, I had the opportunity to chair a session on Infrastructure, Design & Planning as well as share learnings from the research my colleagues at World Bicycle Relief (WBR) and I do on the impact of bicycle mobility. As WBR’s research manager, I have the unique privilege of learning directly from program beneficiaries from across five countries in Africa and South America, nearly 70% of whom are women.
So, what has the bicycle taught me that I did not know three years ago, prior to joining WBR? I will briefly highlight 5 key lessons.
- Our program participants receive the Buffalo Bicycle, which is a very sturdy bicycle specially designed for tough rural terrains and heavy load. Our monitoring has shown us that women use bicycles intensively and for many purposes. Whenever I have travelled through our program communities, such as in Kenya or Zambia, I often see women travelling to markets on their bicycles, ferrying goods for trade, cycling to health facilities, or to visit relatives and friends. In Zambia, women spend an average of 17 hours per week (approximately 2.4 hours per day) cycling to various destinations.
- Bicycles do not just benefit the women who receive them. The bicycles become an important asset for their households too, where other members use them for a variety of travel purposes, including by children travelling long distances to school or spouses travelling to markets for livelihood purposes.
- Women record improved productivity, thanks to reduction in the time spent travelling. Prior to bicycle receipt, many of the women walked, oftentimes covering long distances to access economic opportunities and other essential services. In Malawi, 96% of women we surveyed reported that they had experienced a decline in the amount of time spent travelling after bicycle receipt. The time savings are redirected towards businesses or farm work, while some women reported increasing the time they spent on resting, doing household chores and participating in community engagement activities.
- Bicycles are more than a mobility tool and contribute to income generation and, ultimately, poverty reduction. More than 80% of women in our program report bicycles have contributed to higher income levels in their households. Women transport farm produce such as vegetables and small livestock on their bicycle carriers, for sale in markets or directly to households. They also report increased monetary savings, due to a reduction in their transportation expenditure and higher income levels. The monies saved are redirected to other important household needs such as better nutrition and school fees for their children.
- Bicycles are important for healthcare access among women. Prior to bicycle access, participants in Zambia spend nearly two hours walking to access health facilities. In addition to reducing the time spent travelling to access health facilities by an average of at least 40%, bicycles have helped to transport sick household members to hospitals. Community health workers use bicycles to provide health services to their communities, which is crucial particularly for households located far from health facilities.
These are a few examples of the many positive effects of bicycles we have observed in our programs, but women often speak of many other positive ways Buffalo Bicycles have impacted their lives, enabling them to feel empowered, gain increased financial independence, and experience reduced physical fatigue. In summary, bicycles are much more than a transportation tool in the rural contexts but are important catalysts for improved socio-economic conditions, better health, and general well-being.
A word from the author:
Many thanks to UCI for the financial support that facilitated my participation at the CRB conference. Grateful to WBR for supporting research and M & E on Buffalo Bicycle usage and impact. Finally, many thanks to the women who participate in research to understand bicycle usage and impact, the Bicycle Supervisory Committees members who support WBR M & E, and my M & E colleagues in WBR program countries.
