I have been riding a bicycle to work, which is a 22 km ride every day, for over a year now. To say the least, I am perfectly enjoying it. How come I picked a bicycle as a means of everyday transportation? Why did I not go for a motorbike? Do I want to switch to motorbike now? Or to a car maybe? Well, the answer is a definite ‘No’. As regards why I picked a bicycle for my everyday mobility, it was due to my fascination with the idea of bicycling.
However, this does not mean that there are no positives of bicycling for those who are not so fascinated. For a number of reasons, bicycling has proved to be a blessing for me. The most important reason is the economic one, as it is the cheapest mode of transportation available. I purchased my Giant Talon at a way lower price than what I would have paid for a motorbike. [break]
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I have been travelling 22 km everyday without having to stay in queue at petrol pumps for costly petrol (where petrol is scarce anyways), thereby saving almost a liter of petrol every day. Having biked 7,000 kms in the last year, I can safely say that by not resorting to a motorbike, I have contributed to conserving energy and protecting the environment by saving about 250 liters of petrol. I can gleefully take pride in contributing to reducing pollution in the city. Moreover, by bicycling every day, I have also managed to keep my weight stable at 62 kg which would otherwise have risen to 70 kg.
Despite these alluring positives that may encourage one to go bicycling, there are also some negatives to it. The most prominent of them is the risk factor involved in braving the chaotic traffic in Kathmandu and the drivers, pedestrians, and the traffic police’s aggressive and belittling behavior towards bicyclists. I have had a couple hair-raising accidents, owing not to my faults but to the carelessness and belligerence of motorists and pedestrians, and the unruly behavior of pet and street dogs. On two separate occasions street dogs chased me almost to the point of making me lose my balance and falling over. Fortunately, nothing serious has happened to me so far as a result of biking, and I have no regrets whatsoever about my choice of mode of transportation.
However, as a bicyclist, I sometimes feel like I am walking on a razor’s edge. There definitely are risks of accidents. But then, you risk accidents even if you travel by bus, motorbike, or car. I am not trying to convince people to abandon their motorbikes and cars and come to the streets on bicycles. Of course, it is individual choice. But it would be nice if other road users tried to understand the pains and risks of a ‘poor’ bicyclist, and give him/her the space that he/she deserves in the common zone called “road.” A minimum respect of traffic rules and of others’ right to use the road would make it even better.
The other day, I met a famous cycle entrepreneur of Kathmandu who is thinking of promoting the concept of “cycling as tourism” in the country. He wanted to hear my opinion on how to drive this concept to fruition. His idea was thrilling, and deserves implementation. The possibility of cycling in tourism is huge, and has already been implemented in small scales. My concern, however, is not only with the concept of cycle as a touristic venture. There are thousands of bicyclists on the roads of Kathmandu for whom a dilapidated bicycle is a means of livelihood.
What about respecting the audacity and courage of these people and trying to develop cycling as a culture in the city? There have been grandiloquent speeches, high-sounding commitments, and impressive opinion columns by different people including the Chief Secretary and the Chief of Army Staff about making Kathmandu a cycle friendly city. However, these are limited to mere words. True bicyclers like me and thousands of others continue to suffer from the belligerence, disparagement, and cacophony of traffic madness in the capital city.
The author is a Human Rights Lawyer who formerly worked as Human Rights Officer with the OHCHR-Nepal
nirajannt@gmail.com
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