Riding a bicycle instead of driving a car is one of the best ways to deal with traffic jams and the rising cost of living in Egypt. However, many women may be reluctant to start bicycling because of fears of social rejection, and it was these that caused Alaa Adel, a 15-year-old girl from Port Said, to organise an event last month targeting women and encouraging them to take to their bikes. “The idea came to me after the recent rises in petrol prices. I take private lessons, and in order to get to them I was spending LE30 on taxis nearly every day. I thought, why not ride a bicycle and save money instead,” Adel said. “In addition, I have heard about some girls being harassed when taking taxis, so I thought that if girls started riding bicycles instead this would also be safer,” she added. Adel says that when more people become used to seeing girls on bikes they will eventually become familiar with it and stop looking at them in a disapproving way. She also believes that this could take some time, which is why she has created a Facebook page to encourage women to ride bikes and is organising a series of bike-related events. Samah Ahmed, Adel's mother, played a role in this initiative too. She supported her daughter and convinced her husband that the idea was a good one. “My father was worried about the harassment I might be exposed to in the streets if I was riding a bike,” Adel said. Ahmed believes that bicycling should target parents as well. “They should see that riding bicycles is a nice and safe sport and realise that it makes sense economically and is not a taboo,” she said, adding that she and her daughter are looking forward to extending the idea to other governorates so that it takes off on a larger scale. “I'm planning days when we teach girls who can't ride bicycles how to do so,” she said. The cheerful reactions of people in the streets and the good weather made the participants in the recent event enjoy the ride. Women reacted positively to it, among them Sara Mahmoud, 16, who had earlier been unable to ride a bicycle and felt shy about doing so. “I came to the event in order to learn how to conquer my fears. If other girls learned to ride, I would feel more empowered and encouraged to go to my classes by bike,” she said. “Ever since I was in high school, I have wanted to ride a bicycle to school, but nobody encouraged me to do so. Today I have decided to go to college by bike,” said Shorouk Shata, 20. Dina Maged and Radwa Mohamed were glad to attend the event. They agreed that they would like to see similar events, especially after the rises in petrol costs, and they wanted to see more emphasis placed on road safety for bicycle-riders such that they would be able to ride to work. “I wish I could go to college from the university dorms by bicycle. My parents agree that it would be a good idea, but people are not familiar with the idea and I was afraid boys would annoy me if I did go out on a bike. However, I also think that a self-confident girl should not allow herself to be bothered by anyone,” said Roda Gehad, 22, who is studying law at Mansoura University. The Port Said event was also attended by married women and parents. “I'm so glad that this event has been organised because if it continues it will help people overcome some of the high costs of living,” said Wedad Ahmed, who had brought her kids to attend the event. Such events can teach boys to respect girls who ride bicycles when they grow up, she said. “My daughters will feel it's okay to ride a bicycle to school when they grow up as well,” Ahmed added. Gehad Gomaa said she would teach her daughter how to ride a bike and show her that it is an easy, healthy and fast thing to do. However, it was not only women who participated in the event. Many men did as well, and they said they supported it. “My husband likes the idea. He even came with me to attend the event,” Radwa Maged, 25, said. Her family has a single car, so when her husband goes to work she has to wait for him to come home before she can go out. “That's why I'm attending this event today: to learn how to ride a bicycle to go out on my own,” Maged said. The event was secured by the Port Said security forces. But Adel and her mother would also like to see the governor allocate bicycle lanes on busy roads to make the streets safer for riders. Overall, the initiative achieved its goals and has even become trendy in Port Said. Remarkably, many girls now ride their own bicycles in the streets of the city, especially on Fridays. A similar event was held in Port Said last year in November as part of a campaign fighting violence against women in the city and in order to raise social awareness. The writers are freelance journalists.
