For The New York Times I rode with Furaha (11), Samora (6) and Cyrus (11), who are campaigning for more rights (and bike paths) for cyclists here in Nairobi during the monthly Critical Mass Nairobi demonstration. The story can be read on Sunday in this colorful edition of The New York Times for Kids. You can get your hands on a copy by ordering one through this link.
In Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, Jeevanjee Gardens is usually a bubble of calm. But on the last Saturday of each month, the small park transforms into a buzzing gathering place when hundreds of bicyclists roll in.
Cyrus, 11, steers his black mountain bike over the garden’s cracked paving as he greets some of the other people who have arrived with their bikes. “This gathering is called Critical Mass,” he says. “It’s fun, and it keeps me fit.” More than 300 people, including about two dozen kids, gather here each month to ride through Nairobi’s city center and neighborhoods. They shout, blow whistles and wave flags. Their goal is to make cycling safer for people. They want the city to make bike lanes on roads and to pass stronger laws to protect them while riding.
Nairobi is big and hilly, and almost all the roads were built just for cars. People who want to ride bikes (or even walk) have to pedal next to or in between cars, motorcycles and huge buses. “Cycling in Nairobi isn’t safe,” says Samora, 7, who goes to the rallies with his sister, Furaha, 11, and their aunt and uncle. Samora says he is sometimes pushed off the road by cars and buses, because they veer toward him.
The Critical Mass rides, which also happen in other cities around the world, started in Nairobi in 2014. So far they have created some change: The city has added a few bike lanes to busy roads. Cyprine Mitchell, an adult who organizes the @criticalmassnairobi gatherings, says that there have also been talks in national government meetings about making roads safer for people on bikes.
Furaha says she will keep joining the rides, “because it’s a real community — it brings bicyclists together.” She hopes that as the city becomes more friendly to riders, more people will opt for bikes instead of cars. Until then, she and others will continue fighting to make it safe. 🚲
