The Odisha government is proposing bicycles as the preferred mode of transportation during the lockdown. However, hardly any official is seen using bicycle to travel within the five to ten kilometre distance between his office and home. Perhaps it’s time both city administration as well as state government take this situation as an opportunity to transform the city from a car-driven one to a cycling-friendly landscape.
With fewer cars on the street and less businesses open along the main commercial areas, more people are using bicycles and footpaths to get through to their neighbourhoods, and to avail essential services. It’s time more roadways space is open to pedestrians and cyclists during the lockdown and after this phase too.
Encouraging cycling and walking helps reduce the spread of Covid-19. The existing cycling routes are narrow or they just don’t exist at all in most of the streets, meaning more space should be cordoned off near cycling routes to provide wider space for people to maintain social distancing.
Additional methods could be implemented across Bhubaneswar and around the capital region to help pedestrian traffic stay healthy, and this includes cycling too. Even making the city’s public resort to the system of sharing bicycles free without lock during the present phase is a good idea.
Similarly, walking and cycling should be supported by swift infrastructure adjustments, such as temporary bicycle lanes, modal filters for motorised vehicles, and shared street space for pedestrians to avoid crowded space. Speed limits should be enforced to reduce the risk of traffic accidents.
World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 60 minutes a day of medium to high-intensity physical activity for children and adolescents, and at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week for adults.
So people should be encouraged to exercise at home, but outdoor walking and cycling, particularly in green space, has additional benefits for mental as well as physical health. Administrators and city planners should ensure that parks and other green space around rivers and canals are open.
Dr. Piyush Ranjan Rout
