'Cycling Sundays'

On July 19^th 2008, at an art exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, I met an affable gentleman who warmed up to the subject of bicycles.

Loh Gwo-Burne said the notion of swamping a city with the still germane century old invention, was a wonderful idea that has gained traction worldwide. The Member of Parliament said major cities have and are proud of their ‘Cycling Sundays’ and on that premise, Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya should start its ‘wheels rolling’. He suggested traffic should be locked down at least once a month for the benefit cyclists and pedestrians, not to mention the environment.

A cursory check reveals some cities in Europe have gone beyond the novelty of ‘Cycling Sundays’ and have begun a bicycling ‘revolution’ of sorts.

In Paris for example, the success of the Velib Bike Hire scheme introduced in July 2007 was confirmed, when more than a million bicycles were hired in the first 30 days of operation and by the 60^th day, hires exceeded two million. Theft and vandalism accounted for a fraction of the bicycles hired, dismissing critics who predicted the scheme would fail due to theft.

The Velib scheme was front-page news last year in French national newspapers and is credited with revolutionizing the transport system in Paris. To underscore its success, extra police personnel were deployed to deal with cyclists flouting traffic rules.

While several cities worldwide ape the successful Paris model, our mayors should contemplate the Parliamentarian’s suggestion.

While initially promoting ‘Cycling Sundays’ a comprehensive study on the Paris model is recommended. In the Paris model, a private advertising company provides the unisex Velib brand bicycles in return for advertising space in the city, therefore no burden is made on the taxpayer.

Notwithstanding issues expected in such an undertaking, no mayor will deny the social and political triumph if such a scheme proves successful.