Perils of Cycling

Cycling is the most eco-friendly mode of transport in the world but we in India are still stuck in the developing country syndrome. Instead of encouraging them, we actively discourage them and carry up new cars to create more pollution in the city.

BICYCLES MAY be the most popular two-wheeler on India’s roads, but the millions who use these to commute and to transport goods and family in towns and villages certainly don’t wear helmets, jackets or biking gloves to protect themselves, hence the risk increases.

Cycling to work makes more sense for the city’s wealthy - nearly three million vehicles obstruct 500km (300 miles) of Bangalore’s contracted roads, with 1,000 new vehicles added every day.

Bangalore is one of India’s most polluted cities, as air pollution levels are five times higher than permitted limits. Concerns over traffic conditions and the environment, combined with a sedentary lifestyles, we should all unite to promote cycling to work in Bangalore.

The Indian society equates prosperity with bigger vehicles and cycling with the poor. Cyclists are offered no facilities whatsoever in the shape of cycle lanes or bike parks.

“I am riding bicycle for the past 19 years. I find it very easy, comfortable, I need not stand in the traffic for long, though there is risk but I follow the B Trac near Chinnaswamy Stadium,” says Muthappa, a bicycle rider.

Cycling is the most eco-friendly mode of transport in the world but we in India are still stuck in the developing country syndrome. Instead of encouraging them, we actively discourage them and get new cars to create more pollution in the city.

But soon it would be no longer unusual to see perspiring people pedaling to work. While on the one hand people are persuading themselves to embrace vegetarianism, on the other they are speaking out in favour of protecting the environment through cycling. Even ‘Go green’ is a message that most people are now beginning to accept and integrate into their daily routine. Being environment-friendly seems to have become a trend these days.

Five years ago, in Bangalore, Dasarathi, the director of a software products development company, made a potent statement for an alternative mode of daily transport in the choked roads of India’s Silicon Valley. Go Cycle, an umbrella organisation of biking enthusiasts and activists, is looking to lobby corporate sponsors and the local government for amenities for urban cyclists.

Go Cycle is working to convince people, a locality with broad, tree-lined roads, and the Central Business District - including the MG Road and Commercial Street - to turn over unused space for the use of cycle parking.

Traffic is bad in most cities, Bangalore is one of them, and the media has shown great interest in workers who commute by bicycle. These riders report that it takes them far less time on a cycle than in a car, and slightly less or the same amount of time than on a motorcycle.

“It is difficult to built the new tracks for bicyclers, while all the new roads are come under Bangalore Development Authority and I should encourage bicycling as it creates less pollution,” says N Ramesh, In-Chief, Executive Engineer, and Bangalore Mahanagar Palike.

“Today, the 18 km drive into town from my house just outside Bangalore takes about 80 minutes at rush hour. When I was a child, it took 20 minutes. You can see why it’s so tempting to get out of the car and leave that honking, smoking mess behind. I would choose an hour of cycling over an hour of operating a perfectly nice car in first gear and second gear alone,” says Mukesh, a pedestrian.

In Bangalore, it is better to have geared bikes. There are enough ups and downs here that one may not note when in an automobile. But don’t go for 18 gear models. 5-7 gears are more than enough.

A new folding bike named Strida was in a car show here in Bangalore (Deco 2007). This triangular bike seems really attractive with a host of good features.

When you buy a bike, and intend to use it through out the year, buy one with long mudguards. Otherwise you end up spoiling the back of your shirt in rainy season. Even otherwise there is enough cow dung on the roads.

To make cycling interesting, try installing an analog or digital speedometer on your cycle. You can get the digital speedometer V100 (see my review), which is a very good model to use. Battery lasts more than 2 years.

The survey by Bangalore Commute Data articulates that 57 per cent use personal transport - car or two wheelers and 4.4 per cent use BMTC Buses and 14.7 per cents uses bicycle.

Adventurous people will love walking or even cycling in this city but for everyone else it can get quite scary. It’s a common rule in Bangalore that zebra crossings nicely painted on some streets must be ignored under any circumstance. So, don’t expect any vehicle to stop you for crossing the road.

In the beginning, even making it in one piece to the other side of a street is as exciting as jumping off a ten metre high tower at the swimming pool. Everybody is honking; trucks, buses and cars keep passing by while you are in the middle of it.

But on Brigade Road and MG Road life is easier for walkers. There are sidewalks and especially on the weekends you don’t have to do much walking yourself but just go with the flow and let the crowd sweep you from one place to the other.

When you decide on walking and cycling anywhere in Bangalore, just stays calm, ignore the constant honking and before crossing a street remember to look right first.