Pedal power: City cycling buffs want govt to promote sustainable mobility

Hyderabad: With a dream of transforming Hyderabad into the most cycling-friendly city, members of the cycling community in Hyderabad submitted a representation letter to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Friday. They urged him to facilitate active and sustainable mobility in the city.

The letter consists of the “cycling-friendly city, cycling community, Revanth Reddy, sustainable mobility, Pass Active Mobility Bill, Hyderabad” in Telangana, aimed at enhancing safety measures for pedestrians and cyclists. It also encourages and mandates active mobility as the preferred mode of transportation to cover all local transportation requirements. Moreover, it suggests the identification of school zones within the city, particularly areas with multiple schools concentrated in one region.

By creating safe zones for children and pedestrians in these areas, the initiative aims to facilitate active mobility for children while enhancing pedestrian spaces to provide more breathing room within the urban landscape, especially alongside roads.

Santhana Selvan, the ‘Bicycle Mayor’ of Hyderabad, emphasised the importance of the state government in implementing active and sustainable mobility in the city. He stated, “This would be a great opportunity towards improving our city to the status of a developed city, particularly by focusing on transportation. We believe that transportation is the primary contributor to three major urban issues: pollution, traffic congestion, and public health concerns.”

“We dream of witnessing our children and grandchildren walking, cycling to schools and colleges, and using public transportation safely, without the need for parental supervision and without encountering any safety issues,” expressed Ravi Sambari of the Hyderabad Cycling Revolution.