BENGALURU: The day my wife felt at home in Bangalore was the day she bicycled to her yoga practice early in the morning. Riding her old bicycle, she would discover all the hidden, narrow roads in the neighbourhood, pass by temples she has never seen before, learn – without Google-maps – which route is the shortest, which one has the least traffic, and where the dogs would be waiting to run after her. Thus, she connected with her surrounding in a way that is not possible, when sitting in a car. It became “her” neighbourhood. Having lived together in five cities on three continents, we have had the privilege to experience how different urban planning strategies impacted our way of life.
At our last home in Bern, Switzerland, we didn’t own a car. We moved around mostly by bicycle, and even had a small trailer attached to it for our kids, or to place groceries. However, Bern was not always a bicycle-friendly city. It’s been only since 2014 that the municipal council sanctioned a policy to promote this practice, by designing a bicycle-friendly infrastructure, offering shared bicycles for free, and encouraging young children to use bicycles. Within four years of the policy being implemented, the number of bicycle rides rose by 35 per cent.
No doubt, Bern and Bangalore are two very different cities. One cannot really compare them, or copy-paste solutions. That said, I do believe that bicycles as an alternate mobility solution has a lot of potential in Bengaluru. In fact, there is already a growing bicycle community in town. People’s response to initiatives like the #bicycletowork challenge that took place early last year, is an illustration of how strong this community is. On a policy-level, Karnataka’s Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT) has published for consultation a Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP), which advocates for exclusive bicycle lanes and bike-sharing hubs, also as way to ensure last-mile connectivity. Hence, is Bengaluru poised to become the bicycle capital of India?
Solution: Like with any plan, proper implementation and support of the local communities will be key. To facilitate this, an ambitious pilot project could lead the way. Like Church Street was redesigned and serves as an exemplary model for a pedestrian-friendly (hopefully soon car-free) zone, why don’t some neighbourhood associations join their forces to create the first officially designated bicycle-friendly neighbourhood of Bangalore?
(The author is the CEO and Consul General, swissnex India and Consulate General of Switzerland)