Bangalore- A citizen's critical view..

Peddling the idea of pedalling

On Sunday Oct. 23rd, Bob Hoekstra of Philips managed to get two people, one of whom is the deputy PM of Netherlands not to accompany him for a walk in a park but a journey on two wheels (non-motorized) through some parts of Bangalore.

The idea is noble- to create an awareness among Bangaloreans about 'cycling for a cleaner Bangalore and Better Health'.

They set off on their bicycles, (were the bicycles with gears?- newspapers are devoid of details), only one of them, the Deputy PM dons a helmet. The rest put their faith in God and the relatively clear roads on a Sunday morning. Did their escort vans also help in clearing the roads? Maybe.

The photo makes it appear like a dream journey. Just three cycles on a Sunday morning meandering down a fairly clear and surprisingly smooth stretch of road, with a few escort vehicles some distance behind. The 25 km. stretch from Cubbon Park to Hessarghatta must have been a gruelling ride that Sunday morning. Imagine trying to do that in rush hour traffic without escorts! That too without a helmet! Suicide!

Would Indian politicians attempt such an event on Bangalore roads? I very much doubt it. Even if they were to try it, one could imagine the traffic blockades on a Sunday morning.

So what would be needed to convert what appears to be a pipe dream into reality?

• Smooth well surfaced roads. Try riding a cycle through craters on the Moon or in Bangalore. We never read in the news article what the Netherlands Deputy PM had to say about the quality of Netherlands roads on which cyclists travel.
  As an aside from a cycling site about cycling in Netherlands
  http://holland.cyclingaroundtheworld.nl/
  "... The main roads are often very busy, which makes them not enjoyable for cycling. All busy roads do have separate cycle lanes. So cycling along these roads is safe, but we don't recommend it. Much nicer are the special bicycle lanes, far away from motorised traffic.
  The easiest way to find them is to follow signposted routes. In the cities traffic is dense. Dutch cyclists are notorious for ignoring all traffic rules, especially concerning waiting for red traffic lights. You'd better not follow their example..."
  
• Good strong helmets. Never attempt such a feat without a helmet Bob!
  
• Separate lanes for cyclists. What would that require? Definitely a lot of self-disciplined Bangaloreans. What has happened to the yellow lines painted with a flourish on the shoulders of many of Bangalore's roads?? Physical barricades would be necessary to safeguard cyclists lanes. Paint doesn't work. Cyclists and motorists would have to follow traffic rules strictly. Lazy cyclists are well known tail-gaters (one hand on a faster moving vehicle) Special bicycle lanes could instead be built to nearby rural areas and biking tours organised for tourists and other interested individuals, thereby bringing income also.

Self-discipline, honesty and integrity are qualities marked by their absence in Bangaloreans. Just the other day a traffic jam on one of Bangalore's roads led a motorcyclist and a bicyclist to take to the pavement, in a bid to speed up and overtake the rest but were forced to slow down as a pedestrian ( yours truly.. ;-) ) ahead, though moving in the same direction on the same pavement deliberately slowed down and refused to pay heed to blaring horn and ringing bells nor give way! Now isn't that irritating to you pavement dwellers (New definition: that species of Bangaloreans who drive their vehicles on the pavement).

The matter of traffic congestion cannot be solved by just adopting the common cycle. Much more will need to be done. Has anyone tried the even humbler method of walking to work? Even that people will not be able to do with ease, given the state of our pavements. People cannot walk the complete distance, so can we get buses which are not loaded to bulging capacity but where each person gets a seat? So what would be required is a better transport system involving a good infrastructure. Still a pipe-dream.

Can Bob and other IT heads enforce steps in their organisations, such as those using motorcycles and scooters push the vehicle for the last kilometre or two to work and study congestion levels in that area. Will that be feasible? Doubtful. They could still try it and see.

Can buses for IT companies work in reducing traffic congestion? Doubtful, seeing that most employees hours vary depending upon their work load.

Can mini-buses be arranged by apartment owners associations to drop/ pick up residents at places of work on weekdays and leisure/ shopping areas on weekends? Plan seems practical, but who will be willing to put it into motion?

Until then we can just ride stationary cycles or lie on our backs and cycle our legs in the air, dreaming pipe-dreams.

The link to the page on the Philips site with the scanned images of newspaper articles about the event:

http://www.bangalore.philips.com/html/oct23_05_var_cycling.html

posted by Sunil Pichamuthu @ 8:42 AM
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