Autos take the power out of pedal

HOSTILE streets with startling measures of road rage are no place for child play. With cars and motorbikes inching onto every last bit of space on Pune’s roads, the feeble bicycle is being seen as the last desperate option for commuters.
In a technologically rapacious world, leave alone adults, even children and teenagers are seldom seen on this friendly twowheeler.
So once a rage with students, cycling to school is being deserted for safer options like school buses and autorickshaws.
The pinch is being felt in the market, with bicycle traders left to deal with plummeting sale margins.
Says Rajiv Naren, proprietor of the Raj Naren Cycle Agency, “Over the last five years there has been a 50 per cent drop in cycle sales. There are several loan options to buy two-wheelers, but none for cycles, which makes it much easier to buy a motorbike. Maharashtra is also one of the few states that levies a tax of 5.5 percent on cycles.�
Ask him about the future of cycles in Pune and he quips, “Just like the pagdi and the tanga, cycles will also soon disappear from the city.�
Ratan Oswal of the Gulab Cycle Agency echoes the same sentiment, “There is a definite change in the demography of the cycle customer. While earlier, everyone from an army captain to a college fresher would buy a cycle, today it’s only the kids. They too only use the cycle in societies or on playgrounds.�
A fact confirmed by customer parent, Reshma Patel, “My son insisted on buying a cycle for him. Of course, it’s too dangerous on the roads, so he can learn to ride in the colony itself.�
Eight-year-old Kshitija Bogam is among the rising number of kids who cycle only in their neighbourhood. “My mother says it’s too dangerous to cycle on the main road. Besides I’m too lazy to cycle early in the morning and after school hours,� Kshitija tells us.
The safety of her students is the main concern of Uma Sarathchandran, Principal, Symbiosis School. Says she, “The roads in Pune are very narrow and there is too much traffic, which is why it’s not possible for kids to cycle to school anymore. It’s safer to use the bus.�
Five years ago, the Sardar Dastur Boys School’s cycle stand used to be overfull. “Now, of course, very few students choose to cycle down. Parents are extremely nervous about sending their children in the maddening traffic. It’s very dangerous nowadays,� reveals Principal Lily Patel.
So while the automobile industry may be flourishing, the non-polluting and eco-friendly counterpart seems to be dying a slow death. A hefty price to pay for technology.
anuradha.kher@timesgroup.com
Number of children going to school on cycle
_ Loyola High school 102 out of 1000
_ Symbiosis High school 220 out of 1200
_ Dastur boys High school 200 out of 750
_ Dastur girls High school 80 out of 800
_ St Joseph’s Girls (Khadki) 100 out of 1000
Five years ago the number of students pedalling to school was nearly 75 to 80 per cent of the total number
Reasons for decline
_ Pollution and traffic
_ Expansion of city
_ Tax of 5.5 per cent on cycles and easy loan facilities on motorbikes and cars
_ Clashes with status symbol