BENGALURU: If you love cycling but find yourself alone when it comes to using your bicycle everyday, here's your chance to be the city's brand ambassador for cycling. In order to make sure that the message to use bicycles reaches more people, organisers of the popular 'cycle day' are now looking for Bengaluru's 'Bicycle Mayor'.
Organised by ESAF, an NGO which is one of the core organizing members of the Bengaluru Coalition for Open Streets, the hunt for the city's 'Bicycle Mayor' is supported by ByCS (formerly Cycle Space), a Dutch organisation based in Amsterdam, working towards the ambitious goal, where 50% of all city trips would be on bicycles by the year 2030. Presently, mayors have been chosen for Sydney, Amsterdam, Sao Paulo, Baroda and many other cities. The elected mayor will get a chance to work with the State Government, ByCS and the Dutch embassy in India.
The call for applications was announced on Saturday and the last date to apply is April 23. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed and the final selection is expected to be announced by May 10. "We are looking for someone who has actively promoted cycling as a means of replacing motorised transport. The person will be the public face for cycling initiatives and will share his/her own story, attend events and promote cycling initiatives. The person chosen will hold the post for 2 years," the call for applications says.