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| Photo By: Bikram Rai |
For cyclists in Kathmandu, the path ahead is full of potholes
by Bhrikuti Rai read from Nepali Times
With the fuel crisis certain to get worse, and an unreliable public transport system, more and more people in Kathmandu are opting for bicycles. Pedal power is actually a faster and more reliable way to navigate through the city’s choked roads.
However, given Kathmandu’s polluted and precarious road condition and the absence of designated bicycle lanes, bicycles are going to have an uphill ride. Rajan Kathet, an avid bicyclist and the founder of Kathmandu Cycle City (KCC) 2020 says: “The lack of bicycle lanes is the most important factor dissuading people from using bicycles as a regular means of transport.”
The group has been lobbying government bodies to build cycle lanes on newly constructed roads and accommodate cycle lanes within existing road networks. Says Rajan: “Everyone on the road tries to overtake cyclists and we are forced to cycle and sometimes walk our bicycles on the pavements.”
Motor vehicles ply left, right and center on the congested roads of Kathmandu so cyclists need to be extra cautious. Fellow cyclist Amita Thapa Magar has had numerous close calls. “Cycling is especially difficult at night,” she says, “there are potholes and the darkness makes it really dangerous.”
Although there are just 9 vehicles per 1,000 people, Nepal ranks 98th out of 178 on World Health Organisation’s list of countries with the highest per capita rates of traffic-related deaths. The reason is the lack of adequate space not just for bicyclists or pedestrians, but for vehicles too. The death of noted biologist and devoted cyclist Pralad Yonzon two weeks ago after the bicycle he was riding was hit by a truck on the Ring Road, has focused attention on the dangers that bicycle commuters face.
In 2005 a decision to construct a 44 km long bicycle track in the city after Nepal signed the Velo Mondial Charter and Action Plan for Bicycle Friendly Communities. The charter provided a blueprint and a set of directives to promote bicycle as an efficient, environmentally friendly alternative to motorised transport. Yet, like the proposed bicycle lane from Maitighar to Tinkune which got suspended in early 2000, the plan to build the 44 km bicycle track in the city has been shelved.
“Unless there is serious pressure from the people on the Department of Roads, cycle lanes in Kathmandu will still remain a farfetched dream for cyclists”, says Shail Shrestha, president of KCC 2020.
Despite increasing pressure to build bicycle lanes, Saroj Kumar Pradhan, project manager of the Kathmandu- Bhaktapur Road Extension Project says that building new infrastructures to make the city cycle friendly presents an immense challenge. The city’s entire transportation system, he says, will need to undergo a major overhaul in order to accommodate a network of cycle lanes.
“It doesn’t make sense to just build cycle lanes from point A to point B,” Pradhan adds, “each form of transport must complement each other and cycle lanes can be developed systematically.”
Cycle city
In an effort to reduce Kathmandu’s growing air pollution and promote a cycling culture, a passionate group of youth has set out to make the capital a cycle-friendly city by the year 2020. Kathmandu Cycle City (KCC) 2020. The group was formed by Kathmandu University students in 2009 has been actively promoting cycling through various events and workshops.
To mark their third anniversary, KCC 2020 is organising an evening cycle rally with the theme ‘Get Visible’ to shed light on the problems of cycling during night time. “Cycling at night carries unimaginable risks,” says Shail Shrestha, the president of KCC 2020. The rally will also be a tribute to Prahlad Yonzon, who died in bicycle accident after being hit by a truck in Balkhu two weeks ago. The rally is supported by World Cyclist Foundation-Nepal, Chepang’s Mountain Bike Club, Cycling Association- Kabhre, and Clean Air Network Nepal (CANN). The rally will take place on 19 November starting at 5pm.