Vora, a resident of Lokhandwala, says there is no way he'd ever go back to the hassles of motorized commute. "Before I began cycling five years ago, I used to take my car. It would take me 20 minutes to find a parking spot near the office," he recalls. "Now, I reach work in that much time. I don't get stuck in traffic for hours."
Anil Uchil, director at Ellipsis Corporate Communications, shares the zeal. He began cycling more than two decades ago and regularly pedals from Mulund to his office in Andheri. Though he still gets double takes on the road, Uchil says the popularity of biking is growing, as more people use cycle as their primary mode of trans-port. "Earlier, cycling was not considered cool," he says. "But now, with foreign cycle brands coming in and events being organised, the stigma has disappeared."
Over the last two years, there has been a steady growth in Mumbai's cycling community. Neighbourhood groups pedal out on trips across the city, plan "foodie rides", and scope out new routes through animated discussions on on-line forums. Cyclothons are common today, as is the sight of a cyclist, togged out in full gear, zipping past in traffic.
Cycling is also a way of reclaiming the urban landscape, where motorists have come to dominate the roads, bullying cyclists and pedestrians to the edges.
"I've got lacerations on my knees and arms from when an autowallah pushed me recently," says Anool Mahidharia. "My helmet broke." Yet, the 49-year-old Andheri (West) resident has no plans to switch to buses or autos. Notwithstanding the "pecking order" on Mumbai's roads, Mahidharia will be back on the bike saddle soon. "Despite the insensitivity motorists show towards cyclists, it is still the fastest way to commute here. I don't want to spend an hour in traffic when my cycle only takes 20 minutes."
Vora concurs: "It makes sense. Aside from the monsoon, when the roads get flooded, there is no reason why one can't cycle to work."
Since buses are overflowing in the city and most footpaths are in an "atrocious condition", transportation expert Sudhir Badami says cycling short distances should be a suitable solution. "But that is only feasible if the infrastructure is available," B a d a m i adds. "The planning here has focused on motorized transport use, and not pedestrians or cyclists."
Non-infrastructural challenges too are many. "People find it daunting because they don't want to arrive sweaty at work," says Firoza Suresh (pictured below), who recently kick-started an initiative to get employees from corporate firms to cycle to work. She recommends a quick shower in the office washroom if such a facility is available, or carrying a change of clothes. "Most people set out for work around 8am, when the weather is still mild," says Firoza. "So technically, it will not pose too much of a problem." Folding bikes that can be taken into the building are also a good invest-ment for serious cyclists, in case the office premises don't have proper parking facilities for cycles.
Beginner cyclists need to gradu-ally increase the distance instead of plunging straight into cycling to work, Uchil says. "But once you get into cycling, you wouldn't want to go back to the stress of commuting by car or public transport."
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