MUMBAI: Sixty-five-year-old veteran cyclist Ashok Khale was hit by a vehicle on the Sion-Panvel highway in Mankhurd in 2017.
On a bicyle ride from his Dadar residence to Khopoli, he did not have any emergency identification on him and lay unattended during the crucial golden hour, said ‘bicycle mayor’ Firoza Suresh, who on Thursday announced the distribution of 10,000 emergency cyclist identification cards.
"A cyclist injured in a mishap can get timely attention if he has an I-card with relevant details on him, but the government too needs to make cycling safe. It must create space for cyclists across the MMR. A dedicated strip on roads will ensure bicycles are not bullied by motored vehicles.-TimesView"
Khale was taken to a Vashi hospital by a motorist and his friends, but did not survive.
“It was quite unfortunate that we lost him. We want to ensure that any cyclist who is a victim of mishap is not left unattended. We are, therefore, distributing IDs on a large scale so that it is affixed on every cycle. Citizens can check the ID and call up the emergency contact number for the cyclist or rush him or her to hospital and be informed of his allergies and blood group,” Suresh said.
She said the I-cards are being given free and will also be distributed to dabbawalas.
The identification cards may be prominently fixed on the bicycle and give details like name, emergency contact number, the cyclist’s address, his doctor’s details, any medication being taken or allergies, and his blood group.
Suresh said that 2,000 cyclists had already received their identification card.
“We are building a database of all cyclists in Mumbai and will capture ward-wise cyclists with the help of our 24 bicycle councillors appointed recently. We will also pitch for neighbourhood pop-up bicycle lanes and also request the local civic authorities to redesign roads so that these are cycle-friendly,” she said.
