Urban October is here, usually celebrated between 1st and 31st October each year. Today, being the last day of October 2026, the world stops everything to celebrate the annual World Cities Day This year's global observance theme, has been "Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All". I encourage us to view Housing, as beyond the object of a house but rather that which incorporates mobility and cycling by shifting away from car-centric layouts toward integrated, multi-modal transport ecosystems.

Africa’s cities do not need to follow a single blueprint for mobility interventions, and this piece will focus on promoting cycling. Each city globally, in Africa or in Rwanda could and should aim to discover what makes cycling meaningful to their people, places and everyday journeys.

Indeed, every city’s path to becoming a cycling city looks different. In Rwanda, Kigali, secondary cities and district towns are taking important steps towards promoting cycling. Although I remain encouraged by this momentum, admittedly, I have stopped counting how many bicycles I see using the designated cycling lanes. Instead, I remain optimistic that one day these lanes will be bustling with cyclists. This is so because I am a strong believer that success should be measured not simply by kilometres of cycling lanes constructed, but by whether more people cycle, journeys become safer, and access to education, employment, public spaces and cultural experiences improves.

My recent visit to Huye City gave me fresh reasons to believe that Rwanda’s cycling future could be even more exciting than we imagine. Huye presents an opportunity to move beyond infrastructure provision and build a lasting cycling culture that connects education, heritage, tourism, environmental conservation and everyday mobility.

Huye: A university city with cycling potential

Huye is widely recognised as Rwanda’s university city. It hosts the University of Rwanda’s Huye campus, alongside other higher learning institutions, including Rwanda Polytechnic’s Huye campus, the Protestant University of Rwanda and the Catholic University of Rwanda, as well as numerous colleges and high schools.

Consider some simple mathematics. If Huye has more than 10,000 students across its institutions, and only 20 per cent were interested in cycling to campus/school, that would represent approximately 2,000 potential cyclists. Assuming each makes at least two academic journeys daily, the city could generate around 4,000 student cycling journeys a day.

These are illustrative figures, not measured estimates of current demand. Nevertheless, they demonstrate the opportunity. Universities and schools could become powerful anchors for cycling culture, combining affordable mobility, physical activity, environmental responsibility and practical learning.

I can already imagine students cycling to lectures, fancy university bicycle clubs, inter-campus cycling events, why not? Indeed, with appropriate infrastructure and institutional support, cycling could become part of Huye’s identity rather than simply another transport option.

Cycling through Rwanda’s cultural heritage

Huye’s potential extends beyond academic journeys. The city is an important centre for Rwanda’s cultural heritage. The Ethnographic Museum, which opened in 1989, offers visitors insights into the country’s history and material culture. The Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy, also headquartered in Huye, contributes to safeguarding national heritage, archives, libraries and public museums.

Although these institutions primarily run as heritage centers, it is possible to envision them as catalysts offering Huye the opportunity to rethink "cycling tourism as a concept”. Rather than viewing the bicycle exclusively as a means of travelling between home and work or school, why not embrace it as a way of experiencing the city’s cultural landscape?

I can already imagine tourists spending a day exploring Huye by bicycle before continuing their journeys to Nyungwe National Park, Kibeho Religious Site or other destinations. A carefully designed cycling experience could connect museums, historic places, local markets, cultural institutions and neighbourhood attractions.

In other contexts, we might associate safari experiences with four-wheel-drive vehicles or horseback excursions. In Huye, a bicycle safari is an idea worth exploring. This makes a lot more economic sense since local businesses and communities would benefit directly from this emerging tourism opportunity.

From the museum to the forest

And then there is the remarkable Ruhande Arboretum, a historic research and conservation forest established in 1933. Its long history of forestry research and conservation makes it an important part of Huye’s ecological landscape.

I find the idea of connecting cycling with such a landscape particularly appealing. Visitors could combine cultural discovery with nature-based experiences, including guided walks, environmental education and carefully managed cycling where appropriate. Any cycling activities within or around the arboretum must, of course, respect conservation priorities and be developed in consultation with the relevant authorities.

I cannot wait for my next visit to Huye to experience that natural sauna familiar to early risers: the cool, fresh air of the five o’clock club. There is something special about beginning the day outdoors, when the city is waking up and nature offers a moment of calm before daily routines begin. Perhaps cycling could help more people discover this experience?

Homework for Huye Leaders, Towards turning cycling infrastructure into everyday practice

Optimism alone will not transform Huye into a cycling city. Cycling lanes are an essential starting point, but lasting change requires cities to understand people’s everyday realities and concerns.

Huye leaders would then, by the support of development partners and academia, audit their cycling infrastructure and ask key questions: Are routes continuous and safe? Can women, children, older people and people with disabilities use them comfortably? Are cyclists protected at junctions? Is secure parking available at universities, schools, markets and public institutions? Can people afford bicycles and access repairs?

The University of Rwanda’s Senior Management have already approved the idea that the School of Architecture and Built Environment (SABE) takes a lead by developing conceptual urban design interventions and strategic projects in Huye. It all starts with UR collaborating with local authorities, local communities (users), transport providers, tourism operators, etc. to identify priority routes and test practical interventions. Development partners would then support in not only infrastructure development but also research and public engagement. This is the space to watch and I hope I can back within the next few months to update us on theprogress with this.

Every African city has its own cycling story

Africa’s cycling future should not be defined by infrastructure alone. Some cities may build cycling cultures around commuting; others may find opportunities in university life, local commerce, recreation, heritage tourism or connections to nature.

Huye has the ingredients to explore several possibilities simultaneously. Its educational institutions offer potential everyday demand, its cultural heritage invites exploration, and its ecological landscapes encourage nature-based experiences. Together, these assets could give the city a distinctive cycling identity.

I remain hopeful that Rwanda’s cycling lanes will one day carry many more bicycles. My visit to Huye has strengthened that optimism and reminded me that successful cycling cities are not simply places where people have somewhere to ride. They are places where people have compelling reasons to ride.

Perhaps Huye’s next chapter will be written by students cycling to campus/school, more residents making everyday journeys, and visitors discovering Rwanda’s cultural and natural heritage one pedal at a time.

That is a future worth working towards.