With a view to provide safe, affordable and reliable transport to pupils in rural and urban areas, South African government announced on Thursday that by 2015 it will give a million bicycles to school children throughout the country for the promotion of non-motorized transport (NMT).
Transport Minister Jeff Radebe said:
It would go a long way to popularizing cycling as a mode of transport in society, particularly in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup.
The transport department had established The Shova Kalula (Pedal Easy) Bicycle program as a pilot project to promote the use of bicycles, especially for people in remote and resource-poor areas of South Africa.
Another mode of NMT that would receive attention is the animal-drawn carts that rural communities had relied on for many years to access all social services.
Source: CRI English
