Battery-powered bicycles offered to tourists at Cambodia's Angkor temples

0 Comments | AFP, November, 2005

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Tourists exploring Cambodia's sprawling Angkor temple complex can now do so on battery-powered bicycles that have been introduced in a bid to cut down on pollution, officials said.

About 300 of the Chinese-made bikes have been put to use since early November, said Soeung Kong, deputy director general of the Apsara Authority, which manages Angkor, Cambodia's top tourism drawcard.

The plan is "part of the government's efforts to make the compound quiet and reduce pollution in and around city", he told AFP.

The Apsara Authority's website showcases what appears to be a hybrid bicycle with pedals and a motor. It said the bicycles were considered after complaints by people living in the area about motorised vehicles.

But the plan has...