What is a bicycle? The question has such an obvious answer that most people would be amazed it was being asked - and seriously discussed - by senior police officers, and officials from the Department of Transport and Abu Dhabi Municipality.
We are just eight days away from The National's #CycleToWorkUAE day, so the meeting was a vital step in ensuring that Tuesday, January 13 runs as smoothly and safely as possible.
I was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm from these different departments to embrace this initiative and adopt it as if it were their own. They proposed safe cycling routes and safety measures, particularly for #Cycle ToWorkUAE day. They also shared their plans for Abu Dhabi and its future as a city that will one day offer its residents the option to use bicycles all year round.
And when it came to that question - what is a bicycle? - they came up with a truly radical proposal. On #CycleToWorkUAE day, a bicycle - or, more accurately, its rider - will be considered a pedestrian.
A bicycle, the meeting concluded, will not be treated as a vehicle on January 13. However, cyclists will be expected to behave as pedestrians would. They must exercise caution and vigilance, particularly when sharing space with other pedestrians.
This means that for #Cycle ToWorkUAE day cyclists should avoid the roads as much as possible and stick to cycling paths, service roads, walking paths, and the hard shoulder if necessary.
See our graphic of recommended cycling routes in Abu Dhabi.
The traffic police also reminded us that helmets are essential, as are reflectors and lights at night.
With that question out of the way, there is another issue that needs addressing: do we have a cycling culture here? Do we really want to leave our cars behind as often as we can?
I think we do. But there is one major problem stopping us: safety.
In a country where people of more than 200 nationalities live and work, safety means different things to different people. A lot of educating needs to happen to ensure that all other road users respect cyclists and see them as they see themselves.
The best way for that to happen is by encouraging drivers to take to two wheels themselves. A driver who is also a cyclist will be a lot more careful around bicycles when in their car or other vehicle. That's why #CycleToWorkUAE makes such sense. Four wheels good - two wheels good, too!
It has also started to bring the community together, to make authorities, individuals and businesses take stock and think more seriously about the many benefits of cycling over driving, with safety at the forefront of their thinking.
Transforming the UAE into a cycle-friendly society will be a long process, but one that needs to begin. And no time better than the start of a new year.
#CycleToWorkUAE is also starting to stimulate more of a bicycle economy, with a few bicycle shops offering special discounts, vouchers (check out the 20 per cent discount coupon for Tamreen Sports in The National this week) and bicycles for our SMS contest: to enter, just text 3660 with a cycling safety tip.
Thanks to the considerable assistance of everyone we have encountered, #CycleToWorkUAE day on January 13 already looks set to be a major milestone in the development of a cycling culture. Now all that is needed is for everyone to leave their cars behind for the day and climb into the saddle - making sure, of course, that we're all wearing helmets, and that our bikes have lights and reflectors.
On Twitter: @alotaiba _m
newsdesk@thenational.ae
Everyone pulls together to put you in the saddle
#CycleToWorkUAE day on January 13 already looks set to be a major milestone in the development of a cycling culture.
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