Sustainable Commuting – Walking and Cycling in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Sustainable Commuting – Walking and Cycling

 Faizul Khan Tanim writes on the benefits of walking and cycling and the feasibility of practicing them in Dhaka

With increasing reduction in physical activity or manual labour, growing number of desk jobs and with most people living increasingly stressful lives, the first thing that hits us is the fatigue factor. Therefore, opportunities are needed to incorporate some form of regular exercise or physical activity into our daily routine and what better activity can there be than relying on walking or cycling as means of commuting and transportation? Choosing walking or cycling as modes of commuting can significantly improve our health and fitness as well as the vitality and well-being of our community.

Not only in Western countries but citizens of a number of developing countries are adopting walking and cycling as integral parts of their daily lives. These two modes are the most sustainable means of daily travel since they virtually cause no noise or air pollution and moreover, the energy that walking and cycling require is provided directly by the commuter, and the use of that energy provide valuable cardiovascular exercise.
Now, according to urban planning departments of the renowned universities in both Bangladesh and abroad, the experts always mention this countless times via press and electronic media briefings that: Walking and cycling require only a fraction of the space needed for operating and parking vehicles in an already heavily congested city.

Moreover these two modes of travel - walking and cycling are very economical – cost far less and more afforable than private vehicles and sometimes even public transport particularly in cases of short travels.
There are several benefits of walking and cycling which are accepted worldwide and here is an interesting compilation from a New Zeland government agency website:

Individual Benefits
•    Convenient door to door access without parking hassles in urban areas.
•    Improved mental and physical health and fitness
•    Increased independence for commuters.
•    Access to a vehicle (for example bicycle) which is relatively cheap to own and operate.
•    Increased opportunities to observe, experience and enjoy the scenery and environment.
•    Cycling is a very versatile form of fitness training.
•     Convenient forms of exercise as can be undertaken almost anywhere.

Community Benefits
The presence of walkers and cyclists within an area can contribute to community well-being in a number of ways:
•    Greater social interaction amongst neighbours is likely to occur.
•    Personal security and crime prevention are enhanced with more ‘eyes on the street’.
•    Provision of improved facilities for walkers and cyclists can also improve amenities available to local residents (such as paths through parks).
•    Provision of cycling facilities can reduce traffic speeds and volumes in urban areas, improving quality of life in our towns e.g. reduced noise and air pollution.

Economic Benefits
Cycling contributes to the local economy in a number of ways. In particular, formal and informal recreational cycling events could attract both local residents and tourists with money to spend on food, refreshments, entertainment and accommodation.

Walking activities have many of the same potential economic benefits as those of cycling.
Travelers often do not have their own vehicles and will perhaps tend to walk around urban areas more than the locals. Attractive, well signposted walking routes will add to a positive impression of the locality. Medium distance walking tracks that connect to provide a more versatile set of walking opportunities would greatly benefit the tourist community and enhance the economic benefits that flow from enticing visitors to stay additional nights and to come to town in the first instances.

Cycling and walking can have economic advantages as follows:
•    Reducing the number of trips made by cars, thereby reducing congestion and freeing up road space for essential motor vehicle trips.

Environmental Benefits
Cycling and walking improves the quality of our natural environment and minimizes environmental impacts and also reduce carbon footprints:
•    Cycles are the most energy efficient land transport vehicles.
•    Cycles have a minuscule effect on our fossil fuel reserves.
•    Cyclists and walkers emit no pollution, noise pollution or greenhouse gases.
•    Promoting cycling and walking as a means of travel helps to achieve Kyoto Protocol obligations for all signatory countries.

Walking and Cycling in Dhaka
Although there is a renewed interest in promoting walking and cycling in Dhaka with plenty of events but bringing about a social revolution in this sphere is still a far cry. Most often, the footpaths are encroached by peddlers and are not pedestrian-friendly at all and at the same time a counter argument is given that in a developing country like Bangladesh, if these peddlers are removed from the footpaths, where will they go to sell their products and make a living?

There are Cyclist Groups and they are also very active online, especially on social networking sites like Facebook – BDCyclists, NIK SQUAD and few others.
Speaking to a senior moderator of BDCyclists, Fuad Ahsan Chowdhury, he said, “This group of ours was founded by Mozammel Haque and few other friends in 2011 and the main aim was to address issues like avoiding traffic congestion and promote recreational rides. The group eventually became a community of almost 10,000 members”.

“We have three regular events each week – a biker’s beginner lesson, conducted every Saturday at Abahani club ground, Dhanmondi and is free of cost. And another of our regular event is Bike Friday, starting from Dhaka city’s Manik Mia Avenue this ride ranges from traveling 30 to 50 kilometers through the scenic routes in and around Dhaka, something which Dhakaites did not experience before. And the third regular event, and the most adventurous, is called Joshila Saturday, an event designed for expert level riders which involves selecting adventurous spots like big hills and rough terrains away from Dhaka. Apart from these, our other activities include a Critical Mass held on the last Friday of each month, which is basically a movement where cyclists and commuters come together in street to show solidarity and rides only different green vehicles to show other motor vehicles that the non-motorized vehicles can be modes of transportation as well. And finally, another of our very interesting project is 64GoodActs, a very special project of BDCyclists in which BDC  rides to different parts of the  64 districts and help out  communities like a school, family or someone in need. The last act took place in Teknaf”.

Walking for health in Dhaka mainly takes place at parks or lake sides and for that, Dhanmondi, Gulshan, all the defense officers housing society (DOHS) suburbs, Baridhara and Banani. When you step in to these parks, you will see the unexpected abundance of greenery, no pollution, and officers all about to maintain security, which might inspire you to carry on with your physical workout here, as it is quite peaceful.

The park sports signboards with diagrams and social messages, such as the significance of walking and harmful effects of smoking. The tracks that run throughout have marks to indicate distance – laps around the park are calculated in kilometers and there’s even a signboard to present the approximate number of calories one can burn per lap.

*This article was first published in The Independent Weekend Magazine - http://theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=35&date=2013-02-01