With carbon emissions from cars and two wheelers taking toll on mother Earth, cycle enthusiasts are doing their bit to promote the environment-friendly mode of transport in the country as was evident at various events held across the States on the eve of the World Bicycle Day marked on Monday.
In the national Capital, ‘#Right2Ride’ bike rally was flagged off by Hero Cycle Company in partnership with Niti Aayog to support spreading a word for sustainable mobility. It drew a huge number of participants particularly youngsters.
“Through this ‘#Right2Ride’, we wish to bring attention to the major factors that are hampering the growth of cycling infrastructure in our country. We also want to tell people that cycling is not just an individual choice but one that knits together communities”, said Pankaj M Munjal, Chairman and Managing Director of the Hero Cycle .
He further said that more than 50 per cent of the people in India use non-motorised forms of transport, such as walking and cycling to travel to work followed by two-wheelers (18 per cent) and buses (16 per cent).
In neighbouring Haryana, the State Chief Minister ML Khattar too pitched in for adopting the friendly mode of commuting which, he said, has immense direct and indirect benefits while in Bombay, an organisation, the Smart Commute Foundation (SCF) has launched #Cycle2Work initiative with a multi-pronged approach to make the city, the bicycle capital of India by 2030.
“It is not only about creating awareness but working with authorities to ensure that we realise the dream of making Mumbai, the financial capital of the country to the bicycle capital,” said Firoza Suresh, the founder of SCF. Similarly, not leaving behind in the race, on the occasion, Guwahati-based NGO ‘Pedal for a Change’ has plans to hold a day-long event ‘Cycling the City’, that will include numerous activities — all centered around cycling.
Experts have been constantly warning that increasing motorisation in urban and rural areas has given rise to many negative externalities such as dependence on fossil fuels, GHG emissions, congestion, pollution and the associated health impacts.
In fact, a study released by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) early this year too has batted for pedal power estimating that if bicycles were to “substitute the two and four-wheelers used for short-distance trips, it can result in an annual benefit of Rs. 1.8 trillion, which is equivalent to 1.6 percent of India’s annual GDP for 2015-16.”
The biggest benefit of switching over to bicycles from fossil fuel-based vehicles would be in the form of better individual health. “When we’re looking at health benefits, we see how many mortalities can be reduced due to increased physical activity and reduction in air pollution, and how expenses can be saved on diseases related to a sedentary lifestyle,” said Aakansha Jain, a research associate at TERI and lead author of the report.
The report estimates that choosing a bicycle over an automobile for half of all short-distance work trips can save 4,756 premature deaths over 15 years. However, lack of a cycling ecosystem and infrastructure in India prevent many to switch to this eco-friendly mode of transport.
Regulation of cars and motorbikes in the form of “pollution tax, congestion tax, and parking pricing” needs to supplement investment in infrastructure such as dedicated cycling tracks along the road to promote cycling, Jain said.