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Fun Sustainable Transport

Muralidhar Chavan on his Trek 3700

Heck no!!! It is impossible to cycle in this dense traffic. This was my reaction when I first imagined myself cycling to office or elsewhere. For more than 5 weeks now I have been cycling to office, a distance of 14 km 1 way (from Harishchandra ghat, near malleswaram deviah park, to EGL campus, Koramangala ring road), at least 4 days a week. And now, my reaction is, wow man, cycling is so much more better than using motorbike or car.

Hi, I am Muralidhar Chavan, working with IBM. Mallikarjun Javali joined my team few months back and I got to know that he commutes to work, a distance of 10 km 1 way, on cycle. He induced the thought in me to cycle to work and that it is actually possible to do that. I took a test drive on his cycle. I realized it is not bad as it looks. Also the following points made my thoughts stronger and I decided to buy a cycle.

• Cycling is eco friendly. People crib about pollution in the city. Instead they can do something to address the problem.
• Cycling is healthier.
• Save cost on fuel.
• Lead by example.

I visited BumsOnTheSaddle. Nikhil explained about the different bikes, their parts and their advantages/disadvantages. BOTS wants people to know what they are buying, unlike commercial shops who just want to sell bikes, somehow. I took test rides and finally decided that I would go for Trek 3700.

For me, cycling to work has these advantages, apart from those listed above.

• Time taken to commute on cycle is much less than commuting on motor bike, especially during peak hours. I cycle a distance of 14 km in 40-45. I take shower when I reach office (I carry a pair of clothes to office). Shower is not necessarily needed if you’ve taken bath in the morning :D
• Earlier, I never got time or was lazy to exercise. Now, I utilize the commuting time to office to exercise. Cycling keeps me active and gives me a very good feeling. When I get back home after work, I am fresh and active.
• Spread the message.

And yes, people do respect you if you are cycling. I have seen many of them in this very short time.

Some tips:

• Stick to left most side of the road. If you have to turn right, stop the cycle and walk across the road.
• Use hand signals.
• When in doubt, don’t. Do not take risk.
• Use helmet. Install safety features like reflectors and lights.
• Follow rules.
• People/forums are there to help you in case you have any question/problem.

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