Initiative seeks to enable students to cycle to university

AMMAN — For the past year Cycling Jordan has been planning to provide university students with bicycles to commute from their residences to their universities, according to a member of the initiative.

Sari Husseini, cycling trips manager at Cycling Jordan, said the group has distributed a questionnaire to students to gauge their reaction to the idea. 

"We wanted to know about the difficulties they may encounter if they use bicycles or the reasons that prevent them from using them so that we can circumvent these obstacles and provide them with the best service they can get," Husseini told The Jordan Times in a recent phone interview.

He noted that 35 students filled out the questionnaire when they first launched it, and most of them had a positive reaction.

Husseini said Cycling Jordan is targeting Madaba, Amman and Irbid with its initiative. 

"We want to find areas that are suitable for bicycles. We want areas where the students' residences are not far from their universities," he added. 

The Cycling Jordan member said Al Zaytoonah, Petra, Israa and Yarmouk universities are expected to be covered by the service. 

"We are still working on the concept but what we are planning to do is provide the students with bicycles that they can use to get from home to their universities," he added. 

Husseini said a number of stations will be constructed near the universities where students can park their bicycles and take a shower. 

"We will start contacting the universities to get their approval regarding the stations and will be working on them in July." 

He noted that the project is aimed at spreading the culture of cycling among Jordanians and providing them with a more comfortable means of transportation. 

"We do not want students to be forced to take a taxi or a bus. By using bicycles, they can be free to go to university in accordance with their own schedules." 

University students interviewed by The Jordan Times welcomed the initiative, voicing hope that the project will be implemented soon. 

Suliman Qaraeen, a student at Princess Sumaya University for Science and Technology, said he already uses a bicycle to get to university. 

"I like using it because it is a chance for me to exercise as I have no time to do so otherwise. Also, it helps me save up some money. In one year, I managed to save more than JD1,000," he told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

Qaraeen noted that cycling helps him save time as well. 

"It takes me 15 minutes to reach university, while if I use a car, it would take one hour because of the traffic jams." 

The initiative's organisers, Qaraeen said, should offer ways to ensure the safety of students using bicycles because many of them are reluctant to cycle because of this issue.

Saad Qotob, a University of Jordan student, said the project is "brilliant" but requires suitable infrastructure to ensure the safety of students on the road. 

"It would also be a good idea for the organisers to make students go in groups so that others are encouraged to join as well."

Zain, a Yarmouk University student, said she supports the initiative but the negative comments of some members of the community might discourage girls from joining. 

"Organisers can also work to promote bicycles as a means of transport in all sectors, not only for university," she added. 

"The service has to be affordable because most students already face financial hardships and some of them are working to meet their study expenses," the music student added. 

But she voiced optimism over the project, because "students usually understand new ideas and like to implement them."