BEIRUT: Lebanon’s cycling revolution started Saturday with more a whisper than a wallop. Only seven participants showed up at Beirut’s Sanayeh Park for the country’s first ever “critical mass” gathering: a cyclists’ collective that has, over recent years, grown in popularity in cities around the world. Despite a lack of numbers the group made a two-hour circuit of Beirut, meeting more cyclists along the way.
Deric Gruen, 23, who denies being the organizer of what he says is a leaderless gathering, but was the one to put flyers up around the city, hand them to passing cyclists and start a Facebook group advertising the event.
“My vision is that first, it will create a safe space for cyclists who want to try to ride in the city, especially those who make use of bicycles for transportation, and second; to show that there are bicycles on the street by [gathering them together],” he said.
Gruen, from Seattle in the US, is currently on a cycling world tour and staying in Beirut for two and a half months.
“It’s a challenge to ride here. I’ve cycled in a number of cities around the world and [Beirut] has definitely been the most challenging,” he said.
The modest turnout might not be surprising, given the low number of bicycles seen around the city and Saturday’s bad weather. But Gruen said he would be back next month, and hoped around 16 riders would join him as the capital’s invisible army of cyclists begin to emerge from the woodwork.
“There are more cyclists [in Beirut] than you think,” he said. “Most of them go unseen, riding against traffic, isolated on the side of the road.”
In cities such as Seattle, critical mass gatherings attract thousands of riders, often causing traffic chaos as the cyclists take over the roads. Beirut may not have to worry about a horde of two-wheeled warriors, but from the enthusiasm of the few people who did attend the country’s inaugural event, the phenomena looks set to gain momentum.
“I like the idea and I think it will work, but it’s too bad that it happened on a day that it rained,” said one participant Ruba Mourad.
Spring and summer would be more popular seasons for the Lebanese cyclists, said Mourad, adding that she would be back next month with the friends who were meant to be attending Saturday’s event but failed to arrive.
Fadi Salloum, who had hired a bicycle specially for the event, said that if the critical mass gatherings were able to inspire wider use of bicycles it could have a major impact on the city’s choked roads.
“The streets are already paralyzed because of the traffic and consequently the whole country is paralyzed because nobody can move,” said Salloum. “Maybe [it will become established] in a few years but it’s not going to be easy. I’m sure that a lot of people will laugh at us and make fun of us and in a few years I hope this will become the default.”
Salloum said he had recently traveled to Amsterdam and Seattle, where he was impressed by the provisions made for cyclists. Measures such as separate traffic lights and dedicated bike-only streets created an environment which encouraged people to commute by bicycle. Large municipal parks allow space for people to cycle without any danger from traffic, a problem Salloum sees as the biggest threat to cyclists in Beirut.
“During the last five minutes I nearly got killed 10 times,” he said of his journey to Sanayeh. “Accidents do happen and I expect a lot of casualties in Lebanon. The drivers do not expect cyclists so they drive extra recklessly; that’s why we need to sacrifice ourselves by doing what we are doing today.”
Beirut’s brave bicycle riders are invited to meet at Sanayeh Park at noon on the last Saturday of November for the second critical mass gathering.
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