Make Kolkata cycle-friendly, voters tell netas – Times of India

KOLKATA: More than 10 cycling groups from the city met all the major political parties, requesting them to include cycling policies in their KMC election manifesto, emphasising the importance of climate-resilient, non-polluting, non-motorised transport in Kolkata.
With Kolkata ranking second after Delhi as one of the most-polluted cities, the cyclist groups underlined how motorized transport was the source of half of Kolkata’s pollution. The groups—Two Wheels, Kolkata Cycle Samaj, Cyclops, Kolkata Cycle Arohi O Adhikar Rokkha Committee, SwitchOn Foundation, Cycle Network Grow, Howrah Cycle Arohi, Cycos, NTFN, BYCS, Argo Cycling Team, Parsec Racing Point, 100 Miles—submitted letters to every major political party, seeking revocation of the ban on cycles on thoroughfares.

The letter also raised concerns about a large section of the workforce, dependent on cycles for commute to workplaces in Covid times. This lowincome group section depends on this mode of transport—their cycles—to earn a living, they said. “Each ward has a very high number of cyclists who will matter in this election,” said Satanjib Gupta, Bicycle Mayor of Kolkata.
Medicine experts also support the need for the eco-friendly mode of transport. “It’s high time we created a transport eco-system, which is climate resilient. It should combine non-motorized transport and electric and CNG buses, trams and Metro. The children are the worst sufferers and the contribution of automobile pollution cannot be disputed. One in every three children visiting hospitals come with acute breathing distress. Unless we act now, it will be late,” said Sanjukta Dutta, head of emergency medicine at Fortis.
Former MMiC Debasish Kumar and Jodhpur Park Trinamool candidate Mousumi Das could not agree more. “I put major stress on environment. NMT should be promoted across the city,” said Das. Kumar said, “Our CM herself is a bicycle champion. She has added wings to dreams of lakhs of girls by gifting them bicycles. We will have to do something about NMT shortly.”
The Bengal government, through its state action plan for climate change, had earlier committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. Last year, following NGT’s intervention, the chief secretary commissioned a comprehensive bicycle plan by KMDA with emphasis on decreasing road accidents, without affecting traffic speed of vehicular traffic. This master plan also included blueprints for cycle lanes.