On World Bicycle Day, a plea to make Chennai safe for cyclists

Ahead of International Bicycle Day, an appeal by a cyclist on steps that need to be taken to keep the roads safe for their tribe

A year ago, a young life was snuffed out on GST Road due to an accident involving a car and a cycle. Hit by the car, the young cyclist was thrown off the saddle. Earlier, a couple of years ago, another cyclist was fatally knocked down by a vehicle that was proceeding on the wrong side of the road.

Early this year, a young woman was hit by a speeding car near MEPZ Oragadam. Despite being rushed to the hospital, her memory and cognitive power diminished due to the head injuries she sustained. And it has taken a full four months for her to come back to normality.

Likewise, two girls cycling to school on Theosophical Society Road in Besant Nagar met with an accident due to a pothole, and were hit by a minibus. One of the girls lost her life, and the other sustained serious injuries.

Every other day, we come across such instances of cyclists being hit by speeding cars, bikes, lorries and buses in Chennai. While some of these incidents have been recorded by the police, many go undocumented.

These incidents illustrate that despite following safety rules such as wearing safety gear, reflective clothes, having headlights and taillights and using hand signals, cyclists are vulnerable on our roads.

While International Bicycling Day (June 3) is more about advocating cycling for its positive impact, we want road safety to be the overarching message.

Many cities are making major changes to their infrastructure, urban development plans and policies to protect the interests of cyclists and other non-motorised transport users. Chennai must also take a leaf out of their books.