Coronavirus inspires cities to push climate-friendly mobility – Times of Oman

Coronavirus inspires cities to push climate-friendly mobility – Times of Oman

Brussels began the first phase of its post-lockdown measures on May 4 by rapidly expanding the city's cycling network by some 40 kilometres (about 25 miles), with regional authority Brussels Mobility calling on citizens to choose bicycles for short journeys and "avoid clogging up public transport.". Using crisis as an opportunityOther cities around the world have also been using the pandemic to try out alternatives to automobile-based mobility.. After widened bike lanes began popping up in Berlin and other German cities - an act the opposition Free Democrats called "an unnecessary provocation" by the bike lobby during the crisis - the federal government introduced nationwide reforms that banned drivers from stopping on bike lanes and required a minimum 1.5-metre gap between cars and cyclists, a measure previously only recommended.. Improvised responseBut while the post-lockdown measures may be signs of hope for cycling campaigners they remain difficult to implement in many cities in the global south, especially in rapidly expanding megacities in Africa and Asia where billions rely on crowded public transport or shared mobility such as taxis and other private vehicles.. Mobility expert Van Gyzegem shares her concern, pointing out that shared mobility - cars, bikes and scooters, featured in