Young cyclists demand safer roads

A cycle rally on November 14th, at Jayanagar, had children asking for safer roads, separate lanes and better traffic management.

Saturday, November 14th 2009 saw a different kind of Children’s day event in Jayanagar. Kids were not dressed as Nehru or Indira Gandhi and were not singing or dancing. Instead, they all came out on their cycles and demanded safer roads for cycling to school.

About 200 students from various schools in Jayanagar, including MES school, Good Shepherd school, JSS school, Vijaya school were joined by Transport Minister R Ashoka, Jayanagar, MLA B N Vijayakumar and film actor Pooja Gandhi in a cycle rally. Justice Saldanha also spoke on  rights of children in roads and urban spaces.

On Children’s day around 200 students from various schools in Jayanagar participated in a cycle rally organised by Ride a Cycle foundation (RAC-F). Pic: Pradeep B V.

Students had placards on their cycles demanding safer roads, separate lanes and lesser traffic.

Some enthusiastic cyclists had painted a cycle lane on some sections of the route. Earlier in the day, the children spoke about what they want in terms of safe road to school. Some students were concerned about the traffic, some others on the safety aspect, and a few demanded respect from motorists.

The children also expressed their concerns about traffic and pollution through paintings. There was one painting which had motor vehicles all over the drawing sheet – just like we see day in and day out. There was another one which showed the planet Earth being eaten away by a monster arising out of vehicular pollution. There was one which showed how the world can be green, but how it is not, right now.

TI cycles provided cycles as prizes to all winners and Reva Electric provided caps to all participants.

Minister Ashoka touched upon the various initiatives that the transport department has undertaken – like banning of two-stroke engine autos and converting autos to run on Auto LPG.

Vijayakumar promised to install cycle racks in Lalbagh to start with, so that people can cycle to the park and safely park their cycles.

The children also expressed their concerns about traffic and pollution through paintings. Pic: Pradeep B V.

After participating in the rally, Pooja Gandhi was reminded of her younger days when she used to cycle in the broad roads of Delhi where she grew up. She expressed hope that the cycle movement spreads from Jayanagar to all parts of Karnataka.

Saldanha expressed his desire that Bangalore should become the cycle city of India. Though he acknowledged that it may not be very safe to cycle now, he is confident things will improve through proper planning, adding “we need to recognise that a cyclist also has to have a right to the road”. He requested the government, on behalf of all the children, that Cubbon park should be completely closed to traffic on Sundays and holidays so that they can enjoy cycling without being hassled by traffic. He urged school authorities and citizens to take up the issue of the right to road for children.

The event raised a few questions on cyclists’ safety and implementation, brought out some suggestions and promises but more importantly, set the ball rolling for a safe road to school for kids.

The event was organised by Murali H R, Pradeep B V and Supreeth Srinivasamurthy, all volunteers of Ride a Cycle foundation (RAC-F), in association with the Transport department of Karnataka, as part of air pollution reduction initiatives on Children’s Day. 

Murali is a corporate trainer, Pradeep works with Mapunity and Supreeth is a creative designer.   ⊕

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

,

Maharashtra cities need a mobility fix: Building roads not a solution

Mumbai and other urban centres in Maharashtra have seen a surge in vehicle ownership, while public transport needs have not been met.

Maharashtra, one of India’s most urbanised States, faces a transportation crisis that has snowballed into a public health, environmental, and economic challenge. With over half its population residing in urban areas, Maharashtra is home to 28 municipal corporations — the highest in the country. Cities like Mumbai and Pune are struggling with the relentless surge in vehicle ownership, which has led to traffic congestion, alarming pollution levels, and a steep rise in road crashes.  Despite these pressing concerns, many cities have pursued an approach focused on expanding road infrastructure, relying on flyovers and highways to absorb traffic overflow. However, experts…

Similar Story

Walkability and affordable transit ignored as elections focus on big projects in Mumbai

Political parties are harping on big-ticket projects, while hardly anyone is focusing on the city's lifelines — BEST and railways.

As the Maharashtra state elections get underway, the daily struggles of Mumbai's citizens, especially their commuting woes, seem to be overlooked in the electoral discourse. Political parties are focusing on massive infrastructure projects, sidelining the city's lifelines like the Railways and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking in favour of the Metro Rail. Despite being partially operational, the Metro has yet to make a significant impact. Surveys reveal that 52% of Mumbaikars walk to work, yet on many roads, pedestrian infrastructure remains neglected, encroached upon, and unusable. While traffic congestion has made commuting a nightmare, trains are perennially…