DutchNews, November 18, 2016
Photo: Meredith Glaser via Amsterdamcyclechic.com |
Although the Netherlands is lagging behind on wind and
solar energy it has one trump card when it comes to energy saving: the bike.
The Netherlands is touting one of its most popular national symbols to
countries across the planet, the Volkskrant writes.
In order to promote bike
use and boost Dutch bike manufacturers, Dutch embassies around the world have
been instructed to get peddling and involve themselves in bike-related
promotional schemes.
‘There are economic opportunities, particularly for
bike makers,’ Chris Kuijpers, directer general of environmental issues at the
economic affairs ministry, told the paper.
From China to Mexico embassies are
persuading high-ranking officials to climb on and go for bike rides in an
effort to highlight Dutch expertise.
In Marrakesh, host of this week’s climate
summit COP22, Dutch embassy personnel have been busy too, supporting a bike repair
project for the locals initiated by the Pikala Bikes foundation. The foundation
transports abandoned bikes from bike depots in Amsterdam and The Hague to
Marrakesh where Moroccan youngsters are taught how to repair them.
Many
countries are keen to make room for bikes in their cities and are willing to
learn from Dutch experience, says Matthijs van Bonzel, ambassador to Spain.
Spain already boasts a number of municipal bike hire schemes and Seville is one
of the most bike-friendly cities in the country. Madrid, too, is willing to
give more space to cyclists, Van Bonzel says. He has even gone on a bike ride
with mayor Manuela Carmena, he told the paper.
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