It is no more a choice that our towns and cities turn people friendly, go green for the lowest carbon foot print & contribute more as individual citizens - today, more than ever, it is an imperative decision we all have to make. More cycles on the road & emission free electric transport is what will get us there. Coimbatore has made a bold move by laying Tamilnadu's first Bicycle Lane, as part of its Smart City project. But how are the rest of us faring?
The bicycles are reinventing the way we approach mobility today. As 800 odd cities in Europe, America & far East are creating futurist infrastructure to enable cycling as a clean transport solution to counter traffic, population & pollution in the ever growing cities, India seems far behind as usual. With the world switching gradually from fossil fuel to safer and emission free modes of transport, today the cities of the world can be broadly divided into two categories – ones that have bicycle networks, and others who want it. So which category are our Indian cities? They belong to a third category: Directionless.
The Bicycle as a socio-economic tool of intervention in TN
Against the National average, one part of the country that has grown in cycle adoption in India is Tamil Nadu. With the Govt. of Tamil Nadu giving away half a million cycles for free to the school students, it has found maximum patronage in the State. But urban students, who grow up zipping around in peppy scooters have barely put half of them to use though rural TN has better proportion of adoption. For all cycle owning students to switch back from 100cc scooters to cycling would be a downgrading and goes against their idea of speedy, upward mobility.
To put the free bicycles to use requires a substantial change in the mindset of the student populace through persistent campaign and reward for adoption. It can start with the Schools & us, parents saying a definite "NO" to children riding to school in bikes meant for adults. This compulsion will have them revert back to the cycle as the only option to school. Alos a bit of Policing could help!
The Govt. gifted free cycles usually turn up for sale one year or two after disuse in most of the urban clusters, for as low as Rs. 500/cycle. That way Tamil Nadu has also turned itself into one of the largest dump yards of readily useable cycles. Ironically, while the supply exceeds demand in the urban areas, the District of Pudukottai, which has the largest number of rural women cyclist made possible by Arivozhi Iyakam (Adult Literacy Campaign) are badly in need of cycles thought half the populace does not earn enough to afford one. This is just one dimension of the bicycle use in Tamil Nadu.
Coimbatore leading TN cities in Bicycle Sharing
On the other hand, as a first step towards cities in Tamil Nadu taking to sustainable urban mobility solutions, the Corporation of Coimbatore in association with Ofo, the world’s first dock less bicycle-sharing platform operated via mobile app, has started rolling out city-level services as part of implementing and completing projects under the ‘Smart Cities Mission.' By offering a sustainable and pollution free transport solution that could be scaled up anytime in the future, Coimbatore has broken into the list of top-10 Smart Cities with its Bicycle Lanes. The other corporations need to take the cue.
Smart roads, cycle tracks & walking paths have been proposed under the Smart cities Project; but its benefit is limited to those living in those cities only. The project does not cover any of the two and tree tier cities, which are left with no plan on their own and so will have to wait for the government to implement one, which might take a decade.
As more and more cities & towns get covered by bicycle sharing platforms, it is only going to get greener. Ofo’s cycle sharing solution has mainstreamed cycling as a sustainable transport for now and the future in these cities. In short, smart entrants like these are revolutionizing the future of town and city transport.
Read this interesting story about Pudukottai Women’s Ride to Freedom by P. Sainath
With urban mobility emerging as a major civic issue, and more Indian cities aspiring for Smart City status, government bodies are striving to reduce environmental impact, improve public transport and the overall quality of life.
While 200 cities will turn smart, expanding small towns like Nagercoil, with populations between 5 – 10 lakhs have no plan in place for turning itself smart. Nagercoil, yet to attain the status of a Municipal Corporation, does not have a proposal or agenda in place for the envisioned 'Emission Free India 2030'. There is simply total disreagard for rules and flouting of Municipal regulations for a price. The town is already in bad shape with a underground drainage scheme gone all wrong and then there is the NH work in progress, which will last for another year or two.
With a sudden influx of migrants from the coastal belt of Kanyakumari since the Tsunami, the town seems suddenly overcrowded. Add to them Sindhis, Bengalis, Uttar Pradeshis, Mizos, Nagas, Russians, Ukranians and all. Nagercoil has turned out to be one of the most cosmopolitan of Indian towns in the South. The population of Nagercoil read 2.18 lakhs in 2011 though by now it would have doubled to 4.5 - 5 lakhs, taking up with it the stress and strain of daily commuting on roads that haven’t been planned to take on the explosion of traffic in the form of pedestrians, two wheelers, trucks, cars, buses and LCVs.
