BENGALURU: For techies who cycle to work, Friday brought a pleasant day. Cycle to Work, an initiative that took place at Iblur bus stop on Outer Ring Road (ORR), aimed to encourage more IT professionals to choose cycling as a mode of transport.
Event organiser Shilpi Sahu said IT professionals in the city cycle to work, and they should be brought together. “People who have gathered here are not first-time riders. Today, they agreed to gather here just for show of strength.” She added, “Cycle enthusiasts in the city are a growing community and we want to make it visible. This is the first time I have taken this initiative and I plan to continue this every Friday.”
Sahu has been cycling to work for nine years but it was not a regular practice initially. Five years ago, when her office moved to Whitefield and traffic situation worsened, cycling to work seemed a wiser option. “I cycle 22 km to and from office daily. It’s not possible for everybody to go to such extremes. But for shorter distance, people can opt for cycles.”
However, with lack of specified tracks on ORR, cyclists also feel unsafe. Preeti Bhagwat, who has been cycling to work for five years, said, “The common problem that we face is that people don’t pay attention to us to give way. So we have to manoeuvre our way around.”
According to Bicycle Mayor Sathya Shankaran, making exclusive space for cyclists is not impossible, and they only need one-and-a-half metre space on both sides of the road. “ORR is crucial because it’s a daily route for many techies. There need to be segregated pathways for cyclists. That will encourage more people to take out their cycles, helping reduce pollution and congestion,” he said.