Bicycle Diaries

Cycling is no longer the favoured form of transport for adolescents and for the young. Men and women in the 40+ age group are also increasingly inclined to the use of the bicycle for themselves.
Pedalyatri formed in 2008 by three young men who took up cycling as a heath and fitness exercise is a group of cycling enthusiasts. Six years on and the membership has reached around 800. They describe themselves as “a group of enthusiasts who love the wind in our hair, sweat on our brow, ache in our muscles and a bike between our legs. We believe in the clean, green, fitness machine that lets us explore the world the old-fashioned way - the way we used to when we were young both in body and in mind. We invite and welcome all out there who share the passion, the belief and the will - to hit the trail.”

Another similar group that calls itself HBC or Hyderabad Bicycling Club consists of 5732 members led by 22 members who decide on regular cycling routes and other related programmes regularly. Founded on August 11, 2007, among their agendas one is Bike to Work where, to begin with, the members resolve to cycle to work at least once a week to begin with and taking the bike out of its place every day.

Even a 15-minute ride at any time of day qualifies one for this ‘Pledged Ride’ of the Hyderabad Cycling Club. This Bike to Work programme founded by Shridhar Birlangi encourages members to cycle as frequently as possible.

“As a group, we are principally for the cause of cycling,” says the blog. Shrinand I, a member says,” Tall dark and handsome – none of these describe me. I love cycles and that statement completes me. I am very passionate about cycling and have just moved to Hyderabad and am looking to buy a new bike and start knowing a city a lot more.” He has been a member since July 2014.

That last line – ‘start knowing the city more’ - unfolds another advantage of cycling as a hobby or as a regular vehicle of getting around. You can get to know your city much more than if you were travelling by public transport such as a bus or even a local train when cycle is the mode of transport you use regularly.

In Kolkata, Vinay Jaju, an active co-founder of SwitchON says, “For a large number of people in the city, cycling is indispensable - from minor traders and suppliers to carpenters and masons, from the milk man and newspaper vendor to office clerks and courier delivery boys, the city depends on it. Nearly 2.5 million cycle trips are made every day!

Ekta Kothari of SwitchON says, “The average speed of traffic in Kolkata varies between 14-18 km/ hour. Cycles can easily match that, if not better it. If we could build separate cycle lanes, they would decongest the roads and help people travel faster! This ban just does not make sense, when the whole world is moving towards cycling and other forms of sustainable transport.”

Jaju explains that many people in the city suffer from respiratory problems, lung cancer, etc caused by harmful emission from motor vehicles whereas cycling does not cause respiratory problems because it is a pollution-free mode of transport.

Kolkata is one city which also put up a strong resistance when  the Kolkata Police extended a ban on bicycling  to 174 major roads. Citizens like Gautam Shroff of the cycle enthusiasts’ group Ride to Breathe started a Cycle Satyagraha protest and the authorities had to finally relent and stop the crackdown.

The socio-economic ‘upgrading’ of the bicycle as a form of transport to work, as part of one’s fitness regime and as a way to spice up life with the ‘adventure’ that cycling defines as also as a lifestyle statement by up-market corporate honchos drawing six-figure salaries, by men beyond their forties and by women, has made cycling a democratic exercise. Bicycle is no longer the ‘poor man’s’ vehicle.

Perhaps the two greatest environmental benefits of cycling are that it produces no pollution and consumes no fossil fuel. In the US, annual emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) are projected to increase by 35% between 2005 and 2030 from 7.2 to 9.7 billion tons CO2 equivalent, a standardized measure of GHG emissions.

The greater the number of trips made by the bicycle, the slower the rate of increase. Besides, bicycles in general use very few natural or community resources. There is little demand on parking in public places including roads and highways. In some states in the US, Bicycle Routes have been created primarily based on existing facilities. This means that the amount of new construction and development will remain low and will therefore, not intrude into undeveloped areas.

As a low-impact transport system, bicycle travel is convenient and appropriate both for those living within compact urban communities and for those who travel across wide, natural landscapes in the countryside away from the cities. The US Bicycle Route System helps educate travellers, increases awareness and builds appreciation f the natural, cultural, historic and environmental resources of the nation.

Let us take a look at Denmark. In the 1960s, cars were threatening to displace bicycles in the main Danish cities. But the oil crisis, the environmental movement and a couple of controversial road projects reversed this trend. In Denmark, the tradition of using cycles by people from across social classes is very strong. Most Danes associate the bicycle with positive values like freedom and health and today, they consider cycling as a symbol of positive energy.

Today, the bicycle has become an ultramodern vehicle even in India because prices of state-of-the-art bicycles range between Rs.80000 and Rs. 8 lakh.

Rohan Kini, an engineer, founded Bums on the Saddle (BOTS) in 2006 which is a cycling shop that aspires to take cycling to the next level in India. He quit his IT job to chase his dream.

He says, “In this cycling space, people become fitter and tend to transform their lives. The biggest discovery for me was the impact it made on the local community. Some of them slowly began commuting to work by cycle every day which saved them time. But the mandatory safety measures must be adhered to at all costs – wear helmets, sport headlights and paste reflective stickers so that you are visible on the road.”

A descriptive case study on the cycle market in India states, “India was the fourth largest producer of bicycles after China, USA and Japan between 1978 and 1991. It outsmarted USA and Japan in 1992 to become the second largest producer of bicycles in the world.”

Today, Indian bicycle manufacturers sell about 15.5 million bicycles every year, the bulk of them belonging to established brands like Atlas, Hero and Avon and the buying segment belongs to the middle class. Sales in the mid-premium segment have shot up from 34% in 2007 to 44% in 2011. High-end brands ranging from Trek through Giant, Schwinn to Bianchi are also in demand.

One must therefore concede that part of the rise in world bicycle production is due to an increasing concern for the environment on the one hand and man’s self-preservation instinct sharpened by health and fitness awareness on the other. It is now universally accepted reality that riding a bicycle is good for human health and the environment and countries across the world is promoting cycling as a way to help alleviate troublesome traffic congestion, air pollution and other environmental degradation.