It's a busy day as usual — cars are endless, traffic is eternal and the road back home shall take a minimum of two hours. The story of our lives. However, seeing young women cycling smoothly away from all that is an inspiring change. After taking a big part in the 25 January Revolution, Egyptian women slowly but surely are breaking their social barriers. For the past couple of years, young women are often seen cycling (or riding scooters) their way home, especially in Alexandria. Dina Hegab, a young mother of three, is the first lady in Alexandria to ride a scooter. “My husband bought me a scooter in 2010, and taught me how to ride it instead of paying LE50 daily in order to take my kids to and from school,” Hegab explained. Hegab, who is an old member of Alexandria Scooters Riders Club, is also the first woman in Alexandria to take her children along on the scooter. “Scooters do not consume petrol, and are comfortable and speedy in comparison to driving cars in cities like Cairo and Alexandria,” she told Al-Ahram Weekly. Adopting the same line of thought is 24-year-old Mariam Galal. To her, cycling doesn't only provide a magical solution for a traffic jam problem, but is an environmental friendly sport. Cycling burns calories. It boosts energy and triggers your brain. “I enjoy feeling the sea breeze entering my nostrils early in the morning when riding my bicycle. Cycling is fresh air. It is good for the lungs. It is self-confidence where you feel that you are against the whole world.” Galal is a member of Cycle Egypt, a large group of Egyptian cyclists in Cairo and Alexandria. “More than 1,200 people joined our Friday morning rides,” boasted Ahmed Al-Heiti, a college student and founder of the group. The idea was to adopt bicycles as alternative means of transportation, hence decrease traffic. Cycle Egypt has made many ladies ride their bikes. “Though to me, fun is always the theme of cycling, every now and then I face many weird situations of people reacting differently when seeing me on my bike,” noted GalaI. She recalls many, indeed, while riding a bicycle in Alexandria.” The first and the foremost is harassment. “I really cannot find a reason behind verbal abuses or harassment. They are annoying and very exasperating. On the other hand, I found many women in the street encouraging me and envying me for my courage to do so, telling me “GO... GO... Girl”! In addition, parking areas is one of the major problems bicyclists always face. Engi Ibrahim, 22, one of Cycle Egypt's prominent members adds, “It is real hard to find a place to park your bicycle here in Alexandria where many clubs, cafés and even universities ban parking your bicycle inside their parking areas. They may allow scooters. But they ban bicycles.” Ibrahim, whose dream is to have the right lane dedicated to bicycles, always uses a steel lock and parks her bicycle next to any lamp post. Even so, this does not prevent the stealing of the horn or the basket or sometimes the whole bicycle.
