Friday 5 December 2014

No Country For Scooters


What is it that makes a country become a scooter country? In Europe, the narrowness of streets in old city centers and the short distances between towns have made scooters a popular choice. In places like Vietnam, India and China the emergence of a middle class means people have the need and money for a vehicle. For many, though, a car is still financially out of reach and unnecessary in a climate frequently suitable for open-air riding. The results: an explosion in the use of scooters and small motorcycles. In North America, where scooters have been slower to catch on, people often see them as a way to save on gas and conveniently get around cities even in places where they have to store their bikes for up to half a year.

This summer, I had the chance to visit Namibia in southern Africa and, so, of course, I kept my eye open for a scooter or a motorcycle culture. I was only in the country for a week on a self-drive tour of the remote north-west sponsored by the Namibian government and organized by ATI Holidays. So admittedly I didn't get the chance to explore all the aspects of two-wheeled vehicles in the country. Online, I found places that sell motorcycles and scooters, but in my week there I did not see a single scooter or motorcycle or the roads or in the capital of Windhoek where cars and trucks ruled.


Photo copywright: Debi Goodwin


Photo copywright: Debi Goodwin

In fact, when you search online for information about scooters in Namibia the thing that pops up over and over in a short list is a restaurant called Scooters Pizza in Windhoek

There are several reasons why Namibia is no country for scooters:

1/Namibia is a middle-income country but the gap between rich and poor is huge, a hangover from the apartheid era. In rural areas, especially in the north, poverty is extreme. If people aren't walking on the roads, they are using donkeys or occasionally horses.




Photo copywright: Debi Goodwin


Photo copywright: Debi Goodwin


2/Namibia is a sparsely populated, arid country. In a county close to the size of Venezuela there are little more than 2-million people. If you break down on the roads of Namibia you could be stranded for days and face the dangers of sun exposure and extreme thirst.

3/Namibia has wild animals. For visitors that means obeying the rules of entering Etosha National Park in a closed vehicle.

 Photo copywright: Debi Goodwin


We had a vivid lesson in why this rule applies when an elephant stopped traffic and headed towards our truck. The animal could easily have crushed the vehicle. It didn't take much imagination to realize what it could do a two-wheeled vehicle.

Photo copywright: Debi Goodwin

Outside the park and for locals on the empty roads, dangers from animals still exist. Lions do kill. Staying off the roads after dusk is a generally accepted safety tip. And that's for people in closed cars.

Even in and around Windhoek, small animals can run out in front of you. The baboons hang out on the side of the road and can be unpredictable.


Photo copywright: Debi Goodwin

4/The roads are treacherous. Tarmac roads are the exception in Namibia. Once you head north, out of the capital you soon hit the gravel roads that can be covered with sand. They are deadly to tires as we found out when we had a flat in the Ford Ranger we were driving.
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So what about those adventurers who like to tour new countries on two wheels? Well, it is possible to do a tour of the rugged country on a motorcycle (excluding the parks) but judging from some reviews online, it is not a trip for the faint of heart.

http://motoress.com/readarticle.asp?articleid=474

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