2 March, 2022 – SwitchON Foundation today started a “Road Safety Awareness Campaign for Cyclists” in the Annual Kolkata Book Fair 2022, for the cyclists and pedestrians of the city. The primary objective of this initiative is to spread awareness on road safety and sensitise the cyclists and pedestrians regarding the traffic rules which they should follow,thus easing the burden on the authorities and encouraging citizens’ participation in sharing responsibility. SwitchON Foundation has also extended their invitation to the Commissioner of Police, Bidhannagar, to come and encourage their sensitising initiative. Cycle groups across the city have come forward and offered their support to the Commissioner, Kolkata Police in a cyclists road safety campaign.
The idea for starting this initiative has come after knowing the issues being faced by the Kolkata Police due to cyclists not following the safety regulations.. Flouting traffic rules has become one of the primary reasons for the Kolkata Police to put restrictions on cycling across the city. According to the authorities,cycles pose a safety hazard on the roads and slow down the traffic.. However the cyclists groups point out that awareness building is necessary like it has been done in case of sensitising drivers regarding seat belts and bikers regarding helmets, further if cyclists stick to their designated space it will no longer be a reason for slow traffic.
“ Studies done by SwitchON Foundation in 2013 and 2020, showed that private motor vehicles had doubled in count in the city of Kolkata which can be directly attributed to the increase in pollution and congestion. Furthermore an RTI filed by SwitchON Foundation shows that accidents are attributed more to the vehicles than to the cyclists”
Speaking on the occasion a cycle enthusiast of Kolkata said – “Currently pedestrians and cyclists do not feel part of the current city system, while they perform very important duties like delivering milk and newspaper, which can be called to be invisible. They need to be sensitised about following traffic rules for their own safety and that of others.”
Worldwide, various cities have initiated efforts to embrace a ‘new normal’ for transport systems post the lockdown, focusing on including more pedestrian and non-motorized- transportation (NMT) facilities in their overall transportation systems. Therefore, there is a need for a massive mobility transition across Kolkata, India’s oldest metropolitan.
. There is an urgent need to realign planning priorities and pay special attention to NMT in transportation planning while raising awareness among the users of these modes of transport. There have been reform measures facilitating NMT in the Newtown Kolkata area and the rest of the city of Kolkata is keen on following suit.
Also speaking on the occasion, Vinay Jaju, Cofounder SwitchON Foundation had said – “The Kolkata Police has been receptive of our concerns over the cycle restriction order. Their potential cooperation and possibility of completely removing restriction on cycling , has therefore made us even more excited to be able to kickstart the Road Safety Awareness Campaign with full swing at the Kolkata Book Fair.”
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