As a part of the global platform aimed at promoting active lifestyle as a basis for healthy living habits, Pivara Skopje, in close cooperation with The Coca-Cola Company, donated 5 bicycle parking racks to the City of Skopje, which will be installed on several locations. Today, the first bicycle parking lot, located near the City Park fountain, was inaugurated.

The basic objective of the project is to promote physical, sporting and recreational activities, as well as to preserve our environment and to reduce the traffic congestion in the city by encouraging the use of bicycles and by promoting bicycles as an alternative means of transport.

“It has been a longstanding commitment of both Pivara Skopje and The Coca-Cola Company to help diversify the recreational options for all citizens living in the community. Having that in mind, we have been involved in so many new and innovative projects that clearly show that we care about the community we operate in. I believe that by making this donation to all citizens of Skopje, we, Pivara Skopje, will be able to make our contribution in promoting recreational and urban biking as a lifestyle, and in raising the awareness about the use of bicycles as the most energy-efficient means of urban transport, which has high potential in reducing air pollution and in protecting the environment, as well- stated Mr. Lambro Patche, PR and Communications Manager.

“In the past few years, the City of Skopje has been committed to investing in improving the biking infrastructure in Skopje. The successful implementation of the capital project called “SKOPJE VeloCity 2017” based on which the City plans to develop an efficient network of easily connected and accessible marked biking lanes only serves to prove that. This means that anybody who wishes to use a bike will be able to get anywhere they want, completely safe and without any obstacles. So far, we have been involved in developing the Route 1 biking lanes with total length of 7,600 meters and we have made it possible to bikers to get from Gazi Baba, through the center of the City, all the way to Karposh, without any obstacles. We are now in the final stage of building and the reconstructing the Route 2 biking lanes with total length of 11 kilometers, which start in the Municipality of Aerodrom, then go through the Municipalities Centar and Karposh, going all the way to the Municipality of Gjorche Petrov. The next stage will include the development of the Route 3 biking lanes, which are planned to connect Kisela Voda, the center of the City and Karposh; then the Route 4 biking lanes starting from Chair and going to the center of the City, as well as the seven planned connection points. This means that the “SKOPJE VeloCity 2017” project will make it possible to reconstruct a total of 51 kilometers of biking lanes in the City of Skopje”- stated Mr. Koce Trajanovski, Mayor of the City of Skopje.

“It is very important for us to create proper conditions and to encourage citizens, and especially young people, to use the biking lanes and the bicycle as an alternative means of transport as much as possible, to practice healthy lifestyle and, finally, to make a contribution to a healthier environment. On this occasion, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Pivara Skopje and The Coca-Cola Company for our excellent cooperation and for their donation of 5 bicycle parking racks, which proves that they are corporate responsible companies that support our commitment to create a sustainable urban transport, and are a true example of genuine care for the community”- added the Mayor Trajanovski.

The bicycle parking racks bear the shape of the iconic Coca-Cola bottle, and a pair of Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero bicycle parking racks will be mounted at each bike parking spot. In terms of design, this is a highly innovative solution that, at the same time, reflects the strategic commitment of the company in uniting all Coca-Cola flavours into a single brand.

The project was implemented in cooperation with the City of Skopje. As a valuable partner, the #NaTochak Association also provided a significant contribution in the success of realization of this project.

Within the framework of this platform, in the past years, Pivara Skopje, in cooperation with The Coca-Cola Company, has been involved in the realization of a series of successful projects aimed at encouraging active lifestyle, such as the Coca-Cola Football Cup and the Coca-Cola Active Zones which were launched last year in 5 cities. This year, Coca-Cola Active Zones will be launched in 5 more cities throughout the country.