Mumbai cyclists do a ‘pledge to safety’ ride

With Mumbai high on the list of the most

polluted

cities in India, making

cycling

a way of commuting seems like a great idea. But it is also an idea that needs to be backed by

safety norms

. With that in mind, several of the city's cycling groups came together to do a ‘pledge to safety’ ride, recently. Says Nishant Patel who spearheaded the event, “In Mumbai, if we want people to adopt cycling as a way of life, then it’s imperative that safety becomes a prime objective to ensure this happens. There have been at least four major road accidents involving

cyclists

since last year. We don’t really have cycling laws in place yet and people need to be more conscious of cyclists. Our Cyclist Safety Pledge Ride was a conscious effort by the pan-Mumbai cycling fraternity to create awareness of safety rules. It also aimed to help new cyclists and lead the way to safe and healthy riding.”

Pedalling for a cause

The cyclists came prepared for the ride by having a good breakfast and don't forget to carry your supplies like water, energy drinks, bananas, and energy bars. They also carried a spare tube in case of punctures. The groups met at

BKC

and rode via

Shivaji Park

to

NCPA

, which is where the ride culminated. Adds, "We followed all the rules, at that hour not too many are on, but we wanted to drive home the point about safety."

Adds Kamal Gada who is admin of a cycling group: "Our group started from Mulund and it became a 85-km plus ride in all. The cyclists were guided about safety gear - helmets lights and having an e-tag (emergency tag). We are very particular about all this even on the smallest of rides. During the event, many cars saw us and stopped for us and it created a respect for cyclists. It also created an awareness in their minds for cyclists, like maintaining a distance of two metres from us."

Sums Nishant, "Not having a helmet, not having a fluorescent jacket and front and back lights and even taking random turns - all , of these results in road accidents. And these things are in the cyclist's control. You learn all these when you join a local cycling group. Remember, roads belong to people and not to cars or private transport. First right to the road is for those who walk on it, the second right should be for cyclists with a dedicated cycling lane, the third right to the road is to ambulances and public transport and after that comes private transport. We cyclists want to be the ambassadors for change and not just wait for it to happen."