And for the new entrants into town, who so far are used only to riding on deserted country roads, their contribution to Nagercoil traffic has only raised the level of madness to a new level; mostly due the total disregard to traffic rules, in which nobody, urban or rural, is educated. Urban, educated parents send their underaged-for-a-driving-license school children, riding bikes to school which are meant only for adults and we as parents seem only to be proud of them. Most schools seem to turn a blind eye to this rich-kid syndrome.
As parents, “the younger they learn to ride the bike, the better,” we think, because it sets us free from the burden of dropping & picking them at schools, tuitions, music & drawing classes. If as parents, we start respecting the general vehicle law that reads 18 years of age for licensed bikes, our kids might also learn to respect the law – learn from us! The schools also for their part should show restrain by not entertaining these unlicensed bikers and also by rewarding the culture of cycling to school, fostering a conducive environment for now and the future by sowing seed of green when they are still young. Would there then be more cyclists on the road? Wouldn’t the government gifted cycles bought on taxpayers’ money have found better use?
Cycling needs to move into the Urban mind set
Not long ago, PM Modi suggested a day like Sunday should be promoted for cycling to save fuel. "At least one day a month can be a 'cycle day'. People should use cycles to work and other places rather than (use) cars," Modi announced to a Vibrant Gujarat's National Summit on Inclusive Urban Development as early as 2013. But since, there hasn’t been much done on the Cycling part of Sunday, till he was again reminded of the bicycle when on tour to the Netherlands as the Dutch PM gifted him with one. The Dutch Prime Minister usually goes to work riding a bicycle as cycling is considered to be the most preferred mode of transportation in the Netherlands with 100% coverage.
The Delhites haven’t taken Modiji’s worlds lightly. More than 5,000 participants zipped through the streets of New Delhi on an early Sunday morning on November 5, 2017 which included pro-cyclists, enthusiasts, professionals and supporters, as part of the Saksham Pedal Delhi Cyclothon, a first-of-its-kind event at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, organized to raise awareness about the goodness of return to cycling.
Elsewhere in Mumbai, Actor Salman Khan has launched himself as Ambassador to his own brand of eCycles named BEING HUMAN, and is available on Amazon. Salman seems to be the only icon seen cycling to promote it as a daily urban utility. Other than him, Nithin Ghadkari has shown interest in the future of cycling as a means of public/private transport, with regard to his vision of an Emission Free India 2030.
This is only a slice of an emerging psychological shift through the last 5,6 years of sustained efforts from the likes of All Indian Cycle Manufacturers Association, from NGOs and other private player who believe in the goodness of cycling and would want the whole nation to see it their way, which is not bad though.
Noida, Mumbai, Banglaore, Mysore, Bhopal, Chennai, Indore and many other cities are lapping on to the call of the cycle, in its many new avatars. Cycling clubs, forums, groups seem to be blooming everywhere in the cities. Cycling enthusiasts soon become promoters of this healthy habit and it seems to be gathering steam all across India. But this sudden urban craving for the cycle hasn’t permeated into the small town India.
Most of the marketing in the revival of cycling is by word of mouth rather than organized campaigning. It goes with adventure, health or lifestyle as the key words. But there is still a long way to go if Indian has to wake up to the reality of a zero emission transport by 2030, envisioned by Nitin Ghadkari. Cycling, manual & electrically assisted, will be a big part of this emission free economy if the dream is to be realized. And we aren’t far from the deadline. If anything, it is ripe to start digging the ground right now.
The decline of Cycling in India
According to the All India Cycle Manufacturers Association, there are approximately 100 million cycles in India, and annual production is around 15 million units. Despite meeting the mobility needs of millions of Indians and despite its positive social and environmental externalities, cycling in India has not grown in numbers as other means of mobility like cheap scooters arrived in the market in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Cycles had almost disappeared from our cities largely due to the way we have planned our cities and transport infrastructure to cater to the needs of motorized transport, thereby overriding the needs of one section of the social economy. The fact of the matter remains that conventional cycling is socially looked down upon in India. It is still seen as a poor man’s commute and has not reach the masses in an attractive adaptable equation.
So far Cycling as an ‘elite, healthy & pleasurable hobby’ has been poorly marketed as a alternative lifestyle asset of the urban middle class/rich and so in the 10 years since 2001 it grew only a bare 3%, which is dismal. But with the entry of many International Brands into the Indian market, choices of cycle abound, in addition to pinching the Indian cycle producers awake to think up and act quickly against the new round of completion from international players. It is only going to benefit the Indian consumer directly.
According to the 2011 census, 9% of all commutes in India are still being carried out by almost forgotten bicycle – an impressively large percentage compared to most other countries. The problem is that this share is going down with cyclists switching to motorized vehicles whenever they are able to afford it. Although, only 18 out of 1000 are capable of owning a vehicle, India’s roads are already overstressed and emission levels reaching alarming point. For very low income households for whom cycling is not a mode of choice, the price of cycles is a deterrent as is true in the case of women in Pudukottai who have learnt to ride a cycle but can afford to own one. There is also no mechanism in India to provide low cost finance for the purchase of cycles although cycles are widely used to access employment and business opportunities.
