It’s come a full cycle, city takes to pedalling

Until 15 years ago, several thousand bicycles could be seen on the city roads in the mornings and evenings as they were a key mode of transport. Once the mills in the city closed down, these cycles slowly vanished.
Now they are back. Last week, several hundred yellow cycles were seen on the roads at R S Puram, with curious residents trying to ride them. Ofo, the company that launched a bicycle sharing system in the city along with the Coimbatore corporation claimed this was the first in the country and that 6,000 rides were recorded on the first day. In the past week, at least 230 of the 520 cycles available were used every day. These cycles have been placed at 42 parking spots; people can use it through a mobile app.

Rajesh, a goldsmith, travelled with his friend from Gandhipark to R S Puram just to enjoy a cycle ride. "We heard about the cycle sharing system and we wanted to try it out. But I forgot to bring my debit card so I will come back for the cycle ride again in the evening," he said. For 60-year-old Ranjith R, it was re-living childhood memories. He walked all the way to the cycle parking spot on TV Samy Road just to ride the cycle. "It has been several years since I rode a cycle and I just wanted to try it. From now on, I will walk here every morning and ride the cycle for my fitness," he said. The cycle sharing system is likely to mark a departure from the craze for motorised transport systems in the industrial city. Possibly it would even change the roadscapes of Coimbatore with more cycles pedalled by young and old in the coming days.

Cycle dealers say there is already an increase in demand for cycles. But this demand is primarily driven by fitness enthusiasts and the major market share is occupied by hybrid cycles. The other segment is school students.

A dealer said that there is roughly a 5% increase in sale of cycles every year in the city. This is likely to grow with the additional thrust on non-motorised transportation. The city corporation plans to lay a 33km non-motorised corridor around eight city lakes under the smart city project in addition to a cycling track along 12 km length of the Sanganoor canal. Those places where smart roads have been proposed like Race Course, R S Puram, NSR Road and Masakkali Palayam will also have cycling tracks.

Said Rajshri Rakesh Sahai, director, public policy and communications, Ofo India: "As of now, we have launched in R S Puram and we will gradually expand to other parts of the city after assessing the use patterns, market response and business considerations. We have found that the rides are spread across the day and this proves that it is not just for recreation but as last mile connectivity," he said.

But it is the behaviour of the users that will pose a challenge, said employees at Ofo India. Cycles were found hidden not just in houses, but inside the water tank and on terraces. In some cases, police help was sought, said an employee.