‘Since 1925’ reads the sign in front of Panc Bike in Jamal. The name of the store is a shortened form of ‘Panchanarayan Astanarayan’ the two early founders of the bicycle store.
But the history of bicycling goes even further to 1903, when some Ranas imported bicycles from India and rode them inside their palaces for pleasure, recalls Tirth Narayan Manandhar, the son of Astanarayan in his book Kathmandu Then and Now.
Over the past century, the bicycle has gone from being a leisure item for Nepal’s nobility to a symbol of deprivation. Bicycles have been displaced by motorcycles and cars.
Between 1991 and 2011, the percent of trips made on bicycles in Kathmandu decreased from 6.6 % to 1.5%, while motorcycles almost tripled from 9.3% to 26% of all journeys. There are now more than 800,000 motorcycles in Kathmandu, and make up nearly 80% of the total vehicle fleet.
But bicycles have not disappeared completely, and may in fact be staging a comeback. Many young Kathmandu residents are taking up cycling, although mostly for recreation rather than for their daily commute. Most say they would happily pedal around in bicycles if the streets were safer.
With a mild climate and the average trip distance of 5km, Kathmandu Valley is an ideal cycling city. But bicycle use fell because of the lack of separate lanes, and worsening air pollution.
On 31 October 2011, conservationist Pralad Yonzon was killed by a truck on the Ring Road while bicycling home from work. Supporters painted a mural in his memory at the site to highlight cycle safety. A year later, an agreement was signed between the Department of Roads and a Chinese contractor responsible for expanding the Ring Road, which mentioned that cycle lanes would be constructed on both sides of Ring Road.
In June 2013, bicycle activists also made a model bicycle lane along the Ring Road at Thasikhel to demonstrate how it could be set aside within the green belt without cutting down trees.
The cycle lane was never built. The mural commemorating Pralad Yonzon was bulldozed to make way for all eight lanes of the new highway which were given over to cars. Today, the Ring Road is more dangerous than ever for cyclists and pedestrians.
Last week, at an interaction by the Nepal Cycling Society, the Director General of the Department of Roads promised that once the Chinese provide detailed designs for the second phase of Ring Road expansion, he would see to it that cycle lanes are included. Cyclists are hopeful but not convinced, promises have often been broken.
In 2009, a group of students started Kathmandu Cycle City 2020 campaign to turn the valley into a bicycle-friendly zone. Although bicycle activism has had some impact, overall the results are frustrating.
While campaigning in the 2017 elections, the mayor published a flyer promising to turn Kathmandu into a Cycle City. After he won, the city’s Policy and Programs mentioned that a Cycle City master plan would be prepared and lanes set aside along the Bagmati corridor. But neither the master plan nor the cycle lanes ever materialised.
Last November, Lalitpur’s Mayor launched the construction of 4.7 km of bicycle lanes in Patan and began by painting the Kupundol and Pulchok sections. The paint has now faded, and the contractor refuses to complete the work.
The initial action from Kathmandu and Lalitpur had encouraged bicycle activists to host the World Bicycle Forum in Kathmandu later this year. But due to COVID-19, even that has been canceled.
The lockdown may, however, bring some good news to cyclists as cities around the world are now looking at bicycles as a safe mode of urban mobility. From London to Lima, hundreds of cities have been allowing pedal power to reclaim the streets.
Bicycles force people to maintain physical distance while taking minimum space on the streets. Cyclists do not touch too many surfaces. Physical exercise and clean air help keep the immune system strong. Even the UN is looking at bicycles as a driver of post COVID-19 green recovery. It is time for Kathmandu to take that leap as well.
Bicycle activists are once again raising their voices for a cycle-friendly city. Ratna Shrestha of the Nepal Cycle Society, says: “It is now or never.”
He is frustrated with the lack of action in the past, but believes now is the time to make Kathmandu a Cycle City a reality. A silver lining of the COVID-19 crisis may well be that Kathmandu will finally realise the dream of many to turn to a healthier and more sustainable form transport.
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