Comments on: A Champion of Humanity http://1world2wheels.org/blog/a-champion-of-humanity/ Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:05:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.1 By: Keith Oberg http://1world2wheels.org/blog/a-champion-of-humanity/#comment-311 Keith Oberg Sat, 16 Aug 2008 20:05:07 +0000 http://1world2wheels.org/blog/a-champion-of-humanity/#comment-311 My hat is off to F.K. Day and World Bicycle Relief. Tapping the know-how and professionalism of the bike industry is key to overcoming the poverty and failure of the market, or natural disasters such as the 2004 tsunami, to deliver large numbers of bicycles to low-income areas of Africa, Latin America, and Asia. WBR is not alone in envisioning the ability of the bicycle to empower large numbers of the poor. A growing community of such entities and networks exist. Some deliver new bikes, others good-quality used bikes. Rather than competing, how can they cooperate to build a critical mass of bikes and raise the profile of bicycles as productive transportation? Is there, for example, a way to raise the quality and professionalism of used bicycle delivery, while retaining its overwhelming price advantage? When I see that it costs $134/bike through World Bicycle Relief, and under $30/bike to Africa for broad-based grassroots programs like Bikes for the World, Village Bicycle Project, and others, I can't help but think that combining the best of both--and involving more people (bike retailers, cyclists, the general public) here in the United States--would generate more support for both--and make a lot of sense. -ko My hat is off to F.K. Day and World Bicycle Relief. Tapping the know-how and professionalism of the bike industry is key to overcoming the poverty and failure of the market, or natural disasters such as the 2004 tsunami, to deliver large numbers of bicycles to low-income areas of Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

WBR is not alone in envisioning the ability of the bicycle to empower large numbers of the poor. A growing community of such entities and networks exist. Some deliver new bikes, others good-quality used bikes. Rather than competing, how can they cooperate to build a critical mass of bikes and raise the profile of bicycles as productive transportation? Is there, for example, a way to raise the quality and professionalism of used bicycle delivery, while retaining its overwhelming price advantage? When I see that it costs $134/bike through World Bicycle Relief, and under $30/bike to Africa for broad-based grassroots programs like Bikes for the World, Village Bicycle Project, and others, I can’t help but think that combining the best of both–and involving more people (bike retailers, cyclists, the general public) here in the United States–would generate more support for both–and make a lot of sense.

-ko

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