Hero Cycles Rolls Out 'TheCycleOfChange' Campaign

Bicycle major Hero Cycles has launched a major campaign to advocate for policy and behavioral changes to promote cycling in greater numbers so that social distancing measures are continued in the near future while cities retain some environmental benefits of the lockdown period. #TheCycleOfChange campaign has garnered support from environmentalists, fitness enthusiasts as well as common people who wish to adopt a safe mode of transit for short and medium distances.

#TheCycleOfChange campaign aims to draw government attention to the need for creating bicycle-friendly infrastructure on Indian roads to make cycling safe and attractive to people. It also wants to educate people about the environmental and health benefits of cycling. The campaign also aims to raise awareness about how cycling can become a valuable fitness regimen during and post lockdown as people stay away from gyms and other group exercise activities.

Advocating the need to redefine fuels, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari said, “We need to change attitudes towards transport. Running public transport on electricity and clean fuels like ethanol, making bio CNG from paddy straw are some of the shifts that we want to promote. As a Minister of Road Transport, I would also like to encourage use of cycles and E-cycles. Our roads account for 5 lakh accidents every year with around 1.5 lakh deaths. What is interesting is that since the lockdown, deaths due to accidents have dropped significantly.”

Pankaj M Munjal, Chairman and MD, HMC, A Hero Motors Company said: “This crisis has reminded us that there is no progress without sustainability or there will be more push-backs like the one we are facing today. Lifting the lockdowns will be a process not an event. Even when major restrictions are lifted there will be need to exercise caution and social distancing. In European countries such as the UK and Germany, cycle and E cycle markets have surged as people don’t want to crowd in public transports. Traditional cycles as well as E cycles are therefore the solution to the new normal and can help us contain the second wave of infections. Not to forget the environmental benefits that we are celebrating during the lockdown”.

Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Shri Sachin Pilot underlined the need for striking a balance between economic revival and environmental well-being once lockdowns are lifted. Citing Rajasthan government’s initiative to observe a ‘No Vehicle Day’ every month, he advocated the need for behavioral change for long term environmental benefits.

Sunita Narain, environmentalist and Director General of Centre for Science & Environment pointed out how the dramatic difference in air quality has also brought down related morbidity in people and cited the need for scalable green initiatives in the long run. “We need to get rid of dirty fuels for combustion. This is an opportunity to fix both the climate problem as well as the air quality problem. Reducing exposure to toxic air is also important in dealing with the burden of COVID 19. Since people with weaker lungs are more vulnerable to the disease, we need to reduce exposure to toxic air,” she said.  

Apart from reducing carbon emissions, cycling also allows individuals to maintain fitness and health. Recognizing these benefits, some governments across the world are offering incentives to people who take up cycling to work instead of using personal cars. In recent years, Electric Cycles have emerged as the new mode of sustainable transport.

Aditya Munjal, Director Hero Cycles and Lectro E-Mobility Pvt Ltd. stated that sustainable mobility has been the mission of Hero Group and Electric Cycles are the next revolution in mobility space. “EVs are our latest innovation; they are agile, eco-friendly and offer ease of commuting. This is the next revolution which is going to change mobility space. We have also curated E cycles especially for use for food delivery and ecommerce delivery,” he pointed out.

Spiritual leader Shri Sadhguru said the global lockdown has shown how nature is capable of bouncing back and pointed out that the challenge is to strike a balance between economic revival and controlling environmental pollution.

Lee Feldman, Amsterdam based entrepreneur and founder of BYCS, a collective of bicycle futurists cites the example of Amsterdam as a city that transformed from a car-choked space to a cycling haven. “Around 50 years back Amsterdam city was choked with cars with trees leveled and canals covered to make more room for cars. This is when a movement for safer roads started, marking a beginning of a shift to prioritize cycles over cars. Now, since bicycles occupy much less space than cars, we could have more trees and more greenways on roads, making cycling a more comfortable experience,” he said advocating Indian cities to follow similar paths.

Firoza Suresh, Cycle Mayor, Mumbai; and Sathya Sankaran, Cycle Mayor, Bengaluru demanded better cycling infrastructure in Indian cities. A number of other celebrities, environmentalists, fitness advocates and corporates also supported the campaign. These include actors Anil Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin and Zayed Khan; veteran environmentalist Vandana Shiva; fitness trainer Vesna Jacob and eminent entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar Shaw.

As part of the campaign, Hero Cycles plans to undertake a major advocacy exercise and write to state governments seeking their support in establishing a cycle-friendly road infrastructure.