An organisation on Monday urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to withdraw the ban on cycling on several roads in the city as commuters are facing difficulties to avail motorised transport during the Covid-19 pandemic.
SwitchON Foundation, a non-profit group, appealed to the state government through an open letter to lift the restrictions on bicycles on major city roads.
According to a Kolkata Police official, cycling is banned on a number of thoroughfares including Camac Street, Shakespeare Sarani, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Rashbehari Avenue Connector and Ashutosh Mukherjee Road. Vinay Jaju, the founder of the organisation which has floated Bengal Clean Air Network, said those who have been implementing the cycling ban are most vulnerable to air pollution as per a study by experts from two higher educational institutes.
The organisation, which initiated a campaign, BringBackCycles, said that cycling is not only a zero-emission transport but also enables livelihoods and reduces congestion in the city. It claimed that its open letter to the CM was signed by many eminent personalities from different walks of life.
A study – Evaluation of the impact of ambient air pollution on respiratory health of traffic police in Kolkata – by researchers from Sister Nibedita Government General Degree College for Girls, Kolkata and the University of Kalyani, found that high levels of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) resulted in reduced lung function.
“From the research, we found PM 2.5 and PM 10 are key polluting agents in Kolkata. Although ambient air quality varies across locations and with seasons, traffic police personnel were found to be seriously vulnerable due to long term exposure,” said Dr Subhashis Sahu, associate professor and head of the Physiology Department of the University of Kalyani.
Researchers found that traffic constables are in a high-risk group and likely to develop respiratory dysfunction. Sahu, a co-author of the study, said a long exposure to a polluted environment causes more impairment of pulmonary function parameters. Singer Usha Uthup crooned a cycling song in her own unique style to support the campaign.
“It took a lockdown in the entire country to make people fall in love with cycles once again. Today, youths are back on roads cycling, not only for their health but also for the health of the city. Bicycles are the need of the hour,” the Padma Shri said.
With very little road space in the city (about 5 per cent) as compared to other metros, it is not possible to allow dedicated tracks on major thoroughfares to facilitate cycle movement along with motorised vehicles, the Kolkata Police official said.