World Bicycle Day – June 3rd
World Bicycle Day is celebrated since 3rd June 2018. Bicycles mean different things to different people, to the elite athlete/lycra bandits they are a tool of their trade, to a weekend warrior it’s an excuse to ride for coffee, to bicycle lovers it’s their best friend, and to others, a bicycle is their mode of transport, their most prized possession, which has helped to change their lives.
History
The U.N in the United Nations Assembly declared June 3 as World Bicycle Day in April 2018 so as to promote the versatility of the bicycles and initiating a healthy lifestyle among the citizens of the world. The use of cycles has been depleting since its inception two centuries ago. Let us pledge to use Bicycles for shorter distances to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle thus.
The World Health Organization calls cycling infrastructure, “a step towards achieving greater health equity.” Bicycle Day aims to celebrate the “uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle” which people have been using for more than two centuries. As a green means of mobility with countless health benefits, the UN encourages all Member States to pay particular attention to cycling on that day.
A UN statement about the day said it “encouraged stakeholders to emphasize and advance the use of the bicycle as a means of fostering sustainable development, strengthening education, including physical education, for children and young people, promoting health, preventing disease, promoting tolerance, mutual understanding, and respect and facilitating social inclusion and a culture of peace.”
The main aim of celebrating World Bicycle Day is that the people who move through bicycles should not be overlooked at all. The usage of bicycles has many advantages like a healthy lifestyle, less pollution, fewer traffic jams, etc.
World Bicycle Day Logo
The World Bicycle Day Logo is a blue and white color combination wherein many cyclists have been depicted riding around the globe. The #June3WorldBicycleDay has also been inscribed below the image of the Globe and Bicyclists. This World Bicycle Day Logo was invented by Isaac Feld with the assistance of Professor John E. Swanson designed the logo. The basic message is to show that the bicycle belongs to and serves all of humanity.
According to the UN, the aim of World Bicycle Day (WBD) is to :
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Devote particular attention to the bicycle in cross-cutting development strategies and to include the bicycle in international, regional, national, and subnational development policies and programs.
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Encourage improvements in road safety and integrate it into sustainable mobility and transport infrastructure planning and design, in particular through policies and measures to actively protect and promote pedestrian safety and cycling mobility, with a view to broader health outcomes, particularly the prevention of injuries and non-communicable diseases.
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Encourage stakeholders to emphasize and advance the use of the bicycle as a means of fostering sustainable development, strengthening education, including physical education, for children and young people, promoting health, preventing disease, promoting tolerance, mutual understanding, and respect, and facilitating social inclusion and a culture of peace.
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Encourages the adoption of best practices and means to promote the bicycle among all members of society. This regard welcomes initiatives to organize bicycle rides at the national and local levels as a means of strengthening physical and mental health and well-being and developing a culture of cycling in society.
5 Reasons to take the bike
Save money on travel
If you go with your bike, you do not only save on gas: when going on a short journey with your car, you are shortening the engine’s life. Moreover, the less you use the car, the lower the mileage, the higher the re-sales price.
Reach destination faster
With the bicycle, you can avoid congested roads. Studies show that you are therefore much faster when commuting on your bike, in some cities you can save half the time.
Relaxed and Happy
Being stuck in traffic can be annoying. If you take the bike you can go with the flow and reach your destination happy and relaxed.
Get healthier
There are tons of studies on how cycling has a positive impact on your health: no matter if it is the mere exercise that has a positive impact on your cardiovascular system, the extra-dose of vitamin D you get when being exposed to a sunny bike ride, or the fact that with cycling to work you can easily keep your figure – without any additional training.
Save the planet
While holding on to old habits may be comfortable, we will have to face a less cozy future. When we keep going on polluting our planet, we are digging our own grave: we do need a healthy environment to stay healthy.
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