The Cycle City- ECS Fr!day

read from ECS Fr!day

- Prabal Man Dhaubadel

Chartered in November 2009 by a core group of concerned youths and enthusiastic individuals, the Kathmandu Cycle City 2020 (KCC 2020) has been active in promoting cycling as a means of daily commute beyond its persistent use in recreational activity or extreme sports in Nepal’s scenario. Addressing the environmental concern and the need for development of fundamental infrastructure for cyclists in the urban panorama, the Kathmandu Cycle City 2020 campaign has been organizing annual rallies for the past three years the third Saturday every November.

Pedaling with the motto “Ride with Pride”, KCC, in partnership with Team for Nature and Wildlife, made its maiden journey from Jawalakhel grounds to Basantapur square on 21 November 2009 with the message “Cycling – an Eco-friendly Ride”. Subsequently, the campaign supported upcoming cycling events. The active service they rendered for the expansion and growth of cycling zones and cycle-friendly infrastructure led to a second November rally in 2010. In addition, the team organized another rally “Moving Planet Cycle Rally” a few months back in appreciation of the provision of construction of cycle stands in the City Centre as well as an appeal for a similar facility at Bhatbhateni Super Market. Apart from the rallies, KCC 2020 has also been involved in organizing cyclist discussions and cycle talks. Publishing cycling-based magazines and papers, creating cycling forum, conducting cyclist workshops, and organizing a cycling mela include the agenda for the years to come.

“Our main objective this time is to highlight the basic road infrastructure that should be available for any cycle commuter. A cycle lane, well-facilitated cycle stands, cycle safety, traffic management, and proper cycling environment are a few things we are currently emphasizing on. I know our pace is steady and we are happy with the progress. After all, 2020 is still long down the road. Gradually, by that time, we hope to make the two ends meet,” hopes Shail Shrestha, president of Kathmandu Cycle City 2020. In addition, to achieve the goal of a less polluted Kathmandu, KCC has been promoting the benefits of cycling as to how it contributes to positive health of an individual while reducing the pollution caused by automobiles.

The trend of the “November Rally” continued this year too but with an interesting twist. KCC decided to organize an evening rally – different from the conventional day rallies – the very first of its kind in Nepal. With the theme “Get Visible”, KCC 2020 focused more on cycle lighting and reflective gear for traveling beyond broad daylight. Shailendra Dangol of KCC 2020 shares the idea of organizing this evening rally arose after the unexpected demise of the late Dr. Prahlad Yonzon, a renowned biologist and conservationist. “A stern supporter of the Kathmandu Cycle City concept and a pre-eminent figure in the environmental sector, Dr. Yonzon met with a horrendous cycle accident in the evening on 31 October at Balkhu when he was hit by a truck. In his honor, we decided to dedicate this year’s annual rally to him. Also, we have painted graffiti of a ghost cycle in the accident spot in his memory.” He adds, “Often neglected in the past is the issue of cyclist safety during evening hours and night. So, we made a compulsion for riders attending the evening parade to have headlights, blinkers or any other sort of lighting gear in order to make themselves visible in the dark.”

In a rally that started at 5 pm from Basantapur square on Saturday, more than 150 riders from different associations and cycling groups such as Kathmandu Bike Station, Chain, Chepang Mountain Bike Club, and Epic Mountain Bike, as well as individual cyclists took part. Prakash Dhakhwa, head of Chepang Mountain Bike Club says, “This concept of an evening rally has never been explored before in our country. It is truly a landmark achievement in Nepal’s cycling history. As far as our cycling team’s representation is concerned, we started the club entirely for the fun of cycling during weekends. But after we came to know about the initiatives of KCC, we have constantly supported their events and will most definitely continue in the future too.” Till date, the Chepang Mountain Bike team has been a part of every event hosted by KCC 2020, starting with as few as 12 cyclists to counts reaching 60. Michalis Maroulakin, a rally participant reveals how his profession as a cycle messenger required him to deal with similar conditions for cycling and that the information of this rally was immensely vital to all cyclists who work at night. Apart from their personal lighting gear, the participants also received reflector arm bands. The rally traveled across New Road, Durbar Marg, Sahid Gate, Kalimati, Kalanki, and Balkhu before gathering at Resources Himalaya, the brainchild foundation of Dr. Yonzon where they observed a minute of silence in memory of Dr. Yonzon.

Kathmandu Cycle City 2020 has grown in the past two years and has now declared itself as Cycle City Network Nepal in the nationwide platform. It has indeed done a remarkable job of inducing the thought of cycling for everyday use in our minds. As far as the future is concerned, we strongly hope to witness several other rallies and many more eventful happenings leading to 2020. !