Cycle mayor calls for focus on infrastructure to de-congest B’luru

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Satya Shankaran, a cyclist and civic activist from Bengaluru, participated in a panel discussion on congestion and last-mile connectivity in the News Trail conclave ‘Declog’, here on Wednesday.

He emphasised the importance of making efficient and small modes of transport, such as bicycles, more visible. He disagreed that bicycling was not taking off as a mode of transport in Bengaluru by saying, “I don’t think it is not taking off. You just don’t see them because they are efficient, small, and go faster than everybody else. You don't see them standing in a junction with their big cars saying, ‘Look at me, I’m the one causing the jam’.”

He stated that congestion is often viewed from the perspective of cars and motor vehicles, but managing it requires using existing infrastructure efficiently. Increasing road space is not the solution, as it incurs collateral damage to businesses and homes, and the environment is negatively impacted. “Instead, encouraging more people to cycle is an efficient way to move them.

The initiative must be taken by citizens to consciously choose their mode of transport. I do not favour monetary incentives to cyclists,” he said. “Disincentives are a very characteristic approach. Monetary disincentives are not true disincentives. They are just managing the traffic better for people who can afford to pay," he added.