Cyclists to hit Outer Ring Road in campaign against road violence

Hundreds of cyclists will take to the outer ring road for the ‘Ride against road violence’ campaign on Friday, which seeks to highlight the challenges faced by pedestrians and non-motorised transport users.

The first edition of the event in Cubbon Park had drawn about 3,500 cyclists last year. This year, however, volunteers have decided to avoid the show of strength in view of Covid-19. Several cycling clubs and groups have expressed support for the event, which will start at 5 am and conclude at 8 am.

Bengaluru’s Bicycle Mayor Sathya Sankaran said the idea of the event was to remind the larger community that road safety was beyond personal safety. “We know there are many people who want to take up the bicycle. What’s stopping them? It’s the immediate fear of safety, something that doesn’t arise while using other vehicles. Car and bike users should know that they have to care of the safety of other road users, too,” he said.

On Friday, hundreds of cyclists will take to the outer ring road at 26 points to mark the ride against violence.

“Cyclists have as much right on the road as car users. It’s time everyone recognised that when Covid is forcing people to embrace private vehicles, we should help promote non-mortised transport,” he noted.

Out of the 1.54 lakh people who died in road accidents last year, 7.7% were pedestrians and 3.3% non-mortised transport (NMT) users. Bikers accounted for 38% of deaths and Car drivers 13.7% but are still seen as safer options than the NMT.