Way back in
1993, my father bought me a bicycle when I passed the Class X Board exams. It
was a gift that I long cherished. Despite initial resistance from my mother, I
and my Mathematics tutor could convince that biking in Salt Lake (a township in
Kolkata) attracted no danger. In those days there were a few cars seen running
on roads. However, empty roads rarely titillated the drivers to gear up for top
speed.
Had the year
been 2013, my father would never have dared to buy me a bicycle. The reason is
simple: A ban on cycling on most streets of Kolkata by the present West Bengal
Government. Due to the enormity in rash driving, my mother would not have
allowed me the pleasure of ‘magic carpet ride’ either.
Innocence gave
way to intelligence in my quest for knowledge as I grew up. I learnt that bicycle is an election symbol
of a political party with whom the Trinamool Congress (TMC) once wanted to work
hand-in-glove that did not materialize ultimately. In 2012, the Samajwadi Party
(SP) did a U-turn and supported UPA’s candidate Pranab Mukherjee in the
presidential elections, thereby leaving the TMC leadership furious. From this incident, some of us
may conclude that it could have triggered the TMC-led Government to put a ban
on cycling. But the official stance is: Cycling slows down the traffic in
Kolkata. And therefore, the ban on wheeling on approximately three dozen
streets in 2008 under the Left Front’s rule was further extended to 174 roads
under TMC (as reported by The Guardian dated 29 October, 2013).
During my stay
in Delhi for more than a decade I could realize that more and more cars are
adding up to the traffic every day, thus, polluting the air we inhale. A plain way
of measuring this is to put one’s index finger inside the nostrils and pull out
the dirt and mucus after coming back from office. I know that some of you may
dislike my terrible idea. But believe it or not: the number of registered cars
and jeeps in Delhi jumped by 59.8 percent from 14.67 lakhs in 2005-06 to 23.4
lakhs in 2011-12. However, the number of registered buses (including ambulance
& other passenger vehicles) in Delhi rose by 47.2 percent from 43500 in
2005-06 to 64033 in 2011-12.
My guess is people
are now shifting from hatchbacks to diesel guzzling sports utility vehicles
(SUVs), multi utility vehicles (MUVs) and light utility vehicles (LUVs). If ever
you go to South Delhi and Gurgaon, foreign brands are a common sight. Often
carrying not more than two passengers at a time, I could reason out why these
vehicles are responsible for our high import bills. Such high-end vehicles are
low in efficiency in terms of per capita fuel consumption as compared to a bus
or an auto, I always felt.
In Delhi, I find
that cycles are used by members of cycling clubs and the laboring masses. Unlike
those who live on the fringes of the economy, a handful among the well-to-do
sections including the politicians pedal for health reasons. Most city
dwellers prefer a motorized vehicle than a bicycle. In the National Capital
Territory (NCT) of Delhi, the percentage of households having scooter, motor
cycle and moped (i.e. 38.9 percent) exceeded the percentage of households
having bicycle (i.e. 30.6 percent), as per the Census 2011. Nearly, 20.7
percent of households have car, jeep and van. Underlying these figures is the
revelation that residents of Delhi prefer motorized to non-motorized vehicles
not just because they are richer than people of other states but because they are
afraid to pedal on roads. They are afraid of being mowed down by raging SUVs.
References:
Kolkata cycle
ban puts squeeze on health and livelihoods at risk -Annie Gowen, The Guardian,
29 October, 2013,
Delhi
Statistical Handbook 2013,
We have all the reasons to get nostalgic about bicycles, especially living in a city like Delhi where a barren road is a luxury only for early risers among motorists.
ReplyDeleteSo, more than the nostalgia you call forth in your article. its the apathy of our city planners that irks me. The best planned cities have separate pathway for cyclists, encouraging more and more people to go green. These are some visionary planning, which our leaders lack. No wonder Calcutta has banned cycles/ cyclists, the city has already gone to the dogs under the rule of one lunatic leader.