Save money, save time: just cycle to work

September 15, 2015 10:00 am | Updated September 17, 2015 12:31 pm IST - Chennai:

Sharath Nambiar, COO of Dakshinachithra, cycles to work daily and uses his vehicle to create awareness about eco-friendly modes of travel. Photo: Special Arrangement

Sharath Nambiar, COO of Dakshinachithra, cycles to work daily and uses his vehicle to create awareness about eco-friendly modes of travel. Photo: Special Arrangement

The employees of Krea, a health care research firm in Alwarpet, are a lucky lot. They not only get to save money on petrol but also have their company split the bill on the purchase of a bicycle.

“We are happy to pay for half the bill if they promise to commute to work in cycle,” says Pravin Shekar, the CEO and a cyclist. He regularly cycles to work from his residence in Adyar.

“It is to encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Gyms in offices are passé and cycling is much more beneficial. It’s not just good for health but also for the environment. We have two spare bicycles inside the premises; anyone is free to use it. If someone needs to step out for a bit, they can use the cycle instead of their vehicle. You will also end up saving a lot of money,” he adds.

Another fitness enthusiast, who leads by example, is Sharath Nambiar, COO of Dakshinachithra. He rides from his home in Tambaram to Dakshinachitra on ECR, covering a distance of around 26 kilometres (one way). “I had had enough with the traffic and decided to begin cycling to work, back in 2008. I have since continued the tradition. While others take about one-and-a-half hours to cover the same distance, it takes me 55 minutes,” says Sharath. He even uses his cycle to create awareness with his quirky one-liners — ‘I go to office like this, why don’t you?’, ‘No carbon footprint’, ‘No parking charges’, ‘One cycle = One less car in the city’, ‘No Stress’, ‘Cycling burns fat and cars build fat’ and ‘This burns calories not fuel’.

“I have been promoting cycling for a long time. I even managed to convince a few of my colleagues to do the same but many of them weren’t unable to sustain the habit.”

Neither Chennai’s traffic nor the climate encourages people to take to the cause. “Cyclists are most often on the receiving end of unnecessary road rage,” says 27-year-old Ajay Kandappa, who cycles everywhere he goes, including work. Ask him how does he handle it, he says, “You get used it.”

These cyclists carry a spare set of clothes to work. Keep towels, wet tissues and deodorants ready for a quick change at work. They even have the necessary gears and head lights attached to the bike for night rides.

There are many who want to cycle but lack of facilities at workplaces stop them even before they can start. “Most offices do not have shower facilities. A small space for that will make a lot of difference. Also, there aren’t parking facilities for cycles. Cycles are expensive and you end up being worried about it safety. A cycle rack will be helpful. I know some people who cycle to work on alternate days, so that they keep their extras the previous day. Encouragement from organisations can take the cause a long way,” says Bharani Shivakumar, who cycles from Adyar to his office in T. Nagar, twice a week.

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