Category: Ride2WorkDay

Become OR meet a Bike Angel

Would you like to learn how to ride a bicycle?Are you looking for someone to cycle with together on your regular trip? Would you like to learn how to maintain your bicycle? Are you looking to meet others using bicycles for commuting? And more…

Or have you been thinking about offering your cycling experience to others who are interested? Perhaps you have a favorite cycling route you would like to share with others?

Then become a meet a bicycle angel. This is free and voluntary.

JUCA has partnered with the Brazilian NGO  – Bike Anjo – to bring to the fantastic online platform to connect people who are bicycling with those who are interested. It is very easy to use.  It is already very popular around the world with people in 560 cities (and growing) using it.

In the very near future, we will be organising physical meetings of people in Johannesburg using Bike Anjo. For now dive in and happy cycling.

Find out about being a Bike Angel below:

JUCA wants you!

JUCA is looking for volunteers – both individuals and organisations – to partner with on a few projects. We are currently a voluntary association relying on the time and resources of willing participants. We have achieved some great things. However, we can do even more together with you! We have a number of exciting projects where we need assistance.

Jozi bike kitchen

We are building a community bicycle space from where existing and potential bicycle users can congregate, learn and support another. A physical space to grow a cycling our community. We need help setting it up and volunteering at the space.

Re-imagining bicycling in Johannesburg

Help us break myths about commuter cycling in Johannesburg. You can do so by writing articles or creating multimedia for publication on our website and distribution on social media or hosting cycling events such as ‘cycle to work’ days.

Bicycle commuter map

Help us digitise the current bicycle map and grow the number of routes.

Volunteers are welcome to offer us as much or as little time to these projects, it’s just about getting involved and building a greater cycling community. If you are interested send an email to contact@juca.org.za

 

 

MEC, Ismail Vadi, Rides in Solidarity with Diepsloot Bike-Train

On Monday morning, the 12th of October, Gauteng, MEC for Transport, Ismail Vadi joined a Bike-Train travelling from Diepsloot southwards.

The MEC had accepted an invitation extended by JUCA to support the hundreds of everyday cyclists who live in and around Diepsloot with William Nicol Drive as their main travel corridor.

Without a doubt across Johannesburg, there is no other corridor as William Nicol Drive that features as many people using bicycles as a main form of transport. However this road is very unfriendly to cyclists and pedestrians. As we witnessed, motorists behave as though people walking or cycling do not exist edging them off the road and pavements. Accidents are not uncommon.

 

The purpose of the bike-train was to increase the visibility of the many cyclists to motorists and motivate for increased policy attention. In this regard, JUCA and MEC agreed that following the ride;

  1. The office of the MEC will organise a count of pedestrians and cyclists using the William Nicol Drive corridor
  2. Review existing and proposed bicycle lane designs to ensure they offer full protection to cyclists and pedestrians
  3. Organise a social bike ride within Diesploot that will raise awareness about the role of the bicycle in everyday transport and community development

Gauteng Transport MEC Ismail Vadi to ride in Solidarity with Diepsloot’s Ecomobility Champions

Early on Monday morning the 12th of October, Gauteng Transport MEC, Ismail Vadi will join a bike train of cyclists leaving from their homes in Diepsloot to various places of work across Johannesburg.

In support of the EcoMobility World Festival, JUCA and the City of Johannesburg have been organising bike trains to ferry people together to and from various destinations. Bike-trains are convoys of people riding their bicycles together to and from whatever destinations they choose.

Each day, hundreds of Ecomobility Champions who live in and around Diepsloot ‘arrange’ their own bike-trains. However they do so within a hostile road environment. There have over time been reports of accidents some of them very serious. Motorists travelling on one of the routes preferred by the Ecomobility Champions because it offers direct connections from home to work and back – William Nicol Drive – travel at high speeds and often edge them off the road.

 

 

In this light, JUCA is calling for practical steps to improve the travel experience of Diepsloots’ Ecomobility Champions. These include:

  • Traffic calming
    • We would like to see law enforcement to ensure motorists observe speed limits and a minimum passing distance of 1.5 metres from cyclists
  • Development of protected bicycle lanes
    • We would like best in class in protected bicycle lanes developed along the routes that the Ecomobility Champions use.

Cyclists will converge at Diepsloot Mall to commence the ride. The MEC will join the cyclists at the corner of Erling Road and William Nicol Drive and ride with them for part of their journey onwards to the Indaba Hotel. At the Hotel, the MEC will briefly interact with the cyclists and engage media. Click here for the ride map.

We will post an update following the solidarity ride.

The bike trains are back: calling for bike train leaders

JUCA is calling once again for bike train leaders to lead bike trains to and from Sandton and other neighbourhoods in support of the Ecomobility World Festival 2015.

During this festival which takes place October 2015, Jozi residents will be encouraged to travel by bicycle, walk or use public transport in any suitable combination.

Like the April 22nd Ride2WorkDay, people will be riding bicycles together to and from various neighbourhoods. A bike train leader will have regular experience commuting by bicycle in the streets of Johannesburg and will therefore offer guidance to people who may not be so confident.

The bike trains will start by the end of September 2015 and run every day in October 2015.

The idea is simple:
1. Identify a street intersection or landmark from where to start the Bike-Train.

2. Indicate a time where people can meet you. We suggest 8am but this is up to the Bike-Train Leader.

3. Identify a direct and car traffic light route suitable for novice riders. We suggest routes contained in the Johannesburg Commuter Bicycle Map. However there may be other more suitable routes.

4. Indicate on what day(s) you may be able to lead a train starting from the 25th of September (only that Friday) and every day of the week in October 2015.

5. Get in touch with us contact@juca.org.za with the above information.
We will publicize this information as we did before something like this and through the Ecomobility World Festival programme in partnership with the City of Johannesburg.

The Ecomobility World Festival will be an exciting month for cycling and other forms of sustainable transport.

Come out and show that a different way of getting around Joburg is possible.