Relief Riders cycle to 45 wards to deliver essentials

Pedal on!

.

Spearheaded by Bengaluru’s first Bicycle Mayor Sathya Sankaran, a unique ‘Relief Riders’ programme by cyclist volunteers has undertaken 110 deliveries to senior citizens in 45 wards across the city over the past 19 days. Can this message now trigger a shift to sustainable mobility once the lockdown is relaxed?

This is a question posed by the pedaled volunteers, as they push the bicycle as the best mode of individual transport for conditional relief from the lockdown. “The bicycle provides for physical distance and decreases chances of intermingling,” as Sankaran puts it.

The Relief Riders project comes close on the heels of the #CycleToWork initiative that has clocked over 75,000 trips over the past three years. “The Relief Riders cover an average distance of seven km both ways. This is a saving of 195 kg of carbon dioxide if the same relief efforts were done using a motor vehicle.”

‘No pass for cycles’

In his capacity as the Bicycle Mayor, Sankaran has made a call of action to the authorities to exempt bicycles from passes during the lockdown. “Make the bicycle the only personal transport vehicle allowed without a pass.”

On high density corridors, “make one lane dedicated, via notification and segregation where possible, for the bicycle for a period until the virus is under control. Consider bicycle shops as an essential service and allow them to remain open during the lockdown,” he adds.

Bicycle shops, he says, should be considered an essential service and allowed to remain open during the lockdown. The bicycle’s limited range of operation makes it the ideal mobility option during the lockdown. “It can be useful in restricting spread while guaranteeing mobility. The cycle keeps lungs healthy and reduced pollution helps in increasing recovery rates.”

From a behavioural perspective, prioritising cycling during the lockdown could aid a big shift to sustainable mobility once normalcy returns. As Sankaran says, “it provides everyone a feel of cycling in the city and increases the chances of them taking it up later thereby, reducing congestion and pollution.” Cities worldwide are now enabling bicycling in these troubled times. New York City has seen a spike of 52% among bicyclists on the bridges after social distancing protocols were put in place.

Berlin, Bogota, Auckland, Budapest, Mexico City are rolling out “emergency” cycle-ways to boost bicycle use during the epidemic phase. Some cities have proposed to increase their permanent cycling networks.