from news24.co.za Johannesburg - The government will give a million bicycles to schoolchildren throughout the country by 2015 to promote non-motorised transport (NMT), said Transport Minister Jeff Radebe on Thursday. There was a need to provide safe, affordable and reliable transport to pupils in rural and urban areas, Radebe told an NMT international conference in Midrand. The Shova Kalula (Pedal Easy) project would include the construction of dedicated bicycle pathways, bicycle-safety education and the promotion and provision of bicycles, in partnership with the private sector. Radebe said this would go a long way to popularising cycling as a mode of transport - particularly in the run-up to the 2010 Soccer World Cup. He said: "Global experiences in the previous soccer world cup tournaments indicate very clearly that NMT plays a key role to ensure effective utilisation of space and mobility of people and in a manner that is environmentally friendly and affordable to plan and implement." Potential risks However, a major barrier was the high risk of crashes on roads, he said. He also pointed out that a Human Science Research Council surevy had found that 43 cyclists were killed in road accidents in Pretoria in 2005. Another mode of NMT which would receive attention was the animal-drawn carts on which rural communities had relied for many years to get to schools, clinics, pension pay-points and all other social services. Animal welfare issues would be taken into account, said Radebe. He said the department already had developed a database of suppliers of non-motorised carts and bicycles - and related technology - and this would be continuously updated.
