Bike Brokers

I almost overlooked this! When in Kiel, FutureChallenges Blogger Corina Murafa asked me to tell her what Bike Brokers was all about:

Anne Gitonga is an analyst at the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis. She's also a Fellow at the Global Economic Symposium. On her way from Nairobi to Kiel, she had a stopover in Amsterdam - world capital of bicycles. Here's her insights:

Rodney Schwartz is CEO and Founder of ClearlySo, a company that connects social business, enterprise, commerce and investment. He knows all you need to know about the funding of social enterprises. Here's what Rodney thinks about Bike Brokers:

Professor Snower says: produce! He met the group of Global Economic Fellows this afternoon and told us about his expectations. The president of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy wants us to contribute as much as we can to the Global Economic Symposium.  And he asked us to try and find a different perspective on the topics that are being discussed here in Kiel.

I have to admit that my opinion on currency wars is very much limited by my understanding of what is actually going on. Yet, when it comes to "Mobilizing Global Capital for Emerging Infrastructure Needs" I beg to differ from the view that a lot helps a lot. Small projects and local solutions are what is mostly needed in my opinion. A bike rental scheme enabling students to move around campus could be one such project.

At the opening reception of the Global Economic Symposium, I met David Tuckett who has focused in his research on the role of emotion in economics. And who cycles to University College London every day. His insight for Bike Brokers? Use "heuristic persuasion". Bikes are often the better choice of transport, but people in many countries associate them with poverty - not being able to buy a car. To make bikes more attractive, this image needs to be altered. By, say, having Edi Gathegi ride around Nairobi on a bike.

And here's the perspective from my room at the Atlantic Hotel. Lots of cars passing, people with a very different view protesting against the Global Economic Symposium (unfortunately, they didn't want to talk about non-capitalist ideas) and ships departing the Kieler Förde.

I arrived in Kiel at nighttime - I'm not a very fast rider. But that's when the harbor is especially beautiful.
I look forward to the Global Economic Symposium (GES) that will start tomorrow and will keep you updated about reactions, advice and support from participants for Bike Brokers. And I'll sure change from spandex to suit.

In order to get to Glückstadt, I crossed the Elbe river by ferry. The boat was loaded with cars. But in one corner, eight bikes quietly made the passage as well.

Bikes might just fill a niche when it comes to transporting humans and goods. But that niche is an important one: short trips, mostly in cities, where people would otherwise burn fuel, pollute the air and congest streets.

I wonder how big the niche for bikes can be in big, developing cities such as Nairobi. For our pilot project we want to concentrate on a bike sharing scheme for a university campus that will be developed by students. Click on about to find out more!

I'm cycling to Kiel to attend the Global Economic Symposium (GES). The GES is looking for responses to major global problems. Here is the GES agenda. The financial crisis is prominently featured, so are climate change and questions of peace and security.

But what are actually the most pressing issues today? I asked that question to people on Bremen's market square and liked the fact that one of them was talking about "too much hurrying."

Bremen seems to be a bike-friendly city. It boasts lots of bike lanes, a great site with parking info for cyclists hosted by the city administration and has a fun way to welcome bikes to town:

They count the number of bikes entering Bremen via the Wilhelm-Kaisen bridge. I went right after this lady and made it 4552th on the daily count.

A good infrastructure welcoming bikes is important if you want to convince people to cycle more!

I am not a bike freak. I do not think that bikes are the perfect means of transport, will solve our resource problems and stop climate change. I enjoy taking a plane and waking up on another continent. I only think that bikes should play a bigger role in our daily commuting than they do today.

And sometimes, they can be a pain in the neck. Ask Thorsten. I met him close to little town Hunteburg, where he was pushing his bike homewards with a flat tire and an angry face that he understandably didn't want to be in the picture.

When I arrived at the "Radstation" in Münster, it was already starting to get dark. I still had a look around and was impressed with how big the place is. Bikes can mean business!

Radstation Münster from Bike Brokers on Vimeo.