#CycleToWork is good for the Environment & Health – New Mantra for Corporates in Newtown

NewTown Kolkata, 29th July, 2022: SwitchON Foundation in partnership with New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) and in association with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) – a global think tank, launched a innovative sustainability initiative “Cycle to Work” – in an effort to urge the corporate and local resident welfare associations of Newtown Kolkata to recognise and consider cycling as the mode daily transport and commute to work.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), safe infrastructure for walking and cycling is also a pathway for achieving greater health equity. Cycling to work saves costs, increases productivity, and promotes mental health.

Similar initiative has been taken by other cities like Silvassa as part of Cycles4Change Challenge and the Streets4People Challenge 2020, launched under the Smart Cities Mission – Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHU). The initiative aims to inspire cities to create ‘healthy streets’ with integrated walking, cycling, and public transport in order to make streets safe and convenient for all. Under the programme, more than a 100 cities are part of this nation-wide transformation – Newtown Kolkata being one of them as a leading example.

Over the years – Newtown has been the hub of information technology with many large consultancies and IT services organizations providing huge employment opportunities in the state. At the same time, NKDA over the years has been an example for the rest of the country to follow on sustainable mobility infrastructure. From introducing public bicycle sharing schemes, reserved cycle lanes to provision for bicycle parking, across the township, NKDA’s actions have been an inspiration for the larger sustainable development across the
metropolitan area.

The initiative aims to encourage various organizations, corporates & their teams to shift from cars and motorbikes, and cycle to their workplace instead—building health while saving the planet. The initiative also offers an innovative platform that gamifies cycling to work through leaderboard, challenges, maps, and more.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri. Debashis Sen , Chairman NKDA said “This cycle to work initiative is a very important milestone for NKDA, as we want to encourage people to come forward and adopt sustainable habits for future generations. Bicycles prove to be important means of transport for health and livelihoods. New Town, Kolkata is one of the most cycle-friendly cities in India. I am a big supporter of cycling and we at NKDA have created the necessary infrastructure for cycling as well as multiple initiatives for all companies and Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) to put it in use”.

The initiative urges the employers to encourage their employees through healthy competitions like nudging each other to perform better on the health and carbon offset leaderboard. As part of the initiative employers across Newtown taking up cycling will also have the opportunity to post regularly on updates on their employees who use cycles getting due recognition on social media.

Speaking during the event, Ms. Aishwarya Soni, Deputy Manager- Strategic & Visual Communications, ITDP India said ; “Cycle2Work is a great initiative that encourages employees to choose a healthy, eco-friendly mode of commute. The positive impacts of switching to cycling are immense, and I’m happy to see New Town Kolkata embracing this initiative. As the number of cyclists grows, the city must invest in and create the right systems—building safe, comfortable cycling tracks; planning well-connected cycling networks; and ensuring access to affordable cycles for everyone.”

Also attending the event Dr. Nilesh Tiwari from Narayana Superspeciality Hospital who has also signed the letter of support to the Cycle To Work initiative said “I cycle to work and as a doctor it is what I would encourage everyone to do for their health and as a citizen I would encourage everyone to do to keep
the city pollution and congestion free.”

Speaking at the event, Vinay Jaju MD SwitchON Foundation said; “We are really happy to see the response and support from different corporates, housing societies on using cycles to work, we expect this would further encourage more corporates in promoting the Cycle to Work culture among their employees” He further explained it as a win-win approach; “It not just promotes health but can also lead to positive environmental effects, especially if cycling and walking replace short car trips.” he added.

Additional Quotes
A committee member of the housing society said – “We really think it’s a fantastic idea and will certainly adopt it with our societies. Our society will make sure that there are separate parking arrangements for cyclists within our complex for didis and dadas that coem tohelp at home and within our complex, as well as will encourage residents to use cycling to work” He further added; “As fuel prices registers new records, cycling makes more sense for all”.

Speaking during the event, an IT professional who rides to his office daily said – “Riding cycling to work keeps me on time to office and back – as I beat the growing traffic and congestion. Cycling has become a rage across the world and like me more people are cycling to work and not just for health.”

“Switching to cycle for work visibly alters the way we behave and use our commons. It is increasingly digital making it future ready.” – Sathya Sankaran, Co-Founder, Urban Morph & Bicycle Mayor, Bengaluru.

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Contact: Vinay Jaju | M: +91 9331178105 | Email: VJ@SwitchON.org.in