Nearly 600 professionals here will cycle to office on June 5, World Environment Day. The “Cycle2Work” (C2W) project is in an attempt to spread awareness of the environment and the need for a better public transport system.
More individuals and corporate offices here are participating in the fourth year of the project.
Carbon footprint“This initiative urges one to look beyond the health and environmental benefits and take this ride to reduce the carbon footprint, making our city a better place to walk, bike, live and breathe,” Firoza Suresh, founder of C2W, says. This is merely the start of what the organisers hope will be a long-term cycling boom.
The C2W initially began as a one-day affair to create awareness of cycling and environment. “Now it is a movement. Apart from individuals, we appeal to as many corporate offices as possible to come forward and join in,” Ms. Suresh says. The organisers make it a point to hold this programme on a weekday and not on a Sunday.
The cyclists will start from seven pre-designated points and will converge at the suburban Bandra Kurla Complex, from where everyone will head to their respective offices.
Several environmental activists, while applauding the initiative, says government bodies must change their approach towards the public transport system and travelling modes such as cycling.
“We are spending thousands of crores on flyovers and coastal roads, just to benefit 10 per cent of the population which uses cars. However, no serious planning is done to promote the public transport system, which is used by the rest of the population,” says Ashok Datar, chairman, Mumbai Environment Social Network.
Part of lifeSuch initiatives are important but invisible. “It is now the right time to make them visible,” he says. Rishi Aggrawal, environmental activist, says that internationally, the importance of cycling is increasing rapidly. “It is no more at a representational level, but has become a regular part of lives. It is now our time to think on those lines,” he said.
