Cyclists swarm City streets during Freedom Ride
12 October 2015
More than 5 000 cyclists brought Sandton and surrounding suburbs to a standstill on Sunday October 11 when they took part in the Freedom Ride, ending the first week of the month-long EcoMobility World Festival in style.
After a hectic week, it was time for everyone to let their hair down and have some fun.
Cyclists of all ages, shapes and sizes descended on Fifth Street and Rivonia Road in Sandton for the 27km Freedom Ride into Alexandra via Rosebank and Hillbrow and back to Sandton.
Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau, Gauteng MEC for Transport Ismail Vadi and Johannesburg Member of the Mayoral Committee for Transport Councillor Christine Walters were all there, kitted out and ready to demonstrate how cycling, as one of the non-motorised modes of transport supporting EcoMobility, could be popularised.
At exactly 7.21am, the Mayor counted down the clock, setting off the colourful sea of cycling enthusiasts on their way. And it was a sight to behold as the cyclists took off to the blaring sound of Mandoza’s Nkalakatha. Four-year-old Sally, riding with her father, was all smiles as they set off.
She said she had been riding for “a while” and was out to enjoy the ride on this overcast Sunday morning following the heatwave that hit Gauteng last week.
The Mayor, while acknowledging that last week was hectic, said everything had gone very well despite “teething problems” on Monday and Tuesday, especially around the issue of signage.
“We’ve had great support for the festival. We’ve improved on the signage. Even with the schools reopening this week we will ease into the festival programme,” he said.
“The festival is increasing consciousness around EcoMobility and why we should reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
MEC Vadi thanked the public for supporting the initiative.
“When we were planning for the festival, people thought we were mad doing this in Sandton. But today we’re proving that we can imagine a different future, a future in which we save the environment. The mayor of Bogota said on their car free days they attracted 1.8 million cyclists. We’ve about 5 000 here today. It’s a small but significant start,” he said.
MMC Walters was impressed with the turnout for the fourth Freedom Ride, which is used to honour former President Nelson Mandela.
She said the recreational ride had grown phenomenally over the past few years, having started with just over 2000 riders.
“We’re remembering Madiba with this ride. We are also uniting Sandton and Alex, and changing mindsets about the way we travel. This is also about empowering our communities. Later this year, we will give away 500 bicycles in Alex and set up a Bicycle Empowerment Centre there,” MMC Walters said.
Later in the day, West Street came alive with Family Day activities that included performances by Zahara, Robbie Malinga and Melah.