Surat: Union territory (UT) of Dadra and Nagar Haveli (DNH) has embarked on a mission to promote bicycling amongst its residents.
The DNH administration in association with BYCS India has begun the process of appointing its ‘Bicycle Mayor’ for the Silvassa city for a period of two years for transforming it into bicycle-friendly city.
The Silvassa Smart City Limited (SSCL) under the DNH administration has invited applications from eligible candidates from Silvassa for being the Bicycle Mayor. The last date for submitting application is December 20.
Dr Apurva Sharma, CEO, SSCL said, “The Bicycle Mayor has to be a cycling enthusiasts and a community-driven change maker. He or she will act as a catalyst in transforming Silvassa into a bicycle-friendly city. The elected Bicycle Mayor will get an opportunity to work with citizens, BYCS India and BYCS global network.”
According to Dr Sharma, DNH is the first union territory to appoint a Bicycle Mayor. It will be the responsibility of the Bicycle Mayor to push cycling culture in Silvassa, share cycling stories via social media and motivate people to take up cycling.
“Our initial focus would on forming bicycle clubs in schools and colleges to create awareness on benefits of cycling among youths, to have cycle tracks and cycling stations across the city,” he added.
BYCS, formerly known as Cycle Space, is a Dutch organisation based in Amsterdam working towards the goal of a world where 50% of all city trips are by bicycle by 2030. For this BYCS is coordinating with various cities for forming a Bicycle Mayor network.