For almost all of us, it's been really hard to spot the silver linings these last couple of months. That is unless you are a bicycle enthusiast. There was comfort where, as a cyclist in Kathmandu, they had learnt not to expect any: The road. The unofficial Indian blockade meant they could officially and finally peddle on with fervor and still be safe. Many motorist and bikers even joined their ranks and even though initially, it was out of compulsion, later many had wonderful reviews. The cyclists’ stance that bicycles were the best way to commute around the capital was spreading around rather swiftly.
And then the unofficial blockade was just as unofficial lifted and Kathmandu was back with its chock-a-block roads. Once again, peddling in the city became a nightmare. Arun Maskey even has a new bruise on his leg to prove it. The hectic traffic and a disrespectful bus driver had recently got the better of him resulting in a minor accident but, as he puts it, a "wicked fall." However, Maskey not only rides around in a cycle but also sells them out of his shop near Jamal. Needless to say, the past couple of months had actually been a good time for him.
“I had run out of stock in the first three and a half weeks of the official blockade. I even managed to sell around five Giant cycles in two months. This had never happened before. Now naturally I don't expect the business to continue in that manner and I have made peace with that. What really irks me though, is commuting around town. It's terrible for us cyclists,” says Maskey.
Chakshu Malla, executive director of Cycle City, a NGO determined to turn Kathmandu into a bicycle friendly city by 2020, feels his pain. He too peddles around everywhere and what's more, he and the Cycle City team have been working incredibly hard to rope the government in on their plans as well, but clearly with not a lot of success. It might not look like it but they have been advocating their cause since 2012.
“When the road expansions began, we were particularly hopefully that bicycle lanes would be a possibility in our capital. We had met up with the concerned authorities, and we had organized cycle rallies to garner more public support. There was even verbal confirmation that the project would go forward. Six years later, we have nothing much to show for it. It is quite disheartening,” shares Malla.
Among the many bicycle lane promises, the Teku to Maitighar route was apparently one of them. And according to the Department of Roads (DOR), they have delivered. During the road expansion, 2.5 meters of the lane was designated for bicycles. However, cyclists such as Malla are perplexed because they can tell the surface material isn't favorable for biking conditions. The height of the curb is too big and so those who wish to ride their cycles in that route actually have to stop and lift their cycles at the start. To make matters worse, nobody knows that is actually a bicycle lane to begin with because there are no signs saying so. It's just another part of the dusty Kathmandu roads where bikers park, pedestrians walk, and vendors sell.
It's an exasperating situation. One could question the level of incompetence on part of the authorities but the answer is almost always a cynical one: “It's just Nepal.” Malla believes that the consultants and engineers at the DOR aren't all that knowledgeable about making bicycle lanes. The situation obviously needs to be rectified and Malla does confirm that he has pointed out the problems to the concerned people but again, as is with government work, things aren't all that simple.
“We are asking them to start again but as I have been told, they can’t just dig up and repave the route. There is a tender policy in place. They need one to even remove the cement blocks and the losses are big because apparently they can't sell it. We had even warned them about the complications half-way through the operation in Tinkune but they didn't want to stop because they had already commissioned the work to a contractor,” says Malla.
It certainly doesn't take a math expert to realize that loads of money probably went down the drain in the name of this mismanaged 'development' work. Add to that the waste of time and resources as well as the inconveniences of road construction and one can't help but feel hopeless. The case of cycle lanes are being lobbied by the Department of Environment as well as some environment based organizations but clearly there is a need for more expertise on the matter and the DOR isn't denying that.
“We have begun carrying out our own assessments,” shares Malla. “We have decided to collaborate with a few engineers and work on it. We were even provided access to the maps of the city because DOR themselves have reasoned that since there have been problems in the planning and construction, we can advise them beforehand.” These days Malla is running around the government offices sending letters and fulfilling the necessary formalities to begin the assessments.
They have several plans, one of the most important being a bicycle lane around the Tudikhel area. As it is Cycle City mostly wants bicycle lanes on the busy roads as the gallis are comparatively easy to cycle on. Since there is no cycle lane standards mentioned in Nepal’s roads standards, the engineers have to start from scratch itself. Further, there is the need for policies that will ensure less accidents and safety of the cyclists. There indeed is a long way to go, but Malla doesn’t mind. The only hope is, unlike three years ago, the efforts this time around have better results.
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