Pedaling Towards A Sustainable Future, with Manuel de Araujo

Climate Break

Increasing Sustainable Modes of Transportation

In 2022, global emissions from transportation reached nearly 8 gigatons of carbon. To achieve the Net Zero Scenario, transportation emissions need to drop by nearly 25% by 2030. Within the Global South, auto-centric planning, transport authorities’ structures, and alternatives to cars and buses are some of the challenges in sustainable transportation.

Transforming transportation is Mayor Manuel de Araújo’s vision for his city, Quelimane, Mozambique. To reduce transportation-related emissions, he advocates for a network of bike lanes throughout the city. Threatened by climate change disasters such as flooding, Quelamine is developing a climate resilient and sustainable public transportation system.

Cycling in the City

Cities with growing populations such as Quelimane are using alternative forms of public transportation to get more cars off the road. To increase the usage of bikes, the city plans to connect market and residential areas with bike lanes, totaling a distance of 2.3 kilometers. Planting trees along roads to provide shade, installing brick barriers to protect bikes from fast moving traffic, and making overall enhancements to roads aims to ease the transition to cycling.

Biker-friendly programs have encouraged the cycling culture in other cities as well. In Addis Ababa, cycling advocates began the campaign Streets for the People: on the last Sunday of every month, certain roads are open only to bikes. These roads see hundreds of bicyclists, families, and other participants, creating a sense of community.

Advantages to Cycling

Biking can help reduce cities’ carbon footprints, improve air quality, and increase accessibility to essential facilities such as school and healthcare in crowded cities.

Compared to cars, bikes produce significantly less carbon emissions. As much as 67% of transportation-related carbon emissions can be saved if a person chooses a bike over a car for one day. Moreover, existing buses and cars are rapidly deteriorating due to age, emitting excessive pollution; by moving away from older technology, cities with bikers can improve their air quality.

Installing bike infrastructure combats accessibility issues in urban sprawl. In Quelimane, bike lanes help citizens navigate uneven terrain of the cities’ narrow roads, roads which cars usually can’t access. The city wants to expand the network of bike lanes to crucial areas such as the airport, the city center, and the sea port.

Thanks to the influx of cyclists, bike shops have popped up along frequented routes. Cyclists are provided cost effective and timely repairs if needed.

Difficulties with Biking Solutions

However, many cities’ existing infrastructures are car-centric, deterring wide-spread bicycle usage. In Quelimane, a lack of biking infrastructure poses a threat to bikers’ safety. Without physical barriers between cars and bikes, road injuries are common. Additionally, intense sun and a lack of shade makes biking an uncomfortable experience. Once bikes complete their journey, there aren’t safe storage options to prevent bicycle theft.

A Campaign for Sustainability

Thanks to Mayor de Araújo’s ten-year campaign, Quelimane has become a city known for its biking culture. By using bikes himself, he has destigmatized negative associations with cycling. Now called ‘sons of the Mayor’, locals using bikes have been united by cycling. Quelimane is a member of the Transport Decarbonisation Alliance, a global collaboration that works towards a zero carbon transportation system by 2050. Funding from this organization has supported de Araújo’s projects in making more bike lanes in his city.

About Manuel de Araújo

Manuel de Araújo is the mayor of Quelimane, Mozambique. By involving people’s voices in policymaking, he hopes for his bike lane network to be part of a larger, low-carbon mobility system. Communicating through radio, social media, and other accessible platforms, de Araujo shares his passion for sustainable transportation with his constituents. Not only does de Araújo make change today, he plans for a future with a robust, sustainable transportation program.

Further Reading

• Why Choose to Cycle
• University of Coimbra & Institute of Transportation Research, Transportation Authorities and Innovation
• International Energy Agency, Energy System - Transport
• UN Environment Programme, African cities embrace walking and cycling as climate crisis deepens
• World Resources Institute, From Mobility Access to All

For a full transcript of this episode, visit https://climatebreak.org/pedaling-towards-a-sustainable-future-with-manuel-de-araujo/