Rakin Mohsen Apon
Being one of the most traffic-congested cities on the planet, Dhaka still has a chance to redeem itself if we choose the green way, cycling.
Bangladesh has already secured a dominating position in exporting cycling to EU countries. Now persuading people to use cycling as the healthy and economic way to commute can make Dhaka the new Amsterdam, the cycling utopia of the Netherlands.
Though the history of commuting via cycle can be traced back to the British era, modernization of urban commuting in Bangladesh became a trend after 2012, when BDCyclists (A Facebook based cycling community) went public with their weekly cycling activities. After the trend became viral, many college/ university students and office dwellers leaned toward commuting via cycling. After that, sales of hard tail mountain bikes and commuter cycles spiked through the roof. Many companies that were mostly producing bikes for foreign markets realized the potential market in the country and started production to fulfill local needs.
Though Dhaka offers a very little cycling friendly road structure, lack of options has not stopped the cyclists. During COVID-19 pandemic, sales figures of cycles saw an unprecedented growth as most of the conscious office goers chose cycles to stay healthy and safe. Thus, local manufacturers profited heavily this year. Marketing department of local cycle manufacturer RFL informs that 25% growth in bike sales occurred during 2020.
Currently, three major players such as Meghna Group, Alita and RFL dominate the local and foreign market on behalf of Bangladesh. As the first two concentrate mainly on export, RFL seeks to lead the local markets.
Recently DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam took steps to make Uttara and other areas under Dhaka North City Corporation cycle-friendly. Appreciating cycle ride-sharing services in Dhaka, he urged all to build up habits for commuting via cycling. It is the green way, he added.
‘To reduce carbon emissions, let’s use bicycles and save the environment’, he said. Recently inaugurating Jobike, an app based bike service in the Gulshan area, he urged people to increase usage of the bicycle to reduce traffic congestion.
Mahdi Hasan Khan, Marketing Executive Officer of Cyclelife Exclusive informed that demand for cycle sales in the local and global markets spiked through the pandemic. Though they are trying to boost production, lack of component materials which have to be imported from abroad is a major damper, he said.
Commuters now-a-days are interested in buying entry-level cycles starting from 7,000 tk to 28,000 taka. Most of the entry-level cycles dwell in this range. It is to be mentioned that a huge community of premium cycle users is gradually increasing, many of them exceeding prices more than 2 or 3 lakh taka. As many from the young generation passionately promote bicycle touring and commuting, this trend now has spread towards smaller towns too.
A 2016 research of the Harvard medical School states that urban commuting is good for anyone with joint pain or age-related stiffness. It was also informed after conducting many tests and researches that paddling and cycling can increase bone density. Forbes in 2017 reported that cyclists had a 46% lower risk of developing and a 52% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, and a 45% lower risk of developing and a 40% lower risk of dying from cancer.
How to save Dhaka from insufferable traffic congestion? President of Bangladesh Institute of Planners Akhter Mahmud said that walking and cycling are heavily prioritized while planning a modern city. Cities can be redeemed from traffic struggle if a large part of the infrastructure system supports non-motorized vehicle movement.
Both DNCC and DSCC are currently planning on creating more bike lanes. Monitoring and drivers have been increased to clear the existing bike paths from street dwellers, rickshaws and vendors. As of now, cyclists around Agargaon area can use a pedestrian-free bike lane. DNCC is also considering setting up another bike lane from Banani to Uttara in the near future.
