Cycling to work in UAE is doable if facilities were provided: Dutch envoy

The Netherland's climate ambassador promotes cycling as a healthy way of transportation.

The Netherland's climate ambassador, who cycled more than one hour in Abu Dhabi's hot weather on Tuesday morning, said that people in the UAE can cycle to work, even during summer, if employers support it and provide appropriate facilities.
Marcel Beukeboom, Ambassador-at-large for Climate, promotes cycling as a healthy way of transportation and solution to traffic problems and wider climate change issues.
Beukeboom said that when he is not talking about sustainability; he is probably using the most sustainable mode of transportation: cycling.
"Yesterday morning, I went to the Al Hudayriat cycle track and I experienced cycling myself," he told the Emirates News Agency, WAM, in an exclusive interview at Masdar City.
He cycled 40 km in 1:15 hours along with his colleague Wouter Wormgoor, Senior Policy Officer of Dutch Climate Campaign Team. They rented bikes from Yas Cycles, a popular bike shop in Abu Dhabi, and started at 6:15 am.

"We had to stop at 7:30 am [because of rising temperature], but imagine, even in these circumstances, if you have to work at 7:00 am, why not cycle half an hour [to workplace]? Here, you need the support of your employer," Beukeboom said.
The employer should provide shower facilities and dressing rooms at the workplace to encourage the staff to cycle during summer, he suggested.
"Then he [or she] will have healthy and fit employees. That is something favourable for everybody," the envoy explained.
However, he thinks that cycling is possible in the morning and evening only in the UAE's hot weather.
"In the middle of the day in June or July in the UAE you should not perhaps sit on a bicycle. Still there are many more options to use for short distances as a healthy mode of transportation," said the climate ambassador who was in the capital to attend the Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting.
He said that he was not satisfied with the popularity of cycling across the globe, although it is very popular in his country.

According to the 'Cycling Facts 2018,' which is issued by the Government of the Netherlands, bicycles [23 million] outnumber the residents of the country [17 million].
"People in Netherlands are born on a bicycle! In our country, there are more bicycles than people. We use bicycles for everything. Still, we could do better," Beukeboom said.
There are avoidable traffic blocks in the Netherlands because some people still use cars for short distances, he added.
Beukeboom is a member of the Council for Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, which was formed as part of the country's efforts to fulfill the United Nations' SDG 13 that aims to take urgent action to tackle climate change and its impacts.
He said this initiative shows the UAE's "spirit of international orientation and cooperation."

The UAE and the Netherlands have many things in common, most importantly "a trading spirit" that will help both parties utilise new business opportunities arising out of emerging solutions to climate change, Beukeboom added.
As the climate ambassador, he has a role in building national networks and coalitions, translating the Paris Agreement on Climate Change into concrete results.
He said the agreement itself is ambitious and there is no need of a more aspiring deal at the moment. "You have to distinguish two things here: first, it aims to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, second, we have to adapt to the changing climate. Of course, we have to find resources to do that," the envoy said.
In that way, Beukeboom said, the goals of the agreement are perfect. "The other elements are our own responsibilities to get there. If we add up all those plans, we can reach there. We have to inspire each other [to achieve the goals]," he concluded.

• UAE