World Bicycle Day
Yesterday marked the first-ever World Bicycle Day. That’s a day when the United Nations celebrates the bicycle:
- The bicycle is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation;
- The bicycle can serve as a tool for development and as a means not just of transportation but also of access to education, health care and sport;
- The synergy between the bicycle and the user fosters creativity and social engagement and gives the user an immediate awareness of the local environment;
- The bicycle is a symbol of sustainable transportation and conveys a positive message to foster sustainable consumption and production, and has a positive impact on climate.
To commemorate the day, in New York City, World Bicycle Relief CEO Dave Neiswander was one of the speakers alongside UN officials and other leaders in the cycling community. Who gave speeches
Through delivering more than 400,000 bicycles in developing countries, we witness on a daily basis that bicycles can serve as a tool for development and as a means not just of transportation but also of access to education, healthcare and economic opportunity.”
“In mobilized communities, visits to patients by community health workers have increased 45 percent; students have increased attendance by 17 percent and improved their academic performance upwards of 59 percent; and dairy farmers have increased their income by 23 percent by using a quality bicycle as a reliable transport for their milk.
—Dave Neiswander, CEO of World Bicycle Relief
Growing up in Zambia, I can tell you that a bicycle can change a life…Providing a bicycle to a student for education is a blessing because the education you are giving them they keep forever and they will help change their community and the world. With my education, my goal is to become a public defender, helping those who need it most.
—Teddy Nosiku, Recipient of Buffalo Bicycle from World Bicycle Relief
More than a billion people do not have access to paved road. Mobility is a privilege. It is incumbent for all of us to recognize that cycling is a powerful form of mobility.
—Nancy Vandycke, The World Bank Group
I don’t ride a bike to add days to my life. I ride a bike to add life to my days.
—Charles Catherine, Legally Blind Para-cyclists, France
We were riding mountain bikes in the Methow Valley during the celebration and happy to share it now.