Dear Editor,
I wish to supplement the advice given to the police by Mr Roger Bhulai in the SN letters column this week that bicycle patrols are more appropriate for our streets than horse patrols (July 29), and suggest that we seriously consider using the bicycle more than we do now for regular, routine commutes within the city and even for short commutes in the countryside, instead of using our private cars and taxis.
The many benefits of doing so are indeed quite obvious, eg, the reduction in traffic jams; the saving on petrol costs; the reduction in congestion on our streets (it might even encourage our government to construct special cycle lanes); the health benefits of physical exercise; the reduction of pollution, etc, etc, are also most significant.
Those of us who have had the benefit of travelling abroad, especially in countries in Europe (the rich, sophisticated Scandavian countries and the Netherlands especially come to mind) will recall the omnipresence of the bicycle; so it should not be seen as a status-lowering practice but one that subscribes to common sense and practicality.
Yours faithfully,
Nowrang Persaud
