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Liberty on two wheels

A heavy, modern bicycle that promises easy mobility in the age of congestion, expensive fuel, and pollution has taken off brilliantly in Paris — where it is offered as a transport option by the city government in partnership with a private company. The Velib, derived from Velo for cycle and liberte, is a subscription-based bicycle scheme and it has helped people make 27.5 million trips in the first year of its operation. Naturally, it has inspired many cities across the world to plan their own variants. This is heartening, given the declining share of bicycles in the total number of trips people make in crowded cities. The Velib, which combines electronics to track usage details, appeals to many people because its ‘free for 30 minutes’ offer is strong on transport fundamentals — the ideal modes for short trips under five kilometres are walking and cycling. The scope for the contractor to generate revenue through advertising makes it commercially viable. Such green thinking is refreshing, although significant obstacles such as safety risks in traffic and the lack of an extensive network of cycling pathways persist.

On paper, India’s National Urban Transport Policy devotes a lot of attention to cycling as a sustainable and health-building form of transport in cities and towns. It promises Central funding under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission for the construction of segregated cycling tracks and pedestrian facilities on roads, to keep riders and walkers out of the path of a torrent of motorised vehicles. The reality is that the bigger cities continue aggressively to engineer roads to suit motorised personal transport while ignoring the rights of vulnerable road users. Infrastructure created for the safety of cyclists has been unjustly removed over the years. The Velib model shows that given a viable alternative, many people might prefer to keep their cars at home. It also offers the hope that the fading rent-a-cycle model in India could be reinvigorated with better-engineered, safer bicycles. With a determined effort, city governments and the traffic police could help more people enjoy the liberty and good health offered by the bicycle. Cyclists must realise that they are virtually in a blind spot on the road. Research shows that they could enhance their safety by becoming more visible. Bright, reflective clothing and reflectors fixed to the bicycle raise safety levels. In the long run, for cycling to attain the 40 per cent share of trips the Ministry of Urban Development envisages for the bigger cities, from a low 10 per cent, big investments in dedicated facilities must be made.

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