Cycling to work??

Had come across a post from WRI India Ross Center last week, in which Executive Director of WRI India Ross Center has boldly commented that we need to “Stop building roads that by design prioritize cars” and he continues to explain how designing cities for walking & cycling helps fight climate change, with snapshot of the following data points:

·????????36% people walk or cycle to work (Census 2011)

·????????55% Indian households own a bicycle (NFHS-5)

·????????In cities like Mumbai, over 50% of daily trips are on foot (no reference of whatsoever survey)

I know what cycling in Indian roads, Indian weather means, and that too I used to commute around 5-6 kms in Chennai City during my prime days. But today I am talking from Bengaluru city, which is known for its traffic jams, bad roads, etc. But for me it’s my city, and I have seen it change during past 10 yrs in such a rampant manner which has its own Pros & Cons. Bengaluru Cycle Track initiative too is one such project, where 20 kms of state of art cycle tracks has been built around the city, which are biting the dust now. Who is to be held accountable? Such a loss of Taxpayer’s money. But the bigger picture is where we went wrong. Data analysis is very crucial for coming up with sustainable solutions and any bias with any of the variables leads to wrong predictions.

Bengaluru Stats (Weather Data Courtesy: Weatherspark)

Average Temperature: 27-28°C

Average Comfortable Temperature Timings: 8PM to Morning till 11:45AM

Average Traffic speed (Courtesy Ola): 21.2 km/hr

Average speed of cycle in India (Courtesy Indian Express article): 25 km/hr

In Bengaluru the average distance traveled for office commute is 8-10 km (one way), which would roughly translate to about 30-35 mins of travel time taking sudden surge, jams, etc into account. If we replace this with cycling, again it would be of 25-35mins of travel time, during peak traffic, with strict login time to adhere, mental conditions, physical conditions and of course the weather. Now considering all these various external parameters (Constraint or Variable it’s up to you to decide) would it be possible for the working people to commute 330 days in cycle? After reaching office / home what would be the impact of productivity / social life?

We should actually start holistic study to enhance the standard of healthy living, and sustainable transportation, rather than mere copying our western counterparts whose culture, demography, socioeconomics quotient, etc. are very different than ours. My analysis leads to following major outcomes:

??Discipline & sensitize the drivers on following lane rules.

??Usage of Public Transport & Last mile connectivity.

??Study the feasibility of having dedicated corridor for autos and taxi in our roads (wherever possible) rather than for Buses, whose drivers are well trained off and understand their responsibility (BMTC / KSRTC has one of the best drivers I must say).

??Heavy goods movement should be off limit for city roads from morning 7am to evening 11pm.

??Traffic police should start penalizing for not adhering to lane discipline, two wheelers driving in right lane / middle lane.

??Good Motorable road with proper signage’s and marking on the roads.

What about cycling then? Shouldn’t we start from some place rather than not try; one might ask. Well, the answers lie within the above analysis itself:

??New Model Satellite Townships should come up to declutter traffic where dedicated cycle tracks are constructed.

??Average cycling distance to work should be brought down to 2-3kms. This can only happen if residential accommodation is provided by the company which should be within the radius of 2-3 kms, like Townships.

??If above point is not possible, then forgo adhering strict log in time, and promote maintaining working timeline (8hrs/day), so that people can commute without stressing themselves even if they are running late.

??Cyclists should also follow strict traffic rules and maintain discipline while riding, keep to left lanes or dedicated cycle lanes.

??Offices should have change room / shower booths to get freshen up, and locker facilities.

??Analyze cycle density on continuous manner.

??Offices should promote cycling in a big way. Schools should make it mandatory for students above 8th Std to come by cycle / walk. Tier B & C cities are to be encouraged.

Yes, I do agree that cities are to be designed for walking, but cycling needs mindset change, motivation, and increase in cycle density on streets. When it goes beyond a certain threshold, then yes, we are ready for dedicated cycle tracks. Let me know your thoughts about this…