Trends, styles, and flavours-of-the-month come and go. When considering the internet savvy, globally connected, and multicultural youth of Bangladesh, trends, from fashionable to downright random, swoop in and fade away. Whether it’s a new themed café, flash mobs, gangnam style, smartphones, internet memes – one never knows which trends will stick and which ones won’t.
Every so often, there comes a trend which is practical, relevant, environment-friendly, and healthy. I am of course talking about the cycling movement which has gripped Dhaka city youth over the past year.
This is not news to anyone who dares to live in our beloved capital. Traffic jams in Dhaka city has been a major problem over the past decade. Even though the recent introduction of some flyovers and other infrastructural developments give testament to the government’s acknowledgment of this massive problem, the amount of planning, manpower, and funds needed to reduce traffic jams significantly in Dhaka city is no simple matter. With huge amounts of time and resources being wasted due to these traffic jams and associated issues of pollution, an alternative and less complicated solution did not seem likely in the near future.
Along came Mozammel Hoque, an active life promoter and the founder of a cycling group called BDCyclists. As he shared in TEDxDhaka 2013, Mozammel was tired of spending about six hours daily on the road due to traffic congestion.
He could not afford to waste so much time during commutes, so he started cycling to his destinations. Pretty soon, some of his friends and colleagues followed, and in 2011, he founded BDCyclists, a cycling community dedicated to promoting cycling in Dhaka city.
Their main objective was to help ease pollution and traffic congestion through cycling, and they aimed to convert 5% of the car-owning crowd of Dhaka city to cycle commuters. People first took notice of this community when they organised the Independence Day Group Ride in Dhaka, where more than a thousand cyclists took part.
This cycling trend really took off. Cycling has been huge in many European cities (such as Brussels, Paris, and Amsterdam) as well as in some crowded cities of Asia (like Seoul, Beijing, and Tokyo). Even though it became a trend more recently in Dhaka city, the movement caught on fast with more and more college and university students, along with young professionals, choosing to cycle instead of taking rickshaws, CNGs or cars. Specialised bicycle and accessory stores opened up all over the city, along with cafes for bikers, Facebook groups, and apps.
The trend caught on fast. Cyclist community members’ enthusiasm may often be mistaken for cult-like behaviour because of the way they try to influence their friends to buy a cycle and join them on their rides. They do seem annoying when groups of cyclists ride through the middle of a main road, queuing up traffic behind them. But instead of scowling at them, this movement should be nurtured and supported.
There are no specific traffic rules for cyclists. Cyclists use their common sense and stick to the sides when riding on main roads. They often wear helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads and pimp their rides with back and front reflector lights and a front light.
But they do so more for their own safety rather than for following street laws and regulations. For the safety of the cyclists, and for everyone else on the roads, there should be some proper guidelines or laws regarding cycling, especially on the main roads.
New cyclists should be mentored on the common rules of cycling and the necessary safety precautions. Since cyclists usually ride in groups, which is fun as well as safe given the many dangers that lurk in the streets of this city, the most experienced members of these groups should take the responsibility of mentoring newbies.
Bicycle parking stands should be introduced at multiple relevant areas of the city. If bus stands are covered with big company ads, why can’t cycle stands be established through the same model?
Cycling is good for health. The youth of Dhaka city do not usually get a lot of exercise with the lack of outdoor sports facilities, and many of them do not have the time or means to join gyms or dojos.
Therefore, cycling becomes a means for working out while commuting. The practice is also good for the environment, because cycling produces no pollution. Given the high pollution levels of this city, any effort to reduce it should be acknowledged and celebrated.
Cycling as an alternative way of transportation actively reduces traffic congestion on the roads. As long as cyclists ride safely with common sense, they can easily and quickly commute to their workplace, classroom, or any destination in close proximity.
Cycling has been a common practice in the rural areas of Bangladesh, as well as in some of the other cities besides Dhaka. But this new trend, which arguably began with BDCyclists, is a movement where the youth of Dhaka city who would have normally travelled via rickshaws, CNGs, buses or cars, are taking up bicycling and are doing so in groups while networking with other like-minded citizens.
In a country where the youth are always in constant struggle to cope with various problems, this cycling movement is a sign of hope, proving once again that no matter what the country throws at them, the youth of Bangladesh will always persevere.