Cycling Community Opines about the Emerging Trend on Bicycles

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Member of the ‘Bike to Work’ management, Qomus, said the recent popularity of people taking up cycling will create a positive impact on society’s long term sustainability, hoping that the trend would not only end up being a fad. 

“I hope the trend will not be short-lived but rather become a lifestyle which would help elevate the quality of life and make people understand the importance of exercising in living life,” said Qomus on Wednesday, September 22. 

However, he argues that the government has not placed sufficient attention for these up and coming cyclists, especially in creating a safe space for cyclists to roam city streets to commute. 

“It’s still far from expectations and from what we are currently advocating for; the right to have a safe environment for cyclists on public streets,” said Qomus. 

Despite the Jakarta administration establishing a number of bike lanes across the capital city, he deems them physically insufficient and the lack of tolerance among road users continue to pose safety hazards for cyclists. 

“Those are just lanes yet what we need are specific pathways used 100 percent for cyclists,” he maintains. 

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the cyclist community Seli Selatan Ismail Mardjuki added that bicycles will not only be a passing trend and that cycling will remain as an alternative for hobbies and means to exercise. “[I wouldn’t] call it a fad as the trend for cycling has never stopped and continues to emerge. The types in cycling may be changeable and give the impression as if it is a momentary trend or fad.”

Read: Cycling Regulation Issued; 7 Must-Have Tools for Cyclists

ANTARA