Circling the bend just outside the car park at a deserted Blue Lagoon this week, I turned around to look back at the Green Hub building and was pleased with the few wobbly metres I had covered so far.
Perched on the bicycle seat, I had decided that, for this story, it wasn’t just enough to “write the talk”, I had to “ride the talk”, even though it has been more than 15 years since I last rode a bicycle.
However, to find out what the municipality was going on about in encouraging the Durban public and delegates in town for the COP17 climate change negotiations to cycle instead of driving a car, we made the attempt to cycle the 14km along the beachfront and back.
For R40 an hour, bicycles can be hired from the Green Hub building at Blue Lagoon and you can cycle all along the revamped beachfront.
The city is at present building cycle lanes along a section of the M4 northern freeway and is undertaking an environmental assessment to build a cycle lane along Riverside Road.
Part of the city’s non-motorised transport plan, lanes will also be built to eventually link areas such as Umlazi, KwaMashu and Umhlanga.
This mode of transport is not only being mooted in eThekwini. In Table View in the Western Cape, cycle and pedestrian paths were added as part of their non-motorised transport plan, with Premier Helen Zille an avid cyclist.
Delegates in town for the climate change conference have also been urged to take a bicycle from their hotels or bed-and-breakfasts to the ICC to limit the carbon dioxide emitted by vehicles.
Reports this week however, show that delegates had not yet taken to the cycling option and there were hopes that numbers would pick up this weekend.
So doing our bit to reduce emissions, photographer Sibonelo Ngcobo and I were keen on embarking on the 14km journey from Blue Lagoon to uShaka and back to view Durban in a different way.
After a wobbly start and a fresh wind to help us along, we headed towards the beachfront.
Police vans were seen patrolling the promenade, no doubt to keep crime levels down for the duration of the conference.
As we passed Suncoast we saw a giant globe that had been set up which people were able to sign with their green pledges.
A little further on, as we passed by a Metro mounted unit, and Cop17 volunteers dressed in green tracksuits getting ready to go to their designated spots to help delegates and other people in town for the conference.
One volunteer commented that “things have been going good” so far, and they had experienced no problems.
Approaching the beachfront, Greenpeace volunteers were seen organising their tent area, and the vegans had volunteers distributing educational pamphlets about why veganism (someone who eats no animal or dairy products at all) was the way to save the planet.
However, preparations were still under way all along the beachfront to get the city ready for all the different activities being held for the public.
These include exhibitions, concerts and other holiday events. But to cycle through a buzzing beachfront was certainly more entertaining that simply taking a walk.
We passed by children on an excursion to Mini town and then dozens more enjoying dips in the cool water at the paddling pools.
It was still before noon and about a dozen other people were seen cycling and others jogging.
Beach cricket, soccer and volleyball were being played, activities which will continue well into the festive season.
The city’s controversial premises that have been lying vacant since they were built for Soccer World Cup last year, have been put to some use.
The buildings at Dairy Beach are being used as a makeshift art display area and another is being used by aid organisation Oxfam.
Another building was also being used as a bicycle-hire outlet for delegates.
Was this a great way for delegates to be cycling to and from the ICC zone?
Well, in the humid Durban weather, it may not be practical for the suit-wearing delegates with their briefcases to hop on a bicycle and make their way around town.
As we ended our journey back at the Green Hub, we decided it was definitely something we would do again – apart from a great cardio workout, cycling is a great way to take in Durban’s beachfront. - The Independent on Saturday