BENGALURU: Chirping of birds, breathable air, less crowded roads... these have been some of the effects of the lockdown, which neurosurgeon Dr Arvind Bhateja wants to retain. The avid cyclist has proposed that bicycles become the new norm on the city’s roads, an initiative he is working on with Bicycle Mayor Sathya Sankaran. “Cities and the environment are beginning to heal during the COVID-19 lockdown. Let’s not go back to old habits where it was all about a rat race, which was ultimately leading to the
destruction of the environment. Let’s use the bicycle to reduce traffic, stress, improve health, air quality and renew our cities. Build a city for our children,” says Bhateja, whose initiative is called #ResetWithCycling.
A collaborative effort with the cycling community, citizens, doctors, environmentalists, urban planners and the government, some of their suggestions for the government include declaring that people on bicycles don’t need a pass to move around during lockdown periods of any intensity, dedicating neighbourhood shopping streets as walking/cycling only zones so as to provide adequate space for physical distancing, and dedicating motor vehicle lanes on major roads for bicycle movement in such emergencies and afterwards.
From the public, their request is talking to one friend who doesn’t ride a bicycle and assisting him/her to buy one and ride around, thus inspiring others through social media. “We’ve come up with a set of hashtags, including #ResetTrafficWithCycling, #ResetCityWithCycling, #ResetAirWithCycling, #ResetHealthWithCycling, #ResetHumanityWithCycling, which can be posted with pictures of bicycling to promote it on a large scale,” says Bhateja who himself cycles on a daily basis for essentials.
From a health perspective, Bhateja points out that this lockdown has demonstrated that reduction in stress and a healthier lifestyle (home cooking, cleaner air) seem to have a greater effect on well-being, much more than imagined. “How can we get our cities back? And as a consequence how can we reclaim and renew our lives?,” he says. Sankaran believes the change should stem from people, which is why he is keen that IT firms encourage their employees to pedal to work. “A cycle costs less than a cellphone, and should be provided for by companies. If each of us takes a step, the use of bicycles will definitely get an impetus,” he says.