A Negev bike trail
צילום: לבנת גינצבורג
Getting people to the Negev, one bike at a time
In effort to draw bicycle-riders to southern trails, Negev development committee initiates project in Tel Aviv: 100 bikes available for free to those who answer question about the Negev
Starting Friday, in honor of Tel Aviv's upcoming centennial, 100 yellow bicycles will be scattered across the White City, free for the taking… to anyone who is able to solve a riddle related to the bike.
The unique initiative was developed by the Committee for the Development of the Negev and Galilee as part of a project to attract bike-riders to trails in the south, with hope that the game will serve as an advertisement and a draw to the region.
Snagging a free yellow bicycle, project coordinators say, is a matter of a few simple steps. First, spot a bike. Next, find a sticker on the bike bearing the name of one of the many bike trails in the Negev, including the trail serial number.
At the website www.gonegev.co.il, interested bikers can read about their bike trail, answer a question about it and type in the serial number of the trail in question. A correct answer will supply the code to the bike lock.
In the past year, the Negev has become one of the leading hot spots for biking enthusiasts and the development committee, along with the Jewish National Fund and the Tourism Ministry, has spent NIS 2 million (about $500,000) to develop new biking trails and relevant infrastructure.
"Today, the Negev has an entire system built to accommodate riders," Michal Ozihu, director of tourism for the region, said Wednesday. "The Negev is a great spot for bike-riders of many different levels."
