The 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution supporting bicycles as a tool for combatting climate change.
The resolution, proposed by Turkmenistan, was passed unanimously, and like all General Assembly resolutions, it was non-binding.
The UN called on member states to integrate the bicycle into public transportation, in urban and rural settings in developing and developed countries.
The resolution noted that increasing cycling through improved road safety and the promotion of bike-riding would help achieve “sustainable development, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.”
More specifically, the resolution encouraged member states to give special attention to cycling in cross-cutting development strategies, including bicycle-sharing services, as well as when possible, in international, regional, national and subnational development policies and programmes.
Bicycles, apart from their zero emissions, are known to promote healthy lifestyles as the body is exercised while riders are peddling the pedals.
Also, when considered as alternatives, the high rate of traffic congestion and increasing temperature caused by the increasing number of other vehicles would be greatly reduced.
AFP