Switch to Cycling and Reduce Global Carbon Footprint
The role of cycling in promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyles is critical in a country like India which is witnessing a sudden upsurge in diseases linked to unhealthy lifestyles. Nearly half of all the deaths in India are primarily due to non-communicable diseases, many of which are linked to inactive and unhealthy lifestyles. Every school and college, Company, & Organisation should encourage cycling as a means to promote a healthy lifestyle & a green world.
At this point in time when the world is growing concerned about the energy crisis, carbon and environmental footprint of transport, & the compulsion to reduce commuting time in traffic congested cities, cycling presents a mitigation option that addresses all these concerns while also generating significant health benefits.
Apparently, “Everybody is migrating towards vehicles which emit less fuel and are also constantly looking for different techniques to stay fit themselves. A cycle will address both the issue of going greener as a society and the general fitness of an individual,” says 41-year-old Indian Racing champ Narien Karthikeyan in his column for TOI. Karthikeyan, owns two cycles and actively gets out of his house to ride, wholly advocates Cycling as a daily habit to stay fit in an active lifestyle.
Cities across the world are rediscovering this truth about the culture of bicycles. As a counter measure to deal with rising emission levels and congestion on roads, presently, 800 cities in 56 countries have well established public bicycle sharing systems. Given the fact that the average trip length in Indian cities is within 5 km, bicycles are the best suited for such commutes. It is disheartening to see urban town & city planners overlook this advantage. Worse, their policies have literally pushed cycles off the road, forcing the poor who use them the most to spend more and more on transportation.
The larger benefit from promoting cycling lies in reducing energy consumption and pollution levels. Every car that is off the road saves 5.1 metric tonnes of CO2 a year and a five per cent increase in cycle trips across the world would cumulatively save 100 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Switching to bicycles brings down the production of metal, rubber, steel etc. as less number of cars will be manufactured. In every aspect, cycling reduces carbon footprint. It cuts traffic trouble and struggle for parking space. A space required to park a car can accommodate 15-20 cycles. There are no fuel expanses, no maintenance cost, no emissions, lesser accident rate, lower road maintenance and many other benefits. Pedaling even helps you stay fit. Then why stay away?
The evolving new trend of Cycling Cities & towns
In Europe, the cradle of the cycling culture, everybody uses the bicycle and it has nothing to do with class though that thought has not permeated the Indian Psyche. In South Africa, cycling has become so big that you can push your bikes into restaurants and malls and the waiters move it to the parking. It is because cycling has become an integral part of South African lifestyle. Despite a high user base, Indian cities have no plans for cycles yet except for the Smart Cities arriving in the future.
Many Asian cities are actively promoting them — Changwon in South Korea offers financial incentives to bolster cycle use; Hangzhou in China has a vast network integrated with the bus system; and Yogyakarta in Indonesia has introduced an accident insurance scheme to encourage cycle users. Indian cities should take a leaf out of these impressive examples closer home, start delineating dedicated lanes, and ensure safe riding.
Pedaling into the Future of Indian Greens
Older perception about the bicycle is changing as Recreational cycling has paved the way for Cycling to re-enter the Indian scene after many years of hibernation. Thanks to public campaigns, rallies, and Cyclathons advocating for pedestrian and bike-friendly streets. But things will get better as more people start cycling. Many new riding groups have popped up in the cities of India, as bicycling has lately become trendy among urban India’s middle and upper class residents.
Noida has 20cycling groups. Indore, Pune, Mysuru, Banglaore and a lot of other cities are showing inclination for the bicycle. These cycling groups engage in cycling activities mostly on weekends and holidays and cover distances ranging from a 10 km joy ride to 100 km of serious riding.
While activities might differ among the cycling groups, one thing common is that these groups are reviving the great old culture of cycling in India in a modern form. “Cycling is the new golf.” But the next question is: Can cities translate that excitement into long-term success? It all depends on how as people we begin to view the cycle, as a means of recreation or a means to daily mobility.
The government should cut down subsidies & fiscal incentives on production of more energy-intensive and less environment-friendly fossil fueled and recognise the role of the simple bicycle in its manual form and the new electrically assisted models as compulsive and adoptable alternative to fuel guzzling polluters. So far, cycling has received zero attention, except in TN. But for towns like Nagercoil, we can no longer wait for the government to provide us with the facilities; we have to move the masses, get on the streets, and just ride into the green, if that is what we want. Or else we may have to wait endlessly for the Govt. to provide.
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