Cycling, Education and Tender Coconut

Please do me a favour. Pass this post to some you know who needs education ...

While in Bangalore, if you happen to see a person with a laptop on his back and a maroon helmet, on a Trek3700 pedaling furiously on the Old Airport Road, please

• do not show off your driving skills by brushing past him - there is enough space on the road for all of us
• do not honk as you approach him - he is not deaf and definitely not suicidal
• do not stare at him - haven't you see cyclists with helmet before? Besides, it is impolite to stare
• do not drive on the wrong side of the road, even if it is early morning and the traffic police is not around - that causes accidents and just goes to show that you are a moron
• do not look out only for bigger vehicles while crossing the road - cycles have mass too and can travel at high speeds
• and definitely do not knock him down - that will be the end of this blog.

This rant is not aimed at anyone specific. Rather a sort of open letter to some characters I have the misfortune of encountering on Bangalore roads as I commute to office (unfortunately, the commuting is not as frequent as I wish to).

And to my regular readers and occasional visitors - the more decent human beings on this planet (any one reading my blog has to be one :-)) - please find out means of reducing your carbon footprint. I am not sure about the global warming bit, but am surely concerned about the impact of pollution on health.

Here are some ways ...

• Walk to your nearest grocery store: it will only take you a few extra minutes.
• If you have to use your vehicle, plan so that the path taken is optimum (the shortest path may not always be the fastest).
• Declare at least one day per month, if not one day every weekend, a car/motorbike-free day.
• Teach your children, if you have one or whenever you have one, to enjoy cycling. Buy them good, smart looking bikes.

And, of yes, patronize your local tender coconut seller. He is a life saver for us cyclists.

Note: The picture used here belongs to Svetlana Maksimovic. To see more of her photographs visit her gallery.

The picture of the tender coconut belongs to Manu M. Go to his gallery to see more pictures.