Citizens of Hyderabad participated in a nation-wide activity and lit up the streets with their cycles as they demanded safer, more accessible Cities For Cyclists. Community members and cycling groups gathered in each city, decorated their bicycles with diyas, lamps, flowers and lights, and carried placards to celebrate cyclists as champions of equitable and sustainable cities. The event was organised by Greenpeace India in close collaboration with Green Pencil Foundation.
Trisha Panjala of Green Pencil Foundation commented, “We are participating in this activity to promote smart and sustainable mobility. We are witnessing high levels of pollution around us. If we look at mobility, then people have begun using motor vehicles for short distances too. We need to change our behaviour to reduce pollution. We can all see the climate changing, but many of us don’t know why it is happening. Switching to cycles, especially for shorter distances helps to reduce pollution. It can help to protect our green spaces and fight climate change. That is the reason we are out here today.”
Hundreds of cyclists and various organisations participated in the nation-wide activity that encouraged commuters to celebrate the spirit of the cyclists. Enthusiastic participants decorated their cycles with lights and flowers and held up placards demanding better policies that accommodate and prioritise non-motorised commuters on city streets. A city for cyclists is after all a city for everybody.
“A critical rethink is required within city planning to prioritise people, instead of prioritising cars. Rather than designing our city-based infrastructure to serve the requirements of a narrow minority that uses private vehicles, our cities must be planned in ways that are people-centric and environmentally sound. We need a systemic reorganisation of infrastructure, financial support and a culture shift to redesign new mobility systems that encourage the use of green mobility over private cars”, says Avinash Chanchal, Senior Campaign Manager, Greenpeace India.
There is a growing cycling movement in India and in many cities across the world citizens are taking steps towards a carbon-free future. Despite being climate-friendly, healthy, and an important mode of transport, especially for the larger, low-income communities, cyclists continue to face numerous obstacles while operating on the streets.
These can include a culture of bullying cyclists off-the-road perpetuated by four-wheelers and other heavy-motorised vehicles, a severe lack of infrastructure, policy oversight, as well as bans placed on cyclists by governments.
Hence, not only do we need more space for cyclists, governments also need to actively incentivise people to shift to cycling, walking and public transport in order to achieve multiple Sustainable Development Goals.
