KOLKATA: When Kolkata cops enforced a blanket ban on cycling on July 1, they didn't expect the kind of public rage that followed. Police have been battered by citizen action groups, environment crusaders, newspaper vendors, milkmen and even a Nobel laureate for back-pedalling on a mode of transport that other cities are welcoming.
The decision has led to a 'satyagraha' by citizens pushing for the eco-friendly, healthy cycle. Last month, the 'Cycle Satyargahis' walked silently with their banned rides from Chowringhee Square to Press Club—a 2km distance but one of the busiest and most polluted stretches in Kolkata. Another rally followed on Gandhi Jayanti.
Cycles are banished from Kolkata's roads between 7am and 11pm, turning it into a virtual ban. Vinay Jaju from Switchon, a non-profit organization that organized the Cycle Satyagraha, said they might move court if their movement fails. "We want to sensitize the authorities to the fact that cycles are integral to sustainable urban transport," he said.
The cycle brigade wants dedicated tracks, arguing that the roads are wide enough to accommodate cycles. Police, however, say the city is choked with a mere 6% road space. While cities in Europe, the US and even in India (Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad and Bhubaneswar) are carving out cycle tracks, Kolkata is going the other way. Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, who cycles to work in Cambridge, has condemned the ban and social activist Medha Patkar has criticised the ban and asked chief minister Mamata Banerjee to revoke the "anti-poor order".
Police, however, stick to their stand. DC-traffic Dilip Adak said: "If we allow cycling on these roads, the life of cyclists will be in danger as there are no dedicated tracks. Also, cycles slow down traffic." His argument doesn't sound convincing when police allow cycle rickshaws, hand-pulled rickshaws, and hand carts to ply in the city.
Gautam Shroff, of the cycling group 'Ride2 Breathe', called the authorities' decision "crazy". "At a time when governments worldwide are promoting cycling to reduce pollution, we see the opposite here. Kolkatans will have to pay heavy price for this decision," he said. The only places that are still outside the purview of the ban are Salt Lake and Rajarhat. There is even a proposal to lay an elevated cycleway along EM Bypass where cycling is not permitted now.
Greenpeace, which backs the Cycle Satyagraha, pointed out that the ban makes little sense for Kolkata as this is the only Indian city where cycle trips outnumber motorized transport. In a letter to Adak, Greenpeace activists write: "Traffic accident data for Bengal (2011) says that only 1.5% of road accidents happen because of the fault of cyclists compared to 71% due to drivers of motor vehicles." Kolkata traffic police's contention that cycles slow down traffic also doesn't hold ground since the average speed in Kolkata is merely 14-18 kmph.
Ironically, the ban comes at a time when the urban development ministry is pushing for non-motorized transport. "All metros should have a bicycle masterplan because it has huge potential. We all know about the problems of climate change," said Geetam Tiwari of IIT Delhi, who spearheads the bicycle masterplan for Delhi.
