Project Description
ETİ Yellow Bike Project
ETİ Yellow Bike Social Responsibility Project was launched in 2014 with the cooperation of ETİ and Active Life Association to make cycling a part of everyday life, which is one of the most healthy and fun way to move.
In the first 3 years ETİ Yellow Bike Project cycled a total of 250 thousand km and traveled around the world six times.
ETİ, who aims to lead to a more active lifestyle in Turkey, reached people from all ages and segments with events and communications activities organized in partnership with Active Living Association. The Project cycled with children in primary schools, with teens in university campuses, with women in district bazaars, women with commuting by cycling and with mothers. It was aimed to create awareness in the possibility of cycling in everyday life with wide-participation events, bicycle campaign where unused bicycles turned back to life and met with its new owners and trainings for children and mothers.
Safe Bicycle Riding Trainings in Schools
Within the scope of safe bike riding trainings given in primary schools; children who do not know how to ride bicycles are taught to ride, and children who know how to ride a bike are given practical tips to increase their riding control. In this context, between the years 2014-2017, 17.500 students in 34 schools in Eskişehir and Istanbul were given safe bike riding trainings.
Foundation of Women on Bicycle Initiative and Activities
Women on Bicycle Initiative, which’s formation has been encouraged and supported by ETİ Yellow Bike Project, has reached more than 6,000 women since 2015 with its bicycle trainings, repair workshops, mass bike rides and effective communication in social media.
- Riding Through Traffic (After Work and on Weekends): Women on Bicycle Initiative carries out mass riding activities for women who are afraid of using their bicycles in traffic to defeat these fears. Rides are organized after work for working women, and on weekends for housewives and mothers. Practical information is also provided for coaching on issues that need attention in traffic.
- How to Ride a Bicycle? Trainings: Women who haven’t had the opportunity to learn how to ride a bike in childhood are given training on cycling.
- Cycling Guide for Women: Members of Women on Bicycle Initiative organized meetings whole year in 2015 and shared and discussed their problems and offered solutions about cycling. Cycling Guide for Women was prepared accordingly with the outcomes of these meetings. The Guide includes information and experience that helps women to ride bicycle in daily life such as; points to take into consideration when buying a bicycle, what to do before a ride, how to set up a route, what to do when riding in traffic and tips for maintenance and repair.
Women on Bicycle Initiative on Social Media:
Bicycle Recycling Campaign
According to researches, there are 1.5 million idle bicycles at homes in Turkey, not been used because of a malfunction or not been used since childhood. Moving from this outcome ETİ Yellow Bike initiated Bicycle Recycling Campaign to make these unused bikes ready for use again and bring them together with children in need. In the scope of the campaign launched by Active Living Association under the sponsorship of ETİ Yellow Bike Project, bikes were collected from homes, made ready for use again with necessary maintenance and repair works and presented to primary school children from Istanbul Beykoz’s Ali Bahadır Village, Zerzevatçı Village and İshaklı Village.
ETİ Yellow Bike Project has expanded its Campaign in 3 cities in 2018 in order to contribute to the growth of healthy generations and to ensure the sustainability of these idle bikes. Bicycle Recycling Points were determined in each city for the campaign; İzmir, Eskişehir and Konya.
All bicycles, which are collected and renewed at Recycling Points, will be presented to the students in need in the schools determined by the Provincial / District National Education Directorates in each city.
Bike Sharing in University Campuses
Students who did not have time to move in the intensive course tempo, was provided free-ride bicycles at ETİ Yellow Bike Stand and took a step to a more active lifestyle by riding bicycle for transportation in campus. In this context, more than 1,500 students have been reached in Osmangazi University.
Mobile Bike Repair Shop
With the Mobile Bike Repair Shop designed specifically for the Project, basic maintenance and repairs of unused bicycles were made free of charge. Mobile Bike Repair Shop repaired 1,600 bicycles in 54 districts in Eskişehir and Istanbul.
A first in Turkey! Self-Service Bicycle Repair Stations at a fuel station
Self-Service Bicycle Repair Stations first implemented as a pilot in 2017 at Caddebostan Shell Station. Cyclists can use the equipment for basic maintenance and repair that their bikes need free of charge and 24/7, such as tire repair, pumping air and handlebar and saddle adjustments. In 2018, self-service bicycle repair stations extended to Shell Yeniköy, Shell Bostancı and Shell İzmir Güzelbahçe stations.
ETİ Yellow Bike Mass Bicycle Ride Event in Eskişehir
In the first year of the Project, the biggest and crowded mass bicycle ride event was organized in Eskişehir. More than 1,200 cyclists ride their bikes through the city streets. At the end of the ride, the cyclists came to Yellow Bike Festival area to relax and have fun with cycling activities.
“Bike Day” instead of Gold Day in Neighborhood
ETİ Yellow Bike Project has realized a transformation for the “Gold Days” of housewives of Beykoz’s Çamlıbahçe neighborhood. This activity encouraged women to give bikes as gifts to each other instead of buying gold, and thus cycling became a part of women’s daily life in the neighborhood. In addition, bike rides were carried out in which mothers in the neighborhood could go to school with their children.
After Iftar Bike Ride in Neighborhood
The iftar festival was held in Beykoz Çamlıbahçe neighborhood to make active lifestyle adopted by larger masses and make cycling a part of daily life. After the iftar, together with the participation of the neighbors, a bicycle ride was organized.
Cycling Events for ETİ Employees
Within the scope of the project, Events for ETİ Employees are carried out every year with a mass bicycle ride with the participation of ETİ employees and their families from Istanbul and Eskişehir. A total of 1,150 employees and families have participated since 2014.
“ETİ Yellow Bike Workshop”
The ETİ Yellow Bike Workshop brought together bicycle stakeholders to talk about ways to disseminate cycling in everyday life. Yellow Bike Workshop was organized to develop solutions and future action plans to increase bicycle use. In addition to executives from public institutions such as the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, a large group of local authorities, non-governmental organizations, private sector and media representatives, and academics participated.
In the panel that constitutes the first part of the workshop, it was emphasized that physical activity is essential for prevention of non-communicable diseases and bicycle is one of the most important means of movement. In order to increase bicycle use, it was also noted that it is important not only to make bicycle paths, but also to emphasize the importance of the bicycle and to promote it as a means of transportation. “Mobile life and health” came to the forefront in the results of the table discussions held after the panel. It was emphasized that public health would be better at a place where bicycle use is common, that this issue is directly related to the economy and health expenditures will decrease as bicycle use increases.
Researches and Reports:
Yellow Bike Project conducted researches to reveal the society in Turkey’s habits, perceptions and expectations in regards to physical activity and cycling and based on the data collected, it developed strategies to make individuals’ lives more active for different target groups.
Significant researches; Research on Physical Activity Level of Turkish Society, Research on Physical Activity and Walking Behaviors of Turkey, Research on Bicycle Ownership and Use in Turkey.
