THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Come June and the capital will be the first city in Kerala and the third in the country to get a Junior Bicycle Mayor selected among cycling enthusiasts between the ages of 12 from 16 studying in school within city corporation limit. The Junior Bicycle Mayor is tasked in promoting cycling among students in the city. The honorary position is for one year.
“The Junior Bicycle Mayor will be the ambassador of cycling among bicycle brigades of the city corporation and will get opportunities to represent the city in national-level cycling promotion events. They will give a push to sustainable transport and also increase awareness about road safety rules. They will also work to make the city safer for children to commute on cycles,” said Prakash P Gopinath, Bicycle Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram.
The staff coordinators of ‘Bicycle Brigades’ of Thiruvananthapuram corporation, which is active in 20 schools, can nominate two students - one boy and a girl - for selection. Candidates will be short-listed by the Bicycle Mayor based on the activity points scored by the students during the summer vacation.
“The selection will take place on World Environment Day on June 5 in an open meeting where the short-listed candidates will present their ideas before an eminent jury. The selection will be made based on the vision they have,” said Prakash.
The title will be given in the convocation ceremony on the same day by Mayor K Sreekumar. The programme is being implemented as part of a global initiative, The Bicycle Mayor and Leaders Network, which is endorsed by BYCS, a social enterprise which aims at transforming cities with bicycles. The implementation of the project is supported by the corporation and Indus Cycling Embassy.
Activities for the contestants
Organise a cycling workshop with the Bicycle Mayor of the city in the student’s school.
Give a 10-15-minute presentation on the benefits of cycling during the school workshop with Bicycle Mayor.
Organise a ride with your friends and family
Introduce new friends to cycling
Introduce a parent or any new adult, family member or neighbour to cycling
Teach someone how to cycle
Publish an article/ drawing/ photograph based on cycling in any magazine or newspaper
Ride to school or tuition on cycle
Do the above in a month