It is 7am and rush hour in Mfuwe - there a few cars but hundreds of bikes, with an average number of passengers of around 2. The bikes look like a throwback to the 1950’s - in that they are generally black in colour, and have cows horn handlebars and old style brakes which use rods and levers instead of wire and cables. The marketing is all about reliability and strength, rather than style or speed. Typical brands are “Atlas Super Strong’ or ‘Buffalo’. The bikes are made generally in China and come to Africa in a rather crude and unadjusted state. They retail here for around 60-70 pounds when new, and the quality is appropriate to the price. Nonetheless, the ownership of a bike shows that a family is pulling itself off the breadline and is a potent status symbol. The bike will then be used by the whole family, with the luggage rack at the back usually carrying a passenger (ladies decorously riding sidesaddle - like some Victorian film), or a woven basket up to 2m wide with vegetables, or a heavy load of firewood. Children often perch on the cross bar- sometimes even infants. Not surprisingly, this is well in excess of the design parameters and when you throw in the state of the roads, it all adds up to some sick bicycles. The common issues are - brakes - often non existent and usually not functional (luckily Mfuwe is very flat), and seats - often leaning sideways at a crazy angle or not existing at all, with the rider either just standing up, or sitting on the luggage rack leaning back as in an Easy Rider pose. Pedals are a common problem with kids often riding in flipflops just on the pedal axle which looks painful. There are of course neither lights nor reflectors.
So roadside bike repair workshops and bike spare suppliers do a roaring trade. They will respoke a wheel quite happily with no equipment to speak off just sitting on bare earth. They also specialise in a very african bike modification which seems to be aimed at reinforcing the front forks. Hammers seem to be used for bike repair surprisingly often, but they get results!
So Kakumbi clinic has no patient car park, but lots of bikes outside, and when the mobile HIV clinic comes to town - it looks like Amsterdam railway station - well almost. (Why HIV patients are more likely to have bikes we will discuss another time).
It is hard not to approve of this development. It would be nice if the bikes were made in Africa so that the money is not being sucked out of the economy, but who could compete at that price? The local people have an effective, non polluting means of transport, so they can get to school, healthcare, shops, work,etc. Loads including sick patients are transported by someone walking beside the bike while the wood or patient sits on the rear carrier. Obesity is rare.
So what are the drawbacks? There are conflicts over bike ownership, - including at least one divorce recently! but the main problems are very similar to with cars - and obviously less severe. Cyclists seem to get hit by cars even more than pedestrians do, which is a tragedy that is mainly caused by the standard of Zambian driving. Men fall off their brakeless bikes when drunk and their bare feet suffer very nasty wounds, which we struggle to keep dressed and clean. But the main problem is when the kids get their feet in the wheel. The results can really make me wince.
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