The world’s largest bicycle manufacturer, Giant, is taking emergency measures to increase the bicycle supply to Japan.
Japan is a world-renowned producer of cars, but people are turning to bicycles because petrol shortages and damaged roads have rendered cars all but useless in the area worst-affected by the tsunami.
Giant sells approximately 1 million bicycles to Japan a year, roughly one in ten of all cycles imported by the country and the company expects the current spike in demand to have a knock-on effect in other markets.
A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Bicycles provide a reliable and cheap means of transport, which continues to work inspite of impassable roads and chronic shortages of petrol.”
The low-tech (and petrol-free) road to improving lives
It is easy for cyclists in Europe spoilt by a choice of exotic frame materials, specialist tyre compounds and computerized accessories to forget that bicycles are for millions of people around the world a cheap and practically maintenance-free means of carrying as much as fits in the boot of a car.
Re-cycle your old bike…
The charity Re-cycle sends secondhand bikes from this country to Africa where they become a much-valued means of transport for children, who would otherwise walk up to 9 miles each way to school; medical personnel; mothers and farm workers amongst others.
www.eta.co.uk