By Sarmad Qazi
Residents in Qatar are showing great interest in the newly-launched bicycle rental service, Gulf Times has learnt.
Two girls trying out the new bikes yesterday on the Corniche.PICTURES: Shaji
Qatar became the first country in the Middle East to offer residents cycle rentals on Friday, after the service, Q Bike, was officially inaugurated by senior officials led by HE Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani.
Following the launch, the first rental station (or rank) became operational on Saturday.
“We registered a total of 80 people on the opening day. There were people wanting to utilise the service up until the closing time,” an official said.
The first bicycle rental rank is located at the Sheraton Park, officially called Al Dafna Park, where 10 bicycles are available each day from 3pm to 8pm.
“When service resumed today, there were people waiting at the rank. We believe it (service) is attracting strong response,” the official said.
Although, at one point the whole country is aimed to be connected through a network of bicycle rental ranks, providing rides not just for leisure but for commuting purposes, for now the opened rank serves about 2km area.
“I’ve been inquiring about the cycles at the Corniche for months now, and when Qtel sent me a message on Friday to come try it out, I couldn’t wait,” an Egyptian expatriate of seven years, Ayman Salem, said yesterday.
“I used to cycle as a child, and couldn’t be happier to get the opportunity to do it again,” Salem added, before registering for another cycle for his wife.
For now, the service, a joint-initiative of the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning (MMUP) and q.media Decaux, is being offered for free as part of a two-month trial period.
Cycles are currently being issued manually by an on-site staff, which notes down a passenger’s ID number, cell phone number, and the cycle ID number, before handing out the sturdy-looking equipment.
The cycles are assembled in Italy, although they utilise parts from various other countries, officials told Gulf Times.
Once the trial expires, residents will be able to simply swipe their smartcards at the welcoming borne, enter their pin code and take an allocated cycle from the stand.
“The idea is to eventually make the whole country, bicycle-friendly with separate cycling lanes,” Qatar Cycling Federation president Sheikh Khalid bin Ali al-Thani said.
Gulf Times exclusively reported on March 21, 2009, that Qatar would become the first country in the GCC to have dedicated cycle lanes, after a comprehensive study was approved by the Urban Planning and Development Authority of the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning.
Later, more stations will be installed at Aspire Zone, Lusail, Shafallah, and other places of “safe pockets”.
James F Gartner, a spokesperson for the Qatar Chain Reaction, an informal organisation of cycling enthusiasts in Qatar, said: “This is very positive. It is evident that there are a large number of cycling enthusiasts in Qatar. We at QCR (qatarchainreaction.org) are just shy of 350 people on our mailing list.”
“We see a growing appetite for cycling. The (cycling) events in Qatar are largely attended,” he said.
