Wheels of change

society

This week You! takes a look at a project that has been initiated in

Lahore, which will allow women to travel easily by riding cycles...

In our part of the world a woman walking alone on the road is usually met by stares. Many a time women who travel by public transport are even harassed, hence most women avoid using buses and resort to rickshaws and taxis, which turns out to be quite expensive. The question that arises here is what should be done to change the situation? Women have all the rights to travel by any means they choose and hence it is about time that women should join hands in order to gain their basic right. One such initiative that aims to help women break out of the chains of the social order has recently been undertaken by Levis and Critical Mass. For those who don’t know, Critical Mass is a community of people that get together every weekend to do what they love and explore the streets of Lahore. Levis on the other hand, is a popular clothing brand.

The initiative called ‘The Wheels of Change’ has been launched so women can now travel easily by riding motorcycles without resorting to public transport. Surprised? Well the fact is that a woman a riding bike and cycle is a rare sight. However, if this becomes ccommon, many women would be saved from the hassle of walking to work or searching for public transport. The initiative not only promotes cycling as a healthy and eco-friendly activity but also aims to help reclaim public spaces for women. The central idea of the movement is to empower women from all walks of life and send the message of gender equality. Read on to find out more about the initiative.

What it does

The Wheels of Change initiative is meant to focus on bringing communities like Critical Mass forward that encourage women to join and feel safe on the road along with men. The movement brings in focus a community of people where men and women get together to cycle around Lahore and break any stigmas related to women cycling on the streets. The thought behind this is that more women would choose to ride bikes if they felt safe and confident, and had an organized group to join.

One of the members of the group (Critical Mass), Aneeqa Ali, emphasizes on the need for women to not be intimidated by pre-conceived notions or bad experiences from stopping them to reclaim the roads. “I think we are our worst enemy. We have got a real mind-set issue that we need to work on. Women have had it the hard way and this community is all about breaking that stigma, allowing all women to reclaim their rights and enjoy as much as any man would,” she says.

In the initiative, men and women work together to form a safe community that promotes cycling freely and safely. One of the representatives of the group Ahmed Muzamil informs, “Cycling in itself is a very healthy activity. I am glad to be able to bring this project in the limelight because it will garner the right attention and give people an idea of how this community works together to make it safe and fun for cyclists to ride around Lahore or anywhere.”

This initiative is beneficial for many girls like Hina Ahmed who considers this as a much needed sport. “Cycling for me is like yoga- therapeutic and liberating. There is true sense of freedom of independence in going about the city on these two wheels and breathing in the fresh morning air and feeling the wind in your hair,” she explains.

Ahmed Muzammil who is also an avid cyclist also had interesting things to say about the initiative. “I joined this group two years back. And I have been hopping on my bike almost every Sunday since then! Although Lahore is not by any stretch a cycling friendly city. But still this group of ours finds the motivation to get up early on a Sunday morning to explore and move around the city. The fact that the group comprises open minded and progressive students and professionals from diverse backgrounds only adds to our weekly cycling expedition,” he shares.

According to another cyclist Noor Rehman, “Cycling has been something that I have enjoyed ever since I have been a young girl. Joining critical mass has been one of the best things I have done this year - the community is supportive and allows me to go around my city exploring it in a whole new way. Once I started cycling I realised that women don’t cycle as actively as men and ever since then I have made it my mission to promote cycling for women in Lahore,” she concludes.