Eight Mumbai cyclists to be honoured on World Bicycle Day on June 3

Kamlesh Thakur, 29, an employee of a food service app, spends 12-14 hours daily riding his bicycle around the city to make his deliveries. Recently featured on the social media page of a city-based initiative Cycle2Work, Thakur says his earning on the job helped fund his sisters’ weddings. “I’ve been making food deliveries for the past four years.”

Thakur is one among eight others who will be felicitated by Smart Commute Foundation – which runs the Cycle2Work network – on June 2, ahead of World Bicycle Day. The group has a vision to make Mumbai ‘the bicycle capital of India’.

The United Nations had, in 2018, declared June 3 World Bicycle Day to promote the use of a “simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation.”

Firoza Suresh, founder, Smart Commute Foundation, said, “The bicycle makes it quicker for them [food delivery app employees] to manoeuvre through traffic. They earn around ₹12,000-15,000 a month, which helps them support their family. Plus, this helps spread the message of adopting a healthy and environment-friendly means of transport.”

The Foundation will also hold a conference on May 27 to discuss their vision for 2030. The group members are working with the traffic police to establish the official estimate of bicycle riders in the city. Suresh, dubbed the Bicycle Mayor of the city, said, “By 2023, some phases of the Metro will be operational. The roads will be free of construction and have proper barricades. We plan to increase the cycle ridership to 1 lakh by then.”

First Published: May 26, 2019 01:07 IST