Comment: Micromobility vital to reduce traffic jams – Gulf Digital News

Comment: Micromobility vital to reduce traffic jams – Gulf Digital News

Of course, much has changed for the better in this historic market. But while it is easy to put down cobblestones and say that the suq should become an automobile-free space, in Bahrain’s extreme weather, how many of us will brave the elements and park on the other side of the Bab and walk down to the spice or textile market past Adhari Hotel?

By the time we reach the shop after the sweaty walk in the sun, we have lost interest in buying anything. Little wonder that the shops in the suq are losing profitability.

It was when I was walking across the Little India area and down the temple lane that I saw a man chug past on a scooter fitted with a broad pillion seat on which his teenage daughter was sitting. Sure their pace was just a tad over cycling speed but it made me think – what if we could run a buggy service for the suq streets like they do in airports? Park the buggies at strategic and well-marked points across the suq and shoppers will certainly hop on for the ride.

Micromobility is truly the cutting edge of public transport and we cannot afford to ignore