Harare, (New Ziana) – The Harare City Council has announced the temporary closure of some roads in the Central Business District (CBD) on Friday, to make way for World Bicycle Day commemorations.

In a public notice issued on Sunday, the City of Harare said the event will affect several major roads between 6 AM and 3 PM.

Roads to be closed include Leopold Takawira Avenue between Robert Mugabe Road and Jason Moyo Avenue, while one lane will be closed along Robert Mugabe Way between Leopold Takawira and Sam Nujoma Street.

Others include Inez Terrace, Angwa Street, Jason Moyo Avenue, Sam Nujoma Street, and Rezende Street.

“The public is being advised to take note of the affected areas and plan their travel accordingly. Alternative routes will be recommended using informative signs and as directed by enforcement agents on site,” the city council said.

It said Julius Nyerere Way will remain open, with traffic controlled by police officers at key intersections to help manage the flow of vehicles, with motorists urged to approach the closed zones with caution.

“We are calling on all road users to exercise patience and cooperate with our officers during this important event,” it said.

The World Bicycle Day event is expected to draw participants from various sectors to promote cycling as a healthy and eco-friendly mode of transport.

World Bicycle Day was first commemorated by professor Leszek Sibilski at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2018 while the City of Harare celebrated it for the first time in June 2022.

The day is officially commemorated on June 3 every year in countries around the world but Harare has been holding it on Saturdays to allow more working people to take part in the event.

Cycling reduces air pollution and the dependency on fossil fuels. It is a viable alternative in a world faced by a global crisis where transportation worldwide accounts for 22% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Many Zimbabweans grew up around bicycles – parents cycled to work and back on a daily basis and children used bicycles to get to school or visit friends.

In rural areas cycling is still one of the most popular forms of transport as it is cheap, reliable and bike maintenance costs are relatively low.

Over the years, cycling infrastructure has sadly been overlooked by city planning where routes are prioritised for cars, not bicycles.

This has made it dangerous for cyclists and even pedestrians because there are no longer set pathways for pedestrians and cyclists in the country.

New Ziana