“They say the universe is expanding. That should help with the traffic.” - Steven Wright
Aww! What a thought if only it was true. The reality is still sour and the life of every Mumbaikar is still plagued with traffic. Wait a minute, there is one super power that can help people overcome this evil and that my friend is Cycling. Cycling in Mumbai is an age old concept. Simpler were those times, when people used to commute via cycles. Organised by Scott Sports India, the Rush Hour Race brings home this point even more strongly that Bicycle is the only weapon to lead a fight against traffic.
Organised from Thane to Lower Parel, in this race, 6 people took to different modes of transport in order to reach to their destination. The modes of transport involved were:
- Scott E-bike
- Scott Road Bicycle
- Scott Hybrid Bicycle
- Car
- Train
- Multi-Transportation
In the end the journey time noted for each person. Now, what mode of transport according to you would have won? A car or a train? Because come on, the average speed is much higher than a bicycle of-course. The winner, Jithin Mohanan however was the Scott Hybrid Bicycle with a journey time of just 59 minutes. The second in line was Mahesh Kini on the E-bike with a journey time of 62 minutes.
Now please, the third winner would definitely have to be a car right? Wrong. The third in line was Jose George on his Road bike with the journey time of 68 minutes.
All the other modes of transportation were nowhere near the winning time. Kanchan Pawar who were coming by train took 88 minutes to reach whereas Venkatesh K took 94 minutes by car. The multi-transportation contestant Chetan Suryakant Nakashe used three modes of transport – Autorickshaw, Bus and Ola Share. He made everyone wait for a long time. It took him a whopping 164 minutes to reach to his destination.
The Country Manager of SCOTT Sports India, Jaymin Shah said, ”Urban mobility is a challenge faced by most metro cities in India. Through this race, cycling has emerged the winner and is definitely an alternative for commuting in the ever-crowded cities in India.”
One of the contestant Jose George, who is an Owner of Haybren Adventure, said, “I feel if citizens can ride to work at least once or twice a week it will definitely make a great impact but there are other factors which will encourage such activities, like providing cycle parking and shower facilities at work places. If employers can do something about this, then they can have much fitter employees too.”
Such Cycling Events in Mumbai shouts out the reality to a lot of people who consider cycling as a poor man’s vehicle. Guys Cycling benefits not only your health but saves you from getting completely insane from Mumbai’s traffic.
