Hi All

In the beginning, before the advent of the Big City, we all lived in small villages in the middle of large open spaces. Man had lots of room to move around and had time to enjoy the best aspects of nature falling asleep in the evenings under bright canopies filled with millions of stars and galaxies.

Modern Town Planners consider this when they draw up plans for new suburbs or housing developments. In Australia, for instance, it is mandatory for open areas to be set aside for the creation of parks where local inhabitants can spend time a little closer to “Nature”. Most of these Park areas have a small “Gym area” where the fitter can spend time doing pull-ups and similar. 

Last weekend I was introduced to the Kedron Brooke Bikeway – a maze of narrow tarred paths that traverse alongside a small river for about 12km with a few short detours taking one along rarely used backroads that have clearly marked cycle lanes. Some sections have strong wooden bridges to cross rivers whilst others have pathways built below major roadways.

The “Bikeway” is used by both cyclists, walkers, and runners – some chatting with mates; others pushing prams or similar. I came across a couple of playgrounds alongside the paths where they have set up small cycling areas for the littlies to learn both cycling skills and how to follow road signs – like what Rotary had in Mount Pleasant for many years.

The big question for us living back in Harare is, of course, where can we set up something similar? Imagine, for instance, we started off with a cycle path following the Umwindsi River. This waterway starts near Ridgeway North passing through Greystone Park before meandering across to Glen Lorne and way beyond. The cycle lanes could be carved out within 10 metres of the river with secure fencing on either side. Cycling is a great sport for both young and old. Let’s start thinking about possibilities. Gone Cycling Mike G.