Step Up: For YOU, For your CITY

300 bicycles were given to the station by HMR at a cost of Rs 25 lakh. The bicycles that were present were manufactured by the Decathlon Company. All the bicycles were All Terrain Bikes (ATB) which is accustomed to the city’s terrains and conditions.

The bike station was inaugurated by ESL Narasimhan, Governor, Andhra Pradesh. Also present for the launch were, M T Krishna Babu, commissioner, GHMC; NVS Reddy, MD, Hyderabad Metro Rail; Danam Nagender, G Prasad Kumar, ministers; Bhikshapathi Yadav, MLA; Jayesh Ranjan, MD, APIIC; D V Manohar, chairman, HBC; Mohammed Majid Hussain, mayor; Manfred Neun, president, European Cyclists Federation; C V Anand, commissioner of police, Cyberabad and Pullela Gopichand, badminton player.

After the bicycle station was inaugurated by the Governor, a bicycle rally, Bicyclone was held. It actually took the people by storm as there were over 700 participants in the rally. This rally saw participation from people of all age groups and walks of life. The youngest participant in the rally was Rishi, aged seven, who managed to finish the 10 kilometre mark of the rally within a matter of minutes. He was also one of the first participants to make it back to the bike station. “It was fun riding my Ben-10 cycle. I did not feel tired at all,” said Rishi.

Showering praise on the initiative, the Governor said, “I think it’s a very unique moment in the history of the city. Indeed a very laudable initiative as pollution is claiming a lot of lives. The city is already known as Cyber City. With this initiative it should be recognised as Cycle City. My dream is to see no fuel consumption vehicles on the streets in the next ten years. For people who cannot ride a bike there must be a solar-powered taxi service. Over the next ten years the city should become non-motorable, there must only be cycling tracks. By doing so, Hyderabad would become a benchmark in the country. The only thing I expect from the people is to continue riding a bicycle.”

The rally also saw the dignitaries put on their riding hats and indulge in a small ride themselves. After the ride M T Krishna Babu said, “The ride was very refreshing. It reminded me of my young days. We want to make a point that cycles are not meant only for the poor, but also a green initiative for everyone to indulge in. By doing so, not only can we be fit, but also can do a service to the community.”

After the dignitaries finished their ride, CV Anand was seen instructing the police to keep the practice of riding bicycles among the people alive by giving cyclists a premier parking space and keeping the cycling lanes devoid of vehicular traffic.

Manfred Neun, was amazed by the participation the rally received. He further went on to say, “Cycling is a symbol of democracy. By giving people a chance to ride a cycle, we are extinguishing the distinction of a class by promoting cyclists as much as motorists are promoted.”

Pullela Gopichand exclaimed, “It’s a great initiative to have cycling tracks and parking stations. The kind of response is amazing. Hopefully it will grow and more people will catch up to this trend. Definitely, if we are able to provide people with secure parking and tracks, a lot of people will be interested to take this up. It’s a cool thing to cycle to work.”

Krishna Babu added, “A separate path has been built for the cyclists. Currently it is only a stretch spanning one-and-a-half kilometers. The plan is to have all the IT companies interlinked with the bike stations with the path measuring 60 kms in length. The path is two metres wide which makes it easier for the cycles to maneuver.”