Several young executives in the city are opting to cycle to work. Other enthusiasts are also turning to the bicycle.
The ‘cycling to work’ concept might be catching on the world over with CEOs in Silicon Valley even having cycle-to-work days, but in Hyderabad enthusiasts bemoan the lack of dedicated tracks that will let them do the same. Yet the concept is already finding takers among many executives in the HiTech City area, according to D V Manohar, president of Hyderabad Bicycling Club.
Due to traffic snarls, people cannot cycle to work in other parts of the city, says Manohar who is also co-chairman, arts, culture & tourism sub-committee (Confederation of Indian Industry, southern region) and chairman of the city-based Shri Shakti Group.
Hyderabad Bicycling Club, formed in 2007, currently has 1,560 members from a variety of backgrounds, including IT professionals, housewives, students, and corporate honchos. It recently launched a “bike station” initiative under which the club will make 10 bicycles available to members. These bicycles can be rented for an hour by the members without paying anything. Anyone can make use of this facility by becoming a member of the club. This is aimed at generating more interest in cycling, says Manohar. Recently, the club had organised a peace ride in which more than 200 cyclists participated.
The bike station concept is also aimed at promoting eco-tourism in the state. A total of 12 such bike stations would come up in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad in a year to promote the cause, Manohar says.
Hyderabad currently has bike stations in a few IT companies including CA Technologies and Wipro for its employees to use at leisure. The club also plans to tie up with the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad Central University, Icrisat and other major institutes to use their campus to promote cycling.
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The club, in association with the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) and CII-Andhra Pradesh, has taken up other initiatives too. It organised ‘The Southern Cycling Challenge’, a two-day eco-tourism cycle ride from Visakhapatnam to Anantagiri covering 90 km.
The city is also gearing up to conduct a ‘Heritage Marathon’ on October 29. The Heritage Marathon would cover all the heritage sites in the city, including Charminar, Chowmahalla Palace and Taramati Baradari, says B Srinivas, executive director (projects), APTDC. This initiative would serve the twin purposes of promoting tourism and being environment-friendly. A ride from Hyderabad, Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam, covering 350 km, will also be promoted in future, says Srinivas.
And in more good news for all those looking to pedal through the city, APTDC also plans to approach the state government to build separate lanes to ensure an easy and smooth ride for cyclists.
