During the first Car Free Day in Uganda, over 350 people cycled through Kampala’s city centre to raise awareness about sustainable modes of urban transport. The event drew attention to growing concerns over the capital’s traffic congestion and air pollution.
A typical Kampala view Photo Marlies Pilon
Rush hour chaos has become a troubled reality of life in Kampala. Zigzagging matatu’s, crisscrossing boda-boda’s, cars, bikes, pedestrians and livestock fight to be mobile on the cramped and potholed roads of the capital. Foggy residues from old motorised vehicles create an eerie, purplish sky. But this morning is different.
About 350 people drive their decorated bicycles freely through the centre of Kampala on the first Car Free Day in East-Africa. Motorised traffic is blocked on the designated cycling route that meanders straight through the capital with help from local authorities and the police.
A participant of the car free day strikes a pose Photo Marlies Pilon
Read the whole article about cycling in Kampala on RNW’s Africa Desk
I am Marlies Pilon (28), an independent journalist covering the East-African region from Kampala, Uganda. Welcome to this scrapbook in cyberspace. Learn more about how I try to capture the region's changing dynamics in words, sounds, and (moving-)images.
